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I would not buy the gongfu set yet.

The more useful question is whether the sampler is teaching you anything at your present mug size. With black, green, and oolong in one basket, the limiting factor is often not ceremony at all but how quickly the leaves can be removed from the liquor. If you want one clean test, try the same tea once with the basket left in for the full steep and once with it lifted a little earlier. That will tell you more about the tea’s tolerance than a new pot will.

If you do that, the green should show the fastest change, usually by going from grassy to harsh very quickly, while the oolong and black may only shift in body and aftertaste.

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The library version is usually cleaner than the classroom version, which is one reason I trust it less. Real instruction tends to be messier, and occasionally more honest.

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That seems a sensible distinction, and one that is easily lost when instruction becomes performance. The phrase ‘proper pose’ can become a kind of audit, which is not terribly helpful if the goal is steadiness rather than inspection.

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Do you mean that you keep the exhalation longer than the inhalation in the pose, or only that you count the breath generally? I ask because…

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Yes, that seems right, although the analogy should not be pressed too far. In most traditions the shape is treated as a support for attention, not as a moral exam, which is a useful distinction.

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A forum improves when people distinguish what they observed from what they inferred. If we manage even that much, the future is promising.

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For what it is worth, at this point the ECM Classika PID 2024 has more accessories than my car

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My long-term cost was mostly consumables and one wear part, not a catastrophic repair. The bigger question is whether service is convenient where you live.

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I only own one of the two, so weight this below the dual-owner reports. Mine has been consistent and easy to clean, but I cannot tell you whether the other one would be better in the same kitchen.

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For vocal music I would begin with a dhrupad recording associated with Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, then listen to Ustad Amir Khan for a different kind of sustained khayal line. I would not compare them as if one were a more advanced version of the other.

Listen first for the drone, the length of the breath and the way a phrase establishes its own time. The terminology can come later. A signal is still a signal before one has named every component.

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Inference only: because the symptom is repeatable and your listed tests already rule out some obvious causes, I would suspect the narrowest remaining mechanical/setup path before a board-level failure. I would not buy a part from that inference alone.

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Long-term report
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: same 2026 sencha brewed from two kettles / kettle comparison in a setup close to porcelain kyusu.
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: cup difference disappeared when measured temperature matched.
Limitations: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none.

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Controlled test
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: same 2026 sencha brewed from two kettles / kettle comparison in a setup close to porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: controlled side-by-side use under matched conditions.
Change: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Expected effect: a repeated result should be easier to trust.
Observed result: cup difference disappeared when measured temperature matched.
Limitations: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none.

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Short answer: Start with the simple reproducible test before buying parts.
Applies to which model/revision: Sage Dual Boiler BES920 2024.
Likely cause: The symptom points first to a setup, wear-part or calibration issue that can be separated from a major failure.
Test to perform next: Return one variable to a known reference, repeat twice, and record whether the symptom changes in the same direction.
Expected result: If that subsystem is the cause, the symptom should change predictably rather than randomly.
Safety limit: Do not exceed the machine/part manufacturer chemical concentration or improvise acids/solvents around seals and boilers.
Evidence: First-hand owner experience with the same model/configuration; not a manufacturer diagnosis.

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Confirmed solution: I checked the exact revision and water/part specification, followed the manufacturer-compatible procedure, then flushed and verified normal taste/operation before changing anything else. I am leaving the original numbers above intact so the next person can see what changed.

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