Roasted or just burnt?

[Tai Chi Tiffin]

Question or objective: separate roast character from burnt taste
Tea category: Wuyi yancha
Exact product: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui
Vendor: Red Pine Tea
Origin: Wuyishan, Fujian
Cultivar, if known: Rou Gui
Harvest season/year: spring 2025
Processing or roast: medium-heavy charcoal roast
Cake/batch number, if relevant: cake/lot noted above where applicable; otherwise N/A
Purchase/opening date: purchased 2026-06-02; 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: 90 ml nominal / 80 ml filled
Filter or strainer: lid gap
Kettle: standard electric kettle + thermometer
Vessel preheated: yes
Dry leaf weight: 7.0 g
Water volume: 80 ml
Water temperature: 98°C
Water source or mineral profile: filtered tap water, Toronto; 80 ppm
Rinse: 5-10 s where noted by the recipe; otherwise none
Infusion schedule: 8 s, 10 s, 12 s, 18 s, 25 s
Agitation: none
Was each infusion completely decanted?: yes
Aroma: charcoal, cinnamon
Sweetness: low
Bitterness: medium
Astringency: medium
Body/texture: thick
Flavour: char, cinnamon bark, mineral
Aftertaste: roasty and dry
Number of satisfying infusions: 7
Exact problem: charred flavour masks everything that should be underneath
Desired result: separate roast character from burnt taste
Variable changed: rest after opening
Previous value: same day
New value: 10 days
Result: smoke softened a little but the cup still tastes burnt
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

I have reached the stage where changing three things at once is only producing new kinds of confusion. The cup is giving me charred flavour masks everything that should be underneath. The last controlled change was rest after opening: same day to 10 days, and smoke softened a little but the cup still tastes burnt. 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: separate roast character from burnt taste. I am not looking for a new shopping list unless the equipment is actually the problem.

[Tai Chi Tiffin]

Tested solution
Direct recommendation: use 92°C water for the first two infusions.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / Wuyi yancha in a setup close to gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand test by the questioner on Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui.
Change: use 92°C water for the first two infusions.
Expected effect: less char with more spice and sweetness.
Observed result: smoke softened a little but the cup still tastes burnt.
Limitations: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Ringside And Rescue]

Same tea/batch
Direct recommendation: reduce leaf to 6 g.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / Wuyi yancha in a setup close to gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand use of the same Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui in a closely matched setup.
Change: reduce leaf to 6 g.
Expected effect: clearer mineral and fruit notes.
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]

Professional experience
Direct recommendation: air a small portion for another two weeks.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / Wuyi yancha in a setup close to gaiwan.
Evidence: general brewing principle consistent with repeated tests; not this exact batch.
Change: air a small portion for another two weeks.
Expected effect: rounder roast and less sharp smoke.
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.

[Absurd-Adjuster]

Comparable tea
Direct recommendation: air a small portion for another two weeks.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / Wuyi yancha in a setup close to gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand use of a comparable Wuyi yancha with similar parameters.
Change: air a small portion for another two weeks.
Expected effect: rounder roast and less sharp smoke.
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.

[Tai Chi Tiffin]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: use 92°C water for the first two infusions.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / Wuyi yancha in a setup close to gaiwan.
Evidence: side-by-side or repeated one-variable test.
Change: use 92°C water for the first two infusions.
Expected effect: less char with more spice and sweetness.
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.

[Absurd-Adjuster]

Comparable tea
Direct recommendation: reduce leaf to 6 g.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / Wuyi yancha in a setup close to gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand experience with Wuyi yancha in a different vessel.
Change: reduce leaf to 6 g.
Expected effect: clearer mineral and fruit notes.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Absurd-Adjuster]

Inference
Direct recommendation: use 92°C water for the first two infusions.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / Wuyi yancha in a setup close to gaiwan.
Evidence: inference from the posted parameters, not a test of this exact tea.
Change: use 92°C water for the first two infusions.
Expected effect: less char with more spice and sweetness.
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.

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