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Does ripe puerh improve with age and if so how should it be stored for optimum aging

Hi,
it depends on tastes and tea. Most people consider the post-fermentation taste unpleasant, though I know several people who like it.

I think that it generally depends on the level of fermentation. Heavily fermented shu does not age as sheng does, but unpleasant odors vanish with time. They do so also with less fermented shu, but on top of that, some addional "natural" fermentation may supposedly happen.

I would generally say that aging does improve shu slightly by making it more easy-going and smooth, but it is not nearly as notable as with sheng puerh.

The fishmarket smell seems to disappear after a year or so, otherwise break up the cake and allow it to air out.

No real advantage provided by aging tea that was initially composted to simulate some of the attributes of age beyond a year or so.

Dagestan-

try some samples of older pu-erh from the early 2000's, 90's or even 80's. See how you like it. You might be able to find aged shu on some ebay stores.

Good Luck,

Bryan

From what I understand, some factories already "rest" the tea post-wodui, but before pressing into cakes. So if you have a 2012 cake, it doesn't necessarily always mean that the tea went through wodui in 2012.

I think some of it also depends on how aggressively the tea was "ripened" in the first place -- you can see / feel from the leaves, as well as from the taste, that some shu has a lot of "life" left in it.

Shu which has been wet-stored post-manufacture has its own taste and its own style, whether or not you like it.