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Last week as soon as I emptied a teapot of an infusion, I filled it w/ water for the next infusion. All infusions (usually 3) were poured into a pitcher. Thus, I never drank a single infusion. All I drank were the stacked infusions. It was an excellent week for tea w/ no nasty surprises & no disappointment.

I think the main benefit of this routine is not having some liquid steeping for the time between infusions. It is easy to be distracted & not pour out all that is inside a pot. Even a small amount of water sitting for ten minutes can lead to bitterness that ruins a whole round of tea. With no pause between infusions, a bit of water left in a pot accidentally won't have time to have much negative effect.

I have found that being by my kettle, teapot, & pitcher (only once) for a couple of minutes, is a pleasant anticipation of the drinking to be done. Also, I like having a pitcher of hot tea holding a few infusions waiting for the moment I want some of it....

I think this method works well if you know the particular tea you are brewing. I wouldn’t dare to risk it for a new or unfamiliar tea.

Tasting in between steeps also lets you adjust to the tea/situation.

I personally like my tea on the hot side, so a full pitcher would cool down to much until I reach the bottom. A further concern would be the continuous interaction with oxygen which will alter the taste. Fine for some teas, others do not take well to it and turn bitter.

ethan, how do you think that three combined back-to-back infusions compares to just doing a single infusion with the same combined volume of water (basically western style one-shot brewing)?

The teas that I have been drinking lately taste better when steeped quickly & are stacked. I am not changing anything from what I would do if drinking each infusion alone. I've been stacking for a couple of years but drinking half of each infusion by itself & half combined. I was preparing each infusion when I was ready for more tea. As Bok wrote, when in a pitcher very long, the brew can get somewhat bitter. Since doing all the infusions one right after another, I think I am drinking most of what I prepare more quickly & because of what I mentioned before, what is in the pitcher to begin with, is better. I am getting a better drink w/ "quick stacking" but have not done it w/ every tea that I have in my room. (I will eventually). If 100% of the brew in the pitcher does not make it to my cup before changing for the worse, I would not mind tossing it; however, it has not happened yet. I don't mind room temperature tea nor a second or third cup not quite as good as a first cup.
It's easier for me to pay attention & brew well when I know that what is going into the pitcher will be my tea for the next hour or two or so; not just for a cup....

Ethan I have been stacking my morning infusions for many months now. Mostly roasted high mountain oolongs, ShanLinXi, Muzha etc. I only stack the first two infusions and also sip part of the first infusion while waiting for the second. In the morning I like to focus on having my tea but also get going with work at the computer or my table. I enjoy my teas a little cooler, probably residual from drinking Japanese for so long. I stack medium to high grade teas, but not my finest, those I have in the afternoon when I can really focus and take a break. I was lucky to get a dobin style Seto-ware glazed teapot with a rustic wabi-sabi vine handle that I really love handling. This aesthetic addition has made stacking that much more enjoyable.

pedant, I think going western style would overall result in less rich, less dense infusions, because we’d be using less leaf /to water, with longer infusion time.

Here is a snapshot of my Seto-ware glazed beauty. Light to handle and perfect pour. The curved sack on the spout is proportioned perfectly to the round billowing body.