With you on the boutique gardening. I am firmly a science based guy, as such I grow with chemicals/salts as it makes the most logical sense to me based on the idea that a plant needs certain things to live/thrive and chemically you can better hit that exactly rather than brewing up an organic tea. However...I am starting to think I am wrong as I think I had a nicer end product with organics, so running a side by side with the same strain (wish it was clones but no luck) with one in organic soil and the other choc full of chems in coco. So far the coco size/vigor is blowing away the dirt, but that dirt looks like it will be mighty tasty. And this had no real point and i just veered off topic...
I think where I was going was something about the comparison you were talking about. Can't wrap my brain around the gradual harvest resulting in a better product, I just don't think teh lower would catch up enough to make it worth it. Agree with your sentiment though, just I am on the other side, I wouldn't be swayed towards gradual harvest without seeing it first hand.