Six months later the roast finally stopped shouting

[Tofu-Tails]

Question or objective: document whether aggressive roast softens over six months
Tea category: roasted oolong rest log
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: charcoal roasted
Cake/batch number, if relevant: cake/lot noted above where applicable; otherwise N/A
Purchase/opening date: purchased 2026-06-19; opened 2026-08-23
Storage since purchase: as described in the storage experiment below; temperature/RH logged where relevant
Style: gongfu
Vessel: 90 ml porcelain gaiwan
Vessel material: porcelain
Nominal and actual filled capacity: 80 ml filled
Filter or strainer: lid gap
Kettle: stovetop kettle + thermometer
Vessel preheated: yes
Dry leaf weight: 6.5 g
Water volume: 80 ml
Water temperature: 95°C
Water source or mineral profile: filtered tap water, 65 ppm
Rinse: 5-10 s where noted by the recipe; otherwise none
Infusion schedule: 8/10/15/22/35 s
Agitation: none
Was each infusion completely decanted?: yes
Aroma: cinnamon, less smoke
Sweetness: medium-high
Bitterness: low
Astringency: medium-low
Body/texture: full
Flavour: cinnamon, plum, mineral
Aftertaste: long
Number of satisfying infusions: 7
Exact problem: resting roasted oolong after opening
Desired result: document whether aggressive roast softens over six months
Variable changed: rest duration
Previous value: week 1
New value: month 6
Result: smoke dropped sharply and fruit became clearer
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 rest duration: week 1 versus month 6. smoke dropped sharply and fruit became clearer.

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.

[Noodle 92]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with month 6.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / roasted oolong rest log in a setup close to 90 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: measured storage in a similar climate.
Change: repeat the session with month 6.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward document whether aggressive roast softens over six months if that variable is causal.
Observed result: smoke dropped sharply and fruit became clearer.
Limitations: If your actual filled volume differs from the stated volume, the ratio may be the bigger issue.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Tofu-Tails]

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

[Type-Yogi]

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

[Type-Yogi]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / roasted oolong rest log in a setup close to 90 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: smoke dropped sharply and fruit became clearer.
Limitations: If your actual filled volume differs from the stated volume, the ratio may be the bigger issue.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Noodle 92]

Inference
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with month 6.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / roasted oolong rest log in a setup close to 90 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: inference from the posted parameters, not a test of this exact tea.
Change: repeat the session with month 6.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward document whether aggressive roast softens over six months 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.

[Tofu-Tails]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / roasted oolong rest log in a setup close to 90 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: Water chemistry may change the result, so I would not generalize this to every city.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Type-Yogi]

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

[Type-Yogi]

Comparable tea
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with month 6.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / roasted oolong rest log in a setup close to 90 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand use of a comparable roasted oolong rest log with similar parameters.
Change: repeat the session with month 6.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward document whether aggressive roast softens over six months if that variable is causal.
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.

[Tofu-Tails]

Inference
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / roasted oolong rest log in a setup close to 90 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: Water chemistry may change the result, so I would not generalize this to every city.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Noodle 92]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / roasted oolong rest log in a setup close to 90 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: side-by-side or repeated one-variable test.
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.

[Noodle 92]

Inference
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with month 6.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / roasted oolong rest log in a setup close to 90 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: inference from the posted parameters, not a test of this exact tea.
Change: repeat the session with month 6.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward document whether aggressive roast softens over six months if that variable is causal.
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.

[Tofu-Tails]

Inference
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with month 6.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / roasted oolong rest log in a setup close to 90 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: inference from the posted parameters, not a test of this exact tea.
Change: repeat the session with month 6.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward document whether aggressive roast softens over six months if that variable is causal.
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.

[Tofu-Tails]

Original-poster update
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / roasted oolong rest log in a setup close to 90 ml porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: follow-up on the author’s own Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui.
Change: weigh the actual filled water once.
Expected effect: your ratio will become comparable with other reports.
Observed result: smoke dropped sharply and fruit became clearer.
Limitations: Water chemistry may change the result, so I would not generalize this to every city.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Tofu-Tails]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: Charcoal Lane 2025 Rou Gui / roasted oolong rest log in a setup close to 90 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: My result is from a small number of sessions, so treat it as evidence rather than law.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Author]

Posts