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Precision, precision, precision. I’m a big fan of the 2-degree temperature accuracy. This kettle makes life so much easier for a tea drinker, and I love the dainty gooseneck spout too. It looks singularly minimalist and beautiful compared to almost every other temperature-control kettle on the market.

I make sure to empty out the kettle every night and remove the cap so that it doesn’t rust. Also, I got a faulty base with the “Hi-Err” message but filled out the form and they are shipping me a new base, so hopefully the new one works flawlessly.

Finally brewed it correctly. 5g / 185˚F / 45s and wing it from there.

Enjoying. Increasing rating.

Seriously, despite all the stems and bits of broken leaves in it, this tea smells and tastes fantastic. Even when I probably broke some tea rules by combining parts of 4 separate steepings into my Thermos, it keeps beautifully throughout the day for hours of pampering.

This tastes pretty terrible on its own. It’s a little better with milk, but nevertheless leaves this weird aftertaste that clings to my tongue. Like an artificial orange candy.

I was hoping I could find some good non-caffeinated teas for night sipping at DAVIDsTEA but it’s not really working out so far. All their flavoured teas need to be rinsed –– maybe rinsed twice. Sticking with Lupicia and Alice’s Tea Cup from now on.

Tastes super buttery with that fresh green tea taste. Surprisingly similar to the Pre-Rain Dragonwell, but apparently this is easier to brew. I’ll buy this when my 雨前龙井 runs out.

Pretty simple, strong on the peach and citrus. A bit too cloying. Nothing to write home about. I hope it really is good for the skin :)

Note: Next time, 185˚F, 45s for first infusion.

1st infusion: 185˚F, 1 min
Smells beautiful and floral. Still tastes slightly bitter. Maybe I need to steep for shorter. Or for longer. (Confused)

2nd infusion: 185˚F, split experiment
Half of this infusion steeped for 1:00, the other half for 2:30. Shorter is the clear winner here. The 1:00 was light and fresh, 2:30 was incredibly bitter. Now I know. Don’t follow the instructions on the package (which says 1 to 1.5 min).

3rd infusion: 185˚F, 1:15
Now I’ve got the hang of it. Could probably have gone a bit hotter or longer.

4th infusion: 190˚F, 1:45

5th infusion: 190˚F, 2:10
Done.

Note: This is a later-harvest Longjing and thus trickier to brew than the higher-end Longjings. In future, skip the rinse and brew at 177 – 180˚F, for 40s / 55s / 70s / 90-95s.

Even when sufficiently steeped, the liquor is paler than any other tea I’ve seen so far––it’s the colour of moonlight, paler than canola oil, the sepia of a recent memory.

Brewing this Longjing in a gaiwan this time. Rinsed for 1s before brewing.

1st infusion (175˚F, 45s):
Strong buttery fragrance as usual. Tastes clear, fresh, but a bit astringent this time. Next time maybe just 40s. (Assuming I dilly-dally and take 5s to get to the gaiwan and pour it out)

2nd infusion (175˚F, 55s):
Surprisingly, the buttery scent is gone from the leaves. All I smell is vegetal and fruity plum notes. It’s really intoxicating. The tea still tastes buttery though. Unfortunately halfway through drinking this my mouth got so dry I had to throw out the rest of this infusion.

3rd infusion (177˚F, 65s):
Not bad, the astringency has decreased. Maybe it’s better brewed at a slightly higher temperature.

4th infusion (180˚F, 75s):
Lightly, elegantly scented water. We’re done here.

I think I measured out the low side of 3g of leaves this time. It was a bit too watery, and there was almost no scent left in the 3rd infusion. Better to err on the side of more leaves with this oolong.

Very warming, hearty cup of tea. Reminds me of the medicinal herbal Chinese teas I used to drink as a child in Singapore. Not sweet, just what I need after drinking a way-too-sugary apple cider. I don’t think all Westerners will like this but it is a perfect before-bed drink for me.

This tea smells so beautiful, both dry and brewed.

Visual inspection: The quality of the tea seems not great because you have to use 5-6g in a gaiwan, and they’re all tiny bits of broken leaf that flow out into your cup, not whole leaves.

First infusion: I may have overbrewed a little at 190˚F for 1:30, I get a dark amber liquor that tastes slightly bitter.

Second infusion: Much better at 185˚F. Bitterness is gone.