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Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 2nd, '13, 01:14
by Tead Off
shah82 wrote:I was very vague and general because I didn't want to outpace my knowledge, and I figure that this link might help...

http://www.marshaln.com/2011/01/traditional-not-wet/
Thanks for the link. It does help explain and answer some of my questions. Of course, in matters of taste, etc., opinions will always vary. For us 'older' folks who may not have 20 years left to wait to see how their new single estate cakes, which seem to be gaining in popularity, will fare, buying somewhat aged cakes seem to be a good path to follow.

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 2nd, '13, 01:16
by Tead Off
MarshalN wrote:This is why I avoid the words "dry" and "wet" generally - they are vague and don't answer any questions. Like you said, Hong Kong is wet, but then, Bangkok isn't exactly dry either.

Traditional storage needs artificial increase in the humidity and consequently, the temperature of the storage facility. Natural storage in Hong Kong is just leaving it on a shelf/box/unit with no human intervention in the condition of the storage environment.
Yes, you explained it well.

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 2nd, '13, 16:00
by wyardley
I think that when people say "HK Storage" (i.e., 港倉), they are often referring to traditional storage (i.e., intentionally humid storage), vs. natural storage in HK. This sometimes causes confusion when people buy "HK stored" tea, and assume that the condition of the tea is due to the natural environment in HK.

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 3rd, '13, 15:12
by ImmortaliTEA
wyardley wrote:I think that when people say "HK Storage" (i.e., 港倉), they are often referring to traditional storage (i.e., intentionally humid storage), vs. natural storage in HK. This sometimes causes confusion when people buy "HK stored" tea, and assume that the condition of the tea is due to the natural environment in HK.
I agree 100%. You can clearly see, smell, taste, and feel the difference when you taste Tim's 8582. That's what good storage is all about. I don't think I've had too many examples of the "intentional humidity added" type of storage but honestly to me the very best cakes I've ever had were always stored in HK (natural) in the plastic wrap method!

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 3rd, '13, 16:21
by wyardley
ImmortaliTEA wrote: I agree 100%. You can clearly see, smell, taste, and feel the difference when you taste Tim's 8582. That's what good storage is all about. I don't think I've had too many examples of the "intentional humidity added" type of storage but honestly to me the very best cakes I've ever had were always stored in HK (natural) in the plastic wrap method!
I know the tea you're talking about, but I believe it's been traditionally stored for at least some of its life, not a result of natural HK storage (now, traditional storage could include storage in areas with high humidity, like basements, rather than actively adding humidity, but it's still not the same as what we're talking about above). Based on the pictures, the leaves don't seem that broken down, but that was my impression based on the sample of it I tasted, at any rate. That's not to say that it's improperly stored or that the storage taste is strong, just based on its age and maturity. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about this.

In fact, I think most commercially available pu'ers from before the late 90s are likely to have had traditional storage at some point in their life.

If you've had tea which has been naturally stored its entire life, you may be surprised at how "young" and aggressive it can still taste.

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 3rd, '13, 21:29
by ImmortaliTEA
wyardley wrote:
ImmortaliTEA wrote: I agree 100%. You can clearly see, smell, taste, and feel the difference when you taste Tim's 8582. That's what good storage is all about. I don't think I've had too many examples of the "intentional humidity added" type of storage but honestly to me the very best cakes I've ever had were always stored in HK (natural) in the plastic wrap method!
I know the tea you're talking about, but I believe it's been traditionally stored for at least some of its life, not a result of natural HK storage (now, traditional storage could include storage in areas with high humidity, like basements, rather than actively adding humidity, but it's still not the same as what we're talking about above). Based on the pictures, the leaves don't seem that broken down, but that was my impression based on the sample of it I tasted, at any rate. That's not to say that it's improperly stored or that the storage taste is strong, just based on its age and maturity. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about this.

In fact, I think most commercially available pu'ers from before the late 90s are likely to have had traditional storage at some point in their life.

If you've had tea which has been naturally stored its entire life, you may be surprised at how "young" and aggressive it can still taste.
Yes I'm definitely not opposed to partial traditional storage if it produces something like that wonderful tea. I think it's when a tea is traditionally stored for long periods or even its entire life is when we really have to worry about complexity lacking, cloudy, and somewhat flat, one-dimensional, and almost pondy brews. I was unaware that the tea in question had partial traditional storage but am pleasantly surprised because that doesn't change the fact that its still my favorite online bought aged puerh quality/price ratio wise. Thanks for the info Will.

