Not sure if it’s continued mellowing of the tuos, or my evolving palate, but it’s better, again.
The main difference this time was that I broke up the tuo with my hands before rinsing. I think this allowed the storage/fermentation smells to rinse out faster, giving me a first steeping that was smooth, easy to drink, silky in the mouth and pleasantly earthy.
I’m also western-style brewing today, because my work gaiwan dropped in the sink and broke. RIP.