All right, ladies and gents, time for another noob question: Why does every tek I read tell me to pour in just enough water to cover the plant material, and top off the water in small amounts as necessary? If I pour in a great deal more water than is needed--even, say, an entire gallon more--and boil it down to a more manageable amount before straining the brew into another pot, won't this have exactly the same effect as using a smaller amount of water and frequently adding more? The volume of liquid in the end product will be the same in either case, and considering it's only water that's being boiled away, not psychoactive chemicals, I would think the potency would be exactly the same with either method. Am I wrong?

You can definitely add more water, it's just that it takes a lot of energy and time to reduce water, so the more you have, the more time/energy you spend later on.

BUT... You can't do one main big boil instead of 3x boils even if total amount of water is the same, otherwise you waste alkaloids which will still be in the bark. The reason for that is written in our FAQ

No idea if that is wrong method, it's just not one that, apparently, has a good success ratio.
My first 'extraction' experience, if you will, was with Madrona leaves for the relief of poison ivy and oak. Took 14 hours at slow roll. I always felt that it required the attention.
My preparing for aya ceremony, teaches me patience and reverence. Not saying that the efficient sounding method won't work, I've no idea but there is more to be gained than just the mechanical result.
Virt