Breaking the cake changed more than I expected

[Object Biography]

Question or objective: see whether breaking and resting improves evenness
Tea category: aged white tea storage/breakup test
Exact product: Old Orchard 2016 Shou Mei cake
Vendor: Lotus Hill Tea
Origin: Fuding, Fujian
Cultivar, if known: Da Bai
Harvest season/year: 2016
Processing or roast: aged compressed white tea
Cake/batch number, if relevant: cake/lot noted above where applicable; otherwise N/A
Purchase/opening date: purchased 2026-06-17; opened 2026-08-23
Storage since purchase: as described in the storage experiment below; temperature/RH logged where relevant
Style: gongfu
Vessel: 120 ml porcelain gaiwan
Vessel material: porcelain
Nominal and actual filled capacity: 105 ml filled
Filter or strainer: lid gap
Kettle: standard electric kettle + thermometer
Vessel preheated: yes
Dry leaf weight: 6 g
Water volume: 105 ml
Water temperature: 98°C
Water source or mineral profile: filtered tap water, 70 ppm
Rinse: 5-10 s where noted by the recipe; otherwise none
Infusion schedule: 20/25/35/50/75 s
Agitation: none
Was each infusion completely decanted?: yes
Aroma: date, cedar
Sweetness: high
Bitterness: none
Astringency: low
Body/texture: thick
Flavour: date, honey, old wood
Aftertaste: long
Number of satisfying infusions: 8
Exact problem: whole-cake chunks vs leaf rested after breaking up
Desired result: see whether breaking and resting improves evenness
Variable changed: physical breakup and rest
Previous value: freshly pried chunks
New value: broken leaf rested 14 days
Result: brews became much more even from steep to steep
Dry-leaf photograph: not attached yet
Liquor photograph: available in the author’s notes; not embedded in this archive
Wet-leaf photograph: not attached yet
Video if pouring or drainage is relevant: not relevant

This is a dated storage note rather than a declaration that I have solved aging. The comparison is physical breakup and rest: freshly pried chunks versus broken leaf rested 14 days. brews became much more even from steep to steep.

Climate and measurement matter here. If your storage is in a different humidity range, please label it. Failure reports are useful too; I would rather know what went wrong than build a shrine to survivorship bias.

[Tai Chi Tiffin]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with broken leaf rested 14 days.
Applies to: Old Orchard 2016 Shou Mei cake / aged white tea storage/breakup test in a setup close to 120 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: measured storage in a similar climate.
Change: repeat the session with broken leaf rested 14 days.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward see whether breaking and resting improves evenness if that variable is causal.
Observed result: brews became much more even from steep to steep.
Limitations: Water chemistry may change the result, so I would not generalize this to every city.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Coffee-Kriti]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Old Orchard 2016 Shou Mei cake / aged white tea storage/breakup test in a setup close to 120 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: repeated sessions over time.
Change: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Expected effect: a repeated result should be easier to trust.
Observed result: brews became much more even from steep to steep.
Limitations: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Object Biography]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: Old Orchard 2016 Shou Mei cake / aged white tea storage/breakup test in a setup close to 120 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: side-by-side or repeated one-variable test.
Change: weigh the actual filled water once.
Expected effect: your ratio will become comparable with other reports.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Tai Chi Tiffin]

Comparable tea
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with broken leaf rested 14 days.
Applies to: Old Orchard 2016 Shou Mei cake / aged white tea storage/breakup test in a setup close to 120 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand use of a comparable aged white tea storage/breakup test with similar parameters.
Change: repeat the session with broken leaf rested 14 days.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward see whether breaking and resting improves evenness if that variable is causal.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: If your actual filled volume differs from the stated volume, the ratio may be the bigger issue.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Coffee-Kriti]

Inference
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Old Orchard 2016 Shou Mei cake / aged white tea storage/breakup test in a setup close to 120 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: inference from the posted parameters, not a test of this exact tea.
Change: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Expected effect: a repeated result should be easier to trust.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: If your actual filled volume differs from the stated volume, the ratio may be the bigger issue.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Object Biography]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: Old Orchard 2016 Shou Mei cake / aged white tea storage/breakup test in a setup close to 120 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: repeated sessions over time.
Change: weigh the actual filled water once.
Expected effect: your ratio will become comparable with other reports.
Observed result: brews became much more even from steep to steep.
Limitations: If your actual filled volume differs from the stated volume, the ratio may be the bigger issue.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Tai Chi Tiffin]

Comparable tea
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with broken leaf rested 14 days.
Applies to: Old Orchard 2016 Shou Mei cake / aged white tea storage/breakup test in a setup close to 120 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand use of a comparable aged white tea storage/breakup test with similar parameters.
Change: repeat the session with broken leaf rested 14 days.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward see whether breaking and resting improves evenness if that variable is causal.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: My result is from a small number of sessions, so treat it as evidence rather than law.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Author]

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