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 3rd, '13, 21:55
by TIM
I'm not sure if there is such a process as 'partial traditional storage' or 'Quick traditional HK storage'. It's like saying I'm going on a 30 days diet but only did it for 10 days and proclaiming I lost weight, therefore it was successful and completed.

Traditional HK storage is a long term storage practice, it has more than 3 to 4 stages and could takes over 15 to 20 years. Nothing quick about it.

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 3rd, '13, 23:41
by ImmortaliTEA
TIM wrote:I'm not sure if there is such a process as 'partial traditional storage' or 'Quick traditional HK storage'. It's like saying I'm going on a 30 days diet but only did it for 10 days and proclaiming I lost weight, therefore it was successful and completed.

Traditional HK storage is a long term storage practice, it has more than 3 to 4 stages and could takes over 15 to 20 years. Nothing quick about it.
I am lost Tim are you saying that the 8582 is stored in an environment with intentionally added humidity (traditional storage) or that it was natural HK storage? I had no idea if partial traditional storage was possible either which is why I was wondering why you mentioned that Wyardley. Now I'm confused because I thought there were many examples of teas that had partial traditional storage such as Daniel Lui's teas from Vancouver that he had in traditional storage in HK for about 10 years or so and then took them with him to Vancouver where the native Dry Storage picked up for the rest of its storage until present day?

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 3rd, '13, 23:43
by ImmortaliTEA
Perhaps that is why the aging has been flawed on some of those Vancouver teas according to people's reviews on here especially. So perhaps its just something that doesn't work out good in the big picture.

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 3rd, '13, 23:48
by Tead Off
It seems to me that a tea stored for 10 years with HK traditional storage and then moved to Vancouver will still be considered traditionally stored. That initial storage sets up the aging process. Plus, it's not only the added humidity or temp, it's the careful tending to the cakes through rotational placement and observation.

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 4th, '13, 01:04
by brandon
I think you are understating how "untraditional" the Chinese Tea Shop puer taste. Sorry to put it so directly. If you do the first stage of trad storage and then stop, is like pulling the emergency brake at 120mph. The subsequent stages are designed to temper that extreme treatment, and like TO says takes years of attention. Without "removing the storage," ignoring for a second that there is a lot of tea that just doesn't survive it, you can end up with some pretty gross tasting stuff. I'm guilty of drinking some of that, but for my personal taste a sampling of CTS puer are way over the line.

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 9th, '13, 17:15
by bryan_drinks_tea
I used to drink a lot of young sheng, but i've developed something..(i should go to the doctor) where anything I eat or drink causes serious heartburn and and gastric...reflux I figure one would call it. It's fun to see all of those cakes, but I'm concerned that they might still be too acidic for me...
good luck, tea friends,

Bryan

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 9th, '13, 18:46
by TIM
bryan_drinks_tea wrote:I used to drink a lot of young sheng, but i've developed something..(i should go to the doctor) where anything I eat or drink causes serious heartburn and and gastric...reflux I figure one would call it. It's fun to see all of those cakes, but I'm concerned that they might still be too acidic for me...
good luck, tea friends,

Bryan
Oolong(烏龍)-Pu is a big problem.

http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.p ... wdqchi=擺烏龍

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 9th, '13, 20:21
by Chip
bryan_drinks_tea wrote:I used to drink a lot of young sheng, but i've developed something..(i should go to the doctor) where anything I eat or drink causes serious heartburn and and gastric...reflux I figure one would call it. It's fun to see all of those cakes, but I'm concerned that they might still be too acidic for me...
good luck, tea friends,

Bryan
That is no fun ... been there and done that. Mine seems to be much better since switching to Japanese greens.

Yes, you should do something!

Re: Some nice photos showing 10 years aging progress

Posted: Jan 9th, '13, 21:15
by bagua7
bryan_drinks_tea wrote:I used to drink a lot of young sheng, but i've developed something..(i should go to the doctor) where anything I eat or drink causes serious heartburn and and gastric...reflux I figure one would call it.
Yes you should but I would see a reputable TCM doctor instead. The tea probably revealed a Qi imbalance in your internal organ(s).

Best of luck with it.