TeaChat

While rotating through my teas it was time for a toucha in the back of the cupboard. I noticed to my displeasure that it had begun to mold. It is a white mold. Not being one to waste, I took off the moldy region and steeped it the next morning. I have backed off a bit on my humidity a bit. What does a fellow normally do in this situation? Do I place the infected toucha in lockdown and isolate it from the rest of my tea (everything else seems to be doing fine)?

Don't worry about it. Brush it off. Are you adding moisture to your storage? If you are, get rid of it and let it rest for a few months. It should be fine if it's not serious - which it doesn't sound like it is.

MarshalN- Yes, I have been adding moisture into the cupboard. We heat the house with wood in the winter time, so it gets extremely dry. I was thinking of backing off on my humidifying. I'm afraid if I back down all the way things will dry up fast.

I've heard a dry (clean) toothbrush works well.

Saayuq wrote:MarshalN- Yes, I have been adding moisture into the cupboard. We heat the house with wood in the winter time, so it gets extremely dry. I was thinking of backing off on my humidifying. I'm afraid if I back down all the way things will dry up fast.

If it dries up a bit it's ok. Give it a few weeks, and then come back with the humidifying. Even in wet places like Hong Kong we get dry spells when things can be pretty dry, so I'd say lay off the moisture until new year's before you start again.

Will do thanks for the help.

Just out of curiosity, do you keep it a bit more humid all year round, or do you oscillate between wet and dry phases?

I just started humidifying about 5 months ago. I was thinking to humidify year round. We generally run the woodstove from September through May, that tends to dry the air. We get moderate humidity in the summer with outside temperatures rarely much above 70 F.

Everyone swears by different things, but imho the best storage strategy is 4 season storage (but in my head it is simplified down to more of a 2 season system), basically with a wetter, hotter season to stimulate good growth and maturity, and then a colder, drier season to walk it back and develope more complexity. All about that balance.

I have noticed that teas stored in warmer, more humid conditions year-round get a bit flat and just don't have that special pop, that special ring to them that makes me love puerh so much. Just my 2 cents.