Travel gaiwan, hotel kettle, no thermometer

[Type-Yogi]

Question or objective: a recipe based on timing rather than thermometer accuracy
Tea category: oolong
Exact product: Roadside Orchid 2025 Baozhong
Vendor: Pale Crane Tea
Origin: Pinglin, Taiwan
Cultivar, if known: Qingxin
Harvest season/year: spring 2025
Processing or roast: light oxidation
Cake/batch number, if relevant: cake/lot noted above where applicable; otherwise N/A
Purchase/opening date: purchased 2026-05-09; opened 2026-07-23
Storage since purchase: sealed original pouch inside a dark cupboard
Style: gongfu travel setup
Vessel: 90 ml travel 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: 5.0 g
Water volume: 80 ml
Water temperature: hotel kettle boiled then rested 3 minutes
Water source or mineral profile: bottled water, 50 ppm
Rinse: 5-10 s where noted by the recipe; otherwise none
Infusion schedule: 15/15/25/40 s
Agitation: none
Was each infusion completely decanted?: yes
Aroma: gardenia
Sweetness: medium-high
Bitterness: low
Astringency: low
Body/texture: medium
Flavour: gardenia, cucumber, cream
Aftertaste: floral
Number of satisfying infusions: 5
Exact problem: limited temperature control while traveling
Desired result: a recipe based on timing rather than thermometer accuracy
Variable changed: cooling interval
Previous value: 1 minute after boil
New value: 3 minutes
Result: less vegetal and more floral
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 the first version of this recipe I have repeated enough times to stop calling it an accident. The useful change was cooling interval: 1 minute after boil to 3 minutes. less vegetal and more floral.

I am posting the taste result as well as the instructions because a recipe that only says what to do is half a recipe. If you try it, please say what changed in the cup rather than just whether you liked it.

[Civic Fish Stories]

Same tea/batch
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 3 minutes.
Applies to: Roadside Orchid 2025 Baozhong / oolong in a setup close to 90 ml travel gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand use of the same Roadside Orchid 2025 Baozhong in a closely matched setup.
Change: repeat the session with 3 minutes.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward a recipe based on timing rather than thermometer accuracy 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.

[Wing Chun Wrench]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Roadside Orchid 2025 Baozhong / oolong in a setup close to 90 ml travel 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: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Type-Yogi]

This thread is why I now own a scale that is more emotionally stable than I am.

[Cleaver]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Roadside Orchid 2025 Baozhong / oolong in a setup close to 90 ml travel 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: less vegetal and more floral.
Limitations: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Cleaver]

Inference
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Roadside Orchid 2025 Baozhong / oolong in a setup close to 90 ml travel 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: My result is from a small number of sessions, so treat it as evidence rather than law.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Cleaver]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: Roadside Orchid 2025 Baozhong / oolong in a setup close to 90 ml travel 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: less vegetal and more floral.
Limitations: If your actual filled volume differs from the stated volume, the ratio may be the bigger issue.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Wing Chun Wrench]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 3 minutes.
Applies to: Roadside Orchid 2025 Baozhong / oolong in a setup close to 90 ml travel gaiwan.
Evidence: side-by-side or repeated one-variable test.
Change: repeat the session with 3 minutes.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward a recipe based on timing rather than thermometer accuracy 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.

[Civic Fish Stories]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: Roadside Orchid 2025 Baozhong / oolong in a setup close to 90 ml travel 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]

Comparable tea
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 3 minutes.
Applies to: Roadside Orchid 2025 Baozhong / oolong in a setup close to 90 ml travel gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand use of a comparable oolong with similar parameters.
Change: repeat the session with 3 minutes.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward a recipe based on timing rather than thermometer accuracy 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.

[Author]

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