built for ripe pu'erh
"I'm not sure why you would want to use this for anything except ripe pu'erh. Just drop 10-ish grams in, give it a quick rinse or two with hot water, then fill it up with freshly boiled water and let it sit for however long you want. You can put boiling water in right before you go to bed, and in the morning have super hot pu'erh that is smoother than Michael Jackson moonwalking. Seriously. It doesn't get much better than this - no complex gong-fu geometry, no re-filling kettles or paying attention steep times, you just put boiling water over some ripe pu'erh, and then move with purpose through the rest of your day. Just bring a cup so you can sip on enough tea to maintain an acceptable level of tea-drunkenness. The other insulated flask YS offers (SAMA "MC05") has a cup, but this does not. The filter basket on this is an exclusion filter - it's meant to keep tea leaves in the body of the carafe, rather than containing them like a traditional filter would. Don't put the tea leaves inside of the basket, you're going to regret that if you do! Put the tea in the body of the carafe. Try the YS Cozy with this, or any of the cha tou that YS has. They respond very well. So does the "2019 Year of the Pig Blue Label" - that one produces a remarkably complex array of flavors, thanks to the way its blended with not only different grades, but different oxidation levels. The flavor profile is expansive and maintains its clarity even after 6+ hours of being steeped. Anyways, yeah, just buy this and use it for ripe pu'erh. It will change your existence for the better. Stop wasting your time, get one of these and upgrade your life. Minor points here - but there is a small gap where the stainless body meets the neck of the carafe on the inside of the piece, which is sometimes large enough for leaves to get stuck in, so just remember that as you wash this thing out. Also, the flaring on the neck is too contoured for this tea snob, and consequently it's hard to get every drop of water out when drying the carafe. There are always little pools of water which accumulate regardless of how long I let this dry out for, and whether it's upside-down or right-side-up. I would try it inside-out, but I have a feeling that wouldn't work out too well... Anyways, last minor point here is that it would be cool if there was a mechanism which allowed you to lock the spout valve open, because otherwise the silicon gasket which forms the interior seal accumulates moisture. It's kept shut by a spring-loaded piston, which means it stays wet while the rest of the lid dries. If you aren't using this thing every day (what's wrong with you?) then just remember to dry it off with a paper towel. If you're still reading this, go get you some Ba Da Mountain ripe from YS and prepare to have your mind blown. Sunrise is also a good choice."
— NN (5/5)
