More leaf, same flat white tea

[Object Biography]

Question or objective: more sweetness and depth
Tea category: white tea
Exact product: Moon Yard 2024 Shou Mei cake
Vendor: Lotus Hill Tea
Origin: Fuding, Fujian
Cultivar, if known: Da Bai
Harvest season/year: autumn 2024
Processing or roast: sun-withered, compressed
Cake/batch number, if relevant: cake/lot noted above where applicable; otherwise N/A
Purchase/opening date: purchased 2026-06-04; opened 2026-07-05
Storage since purchase: sealed original pouch inside a dark cupboard
Style: gongfu
Vessel: gaiwan
Vessel material: porcelain
Nominal and actual filled capacity: 120 ml nominal / 105 ml filled
Filter or strainer: lid gap
Kettle: standard electric kettle + thermometer
Vessel preheated: no
Dry leaf weight: 6.5 g
Water volume: 105 ml
Water temperature: 95°C
Water source or mineral profile: soft bottled spring water, 45 ppm
Rinse: 5-10 s where noted by the recipe; otherwise none
Infusion schedule: 20 s, 25 s, 35 s, 50 s
Agitation: none
Was each infusion completely decanted?: yes
Aroma: hay and dried pear
Sweetness: low-medium
Bitterness: none
Astringency: low
Body/texture: thin
Flavour: hay, pear skin
Aftertaste: brief
Number of satisfying infusions: 5
Exact problem: increasing leaf quantity made the cup denser but not more expressive
Desired result: more sweetness and depth
Variable changed: leaf quantity
Previous value: 5 g
New value: 6.5 g
Result: stronger hay note but still flat
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: pour/drainage video described in the post; not embedded in this archive

I have reached the stage where changing three things at once is only producing new kinds of confusion. The cup is giving me increasing leaf quantity made the cup denser but not more expressive. The last controlled change was leaf quantity: 5 g to 6.5 g, and stronger hay note but still flat. I would like the next test to be one variable only. If you have brewed this exact tea, or something genuinely comparable in a similar vessel, that would be especially useful.

My target is simple: more sweetness and depth. I am not looking for a new shopping list unless the equipment is actually the problem.

[Object Biography]

Tested solution
Direct recommendation: raise water temperature to 99°C.
Applies to: Moon Yard 2024 Shou Mei cake / white tea in a setup close to gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand test by the questioner on Moon Yard 2024 Shou Mei cake.
Change: raise water temperature to 99°C.
Expected effect: more body and dried-fruit sweetness.
Observed result: stronger hay note but still flat.
Limitations: If your actual filled volume differs from the stated volume, the ratio may be the bigger issue.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Crowd Wok]

Same tea/batch
Direct recommendation: use a longer first infusion of 35 seconds.
Applies to: Moon Yard 2024 Shou Mei cake / white tea in a setup close to gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand use of the same Moon Yard 2024 Shou Mei cake in a closely matched setup.
Change: use a longer first infusion of 35 seconds.
Expected effect: deeper first cup and better continuity.
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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