Five sessions later: this spring Longjing is less polite than day one

[Cleaver]

Question or objective: decide whether to repurchase
Tea category: Longjing green tea
Exact product: West Lake Window 2026 Longjing
Vendor: LeafHarbor Tea
Origin: Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Cultivar, if known: Longjing 43
Harvest season/year: pre-Qingming 2026
Processing or roast: hand-finished pan-fired green tea
Cake/batch number, if relevant: cake/lot noted above where applicable; otherwise N/A
Purchase/opening date: purchased 2026-07-15; opened 2026-08-05
Storage since purchase: refrigerated sealed pouch; portion warmed before opening
Style: glass and gaiwan
Vessel: 250 ml glass / 100 ml gaiwan
Vessel material: glass / porcelain
Nominal and actual filled capacity: 250 ml / 90 ml filled
Filter or strainer: none / lid gap
Kettle: stovetop kettle + thermometer
Vessel preheated: no
Dry leaf weight: 3 g glass; 4 g gaiwan
Water volume: 220 ml / 90 ml
Water temperature: 80°C
Water source or mineral profile: low-mineral bottled water, 40 ppm
Rinse: 5-10 s where noted by the recipe; otherwise none
Infusion schedule: glass 3 min; gaiwan 25/20/30 s
Agitation: none
Was each infusion completely decanted?: gaiwan yes
Aroma: chestnut, bean, fresh greens
Sweetness: medium-high
Bitterness: low
Astringency: low
Body/texture: light
Flavour: bean, chestnut, sweet grass
Aftertaste: clean nutty
Number of satisfying infusions: 3-4
Exact problem: multi-session harvest report, not a first impression
Desired result: decide whether to repurchase
Variable changed: vessel
Previous value: glass
New value: gaiwan
Result: gaiwan showed more aroma; glass was sweeter and easier
Dry-leaf photograph: available in the author’s notes; not embedded in this archive
Liquor photograph: available in the author’s notes; not embedded in this archive
Wet-leaf photograph: available in the author’s notes; not embedded in this archive
Video if pouring or drainage is relevant: not relevant

This is not a first-impression post. I have enough sessions with this tea now to know which notes survived the excitement of opening the bag. The most useful controlled change was vessel: glass versus gaiwan. gaiwan showed more aroma; glass was sweeter and easier. I am mostly interested in comparable reports: same harvest or style,.

[Tai Chi Tiffin]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with gaiwan.
Applies to: West Lake Window 2026 Longjing / Longjing green tea in a setup close to 250 ml glass / 100 ml gaiwan.
Evidence: repeated sessions over time.
Change: repeat the session with gaiwan.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward decide whether to repurchase if that variable is causal.
Observed result: gaiwan showed more aroma; glass was sweeter and easier.
Limitations: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Bug Report Fiction]

Same tea/batch
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: West Lake Window 2026 Longjing / Longjing green tea in a setup close to 250 ml glass / 100 ml gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand use of the same West Lake Window 2026 Longjing in a closely matched setup.
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: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Wire And Gloves]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: West Lake Window 2026 Longjing / Longjing green tea in a setup close to 250 ml glass / 100 ml 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: Water chemistry may change the result, so I would not generalize this to every city.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Cleaver]

Vendor/order report
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with gaiwan.
Applies to: West Lake Window 2026 Longjing / Longjing green tea in a setup close to 250 ml glass / 100 ml gaiwan.
Evidence: completed order/report with dates and destination disclosed.
Change: repeat the session with gaiwan.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward decide whether to repurchase if that variable is causal.
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 same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: West Lake Window 2026 Longjing / Longjing green tea in a setup close to 250 ml glass / 100 ml gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand use of a comparable Longjing green tea with similar parameters.
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: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Cleaver]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: West Lake Window 2026 Longjing / Longjing green tea in a setup close to 250 ml glass / 100 ml 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: If your actual filled volume differs from the stated volume, the ratio may be the bigger issue.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Tai Chi Tiffin]

I appreciate that nobody has told you to buy a new kettle yet. Growth.

[Cleaver]

Vendor/order report
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: West Lake Window 2026 Longjing / Longjing green tea in a setup close to 250 ml glass / 100 ml gaiwan.
Evidence: completed order/report with dates and destination disclosed.
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: Water chemistry may change the result, so I would not generalize this to every city.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Wire And Gloves]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: West Lake Window 2026 Longjing / Longjing green tea in a setup close to 250 ml glass / 100 ml 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: gaiwan showed more aroma; glass was sweeter and easier.
Limitations: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Cleaver]

The phrase “actual filled capacity” has ruined at least two of my favorite excuses.

[Tai Chi Tiffin]

Vendor/order report
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: West Lake Window 2026 Longjing / Longjing green tea in a setup close to 250 ml glass / 100 ml gaiwan.
Evidence: completed order/report with dates and destination disclosed.
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: 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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