snipped much good stuff

> I use a Gaiwan at work
> and even now struggle to get the same taste from a tea two days in a row - I
> think I'm rushing the process while working.

Well, you can't really get the same result each time
because you're different, the environment is also
different, even the tea is different. You bring a
different self to the table each time, in a manner
of speaking, right? So, of course the tea will
surprise you every time. This is not to say that
we don't have good days and bad days. Just my
opinons.

> Did any of you use scales to initially determine the correct amount of
> leaf - or did you just wing it ? I don't think I want to start using a
> scale all the time, but am wondering if I used one for a short period to
> show me what 5g of leaf (for example) looks like, I might be a little more
> consistent. Brewing time is consistent as I used a simple timer.

I use a scale often enough, especially when the tea
is valuable and I have very little of it. At the least,
you might consider getting the feel of what 5g of
any given tea looks like by using a scale initially.
With Pu'erhs, you are steeping the same leaf many
times, so you vary the lengths of the steep in
accordance with the results you got and the results
you want. I scarcely think a timer will help, but
that's just another opinion of mine. I vote for the
occasional use of a scale, and lose the timer. By
the way, we're talking about time from instant,
five, ten, fifteen seconds, etc. So, a timer isn't
really practical.

Michael