TeaChat

So im not typically a puer drinker, but im slowly getting into it.
I know puer needs a specific storage, but i just dont have it.
Will there be negative consequences if its just stored in a glass jar with an airtight seal?

If your tea isn't dry in the first place, it will keep some humidity in and the tea won't deteriorate.

Airtight in glass is not what you want for pu IMO. Stick it in a Tupperware container that is slightly cracked, with a shot glass with a little water in it. If you have more pu than will fit in Tupperware, you could always go with a Rubbermaid cooler!

jayinhk wrote: in a Tupperware container that is slightly cracked, with a shot glass with a little water in it.

Sorry, but adding a glass of water in an enclosed container is the best and easiest way to ruin your Pu Erh, unless you plan to create a fungus farm.

yalokinh wrote:So im not typically a puer drinker, but im slowly getting into it.
I know puer needs a specific storage, but i just dont have it.
Will there be negative consequences if its just stored in a glass jar with an airtight seal?

It all depends.
Are you planning long term storage of whole cakes and bricks to age Sheng Pu Erh (shu doesn't exactly "age" in the way Sheng ages, it's left for some time more in order to get rid of the smells and flavors from the fermentation process), or do you just want to store a small amount in lose form to drink once a while?

If it's the latter case, a normal tea container away from strong smells, such as kitchen smells, is sufficient, in a location that is not too stuffy. It doesn't need to be air tight.

If it is the former case, then it depends a lot on the climate, and additionally there are huge debates on what people consider proper storage - natural vs. artificially raised humidity in drier climates, etc.

Baron, I use a shot glass of distilled water with colloidal silver in my humidor. Of course there's only about 1-2 ml of water in the glass. Mold has never been an issue and it keeps the humidity right where I want it. HK summers are humid enough that I don't need any humidification whatsoever, so the water is just for the dry season. Hmmm, I might have to pull a Bolivar out later tonight!

Yalokinh, if you're in South Florida, you might be able to get away with just sticking it on a shelf! I'd avoid airtight storage since that promotes anaerobic bacteria, which is not what you want.

jayinhk wrote:Baron, I use a shot glass of distilled water with colloidal silver in my humidor. Of course there's only about 1-2 ml of water in the glass. Mold has never been an issue and it keeps the humidity right where I want it. HK summers are humid enough that I don't need any humidification whatsoever, so the water is just for the dry season. Hmmm, I might have to pull a Bolivar out later tonight!

Yalokinh, if you're in South Florida, you might be able to get away with just sticking it on a shelf! I'd avoid airtight storage since that promotes anaerobic bacteria, which is not what you want.

This is the first time that i have heard anyone in HK home storage using artificially added humidity. I really do not think that this is necessary. A constant high level of humidity might even be counterproductive, long term. A lot of people say that Pu Erh also needs resting periods - which i find to be true.
Over the past 12 years i have home stored my teas here in Bangkok completely naturally - and we have some slight seasonal changes - hot and relatively dry, wet and hot, warm and dry. When i compared the same teas with teas stored in KL, which is all year around more humid than BKK (closer to the equator), with less seasonal changes, my teas were slightly more aged.

the problem is that my kitchen is usually packet with spices and smells like food more or less all the time, so I don't want my pu to smell like a kitchen, I don't think there is enough humidity in the house for the pu to catch mold even in the airtight storage. Thanks for all the info guys

When do you plan on drinking it... If its in the next two years storage isn't all that important... Puerh takes much longer than a few months to age.

theredbaron wrote: This is the first time that i have heard anyone in HK home storage using artificially added humidity. I really do not think that this is necessary. A constant high level of humidity might even be counterproductive, long term. A lot of people say that Pu Erh also needs resting periods - which i find to be true.

Oh, I only use it for my cigars; HK can get down to 40-50% humidity in the fall and winter.