Aging tea in NYC

One of the intentionally aged teas, Pu-Erh has a loyal following.


May 29th, '14, 20:33
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Aging tea in NYC

by Exempt » May 29th, '14, 20:33

Also, I would buy ones specifically made for cigars rather than miracle grow, cat litter, or any other kind of bead made for something besides storage

May 30th, '14, 01:09
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by bonescwa » May 30th, '14, 01:09

I think I'd rather change them out monthly than have to deal with a humidifier everyday. Having to use only distilled water, cleaning them when they get moldy or mineral accumulates, the noise, the constant refilling, etc, so I'm probably going to be giving this a try once I get enough tea to make it worthwhile. And I'll use the miracle grow or something like it, it's probably the exact same chemical and preparation that cigar companies repackage and sell as specifically for cigar storage :lol:

May 30th, '14, 02:43
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by Exempt » May 30th, '14, 02:43

bonescwa wrote:I think I'd rather change them out monthly than have to deal with a humidifier everyday. Having to use only distilled water, cleaning them when they get moldy or mineral accumulates, the noise, the constant refilling, etc, so I'm probably going to be giving this a try once I get enough tea to make it worthwhile. And I'll use the miracle grow or something like it, it's probably the exact same chemical and preparation that cigar companies repackage and sell as specifically for cigar storage :lol:
1. I've added water to my humidifier twice in the two years I've owned it and haven't touched it besides that and I was adding water to beads at least once every two weeks. I don't know why you think you'd have to "deal with" a humidifier every day
2. You have to use distilled water with beads too…… the minerals in regular water will clog the beads
3. My aristocrat humidifier hasn't had any mold and minerals don't accumulate because the water is distilled so there aren't minerals
4. The fan's are so small I can't hear the noise unless the main fan runs which is less than once a week for a few seconds
6. No chance of ammonia smell
7. I can change the humidity whenever I want
8. With generic miracle grow beads or whatever you have no control of what humidity they are set for so it may keep the humidity below what you want it to be

TL;DR I've used both methods and the humidifier is exponentially less maintenance, you need distilled water for both, I had mold and smell problems with beads but not humidifier, and humidifiers are more versatile

May 30th, '14, 06:29
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by bonescwa » May 30th, '14, 06:29

Exempt wrote:
bonescwa wrote:I think I'd rather change them out monthly than have to deal with a humidifier everyday. Having to use only distilled water, cleaning them when they get moldy or mineral accumulates, the noise, the constant refilling, etc, so I'm probably going to be giving this a try once I get enough tea to make it worthwhile. And I'll use the miracle grow or something like it, it's probably the exact same chemical and preparation that cigar companies repackage and sell as specifically for cigar storage :lol:
1. I've added water to my humidifier twice in the two years I've owned it and haven't touched it besides that and I was adding water to beads at least once every two weeks. I don't know why you think you'd have to "deal with" a humidifier every day
2. You have to use distilled water with beads too…… the minerals in regular water will clog the beads
3. My aristocrat humidifier hasn't had any mold and minerals don't accumulate because the water is distilled so there aren't minerals
4. The fan's are so small I can't hear the noise unless the main fan runs which is less than once a week for a few seconds
6. No chance of ammonia smell
7. I can change the humidity whenever I want
8. With generic miracle grow beads or whatever you have no control of what humidity they are set for so it may keep the humidity below what you want it to be

TL;DR I've used both methods and the humidifier is exponentially less maintenance, you need distilled water for both, I had mold and smell problems with beads but not humidifier, and humidifiers are more versatile
That's great, I would use it then but that kind of humidifier isn't going to be an option for me right now. If passive humidification is good enough for cigar people then it's good enough for me. And if I'm replacing them monthly I highly doubt minerals are going to have much of an effect. As far as humidity control, I think I put in a hygrometer and do trial and error as far as the amount of beads. I'm sure in the long run your way is cost effective though. Maybe when I get settled down somewhere and know I won't be moving anytime soon I would consider something like that. Right now I just want a cheap way to make a pumidor so my tea doesn't get worse (or even better yet, someone to tell me puerh doesn't get ruined by sitting in a house in Northeast Ohio for years).

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Jun 1st, '14, 00:09
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by wyardley » Jun 1st, '14, 00:09

Exempt wrote: 1. I've added water to my humidifier twice in the two years I've owned it and haven't touched it besides that and I was adding water to beads at least once every two weeks. I don't know why you think you'd have to "deal with" a humidifier every day
2. You have to use distilled water with beads too…… the minerals in regular water will clog the beads
3. My aristocrat humidifier hasn't had any mold and minerals don't accumulate because the water is distilled so there aren't minerals
4. The fan's are so small I can't hear the noise unless the main fan runs which is less than once a week for a few seconds
I have an Aristocrat humidor, and I have not had the same experience. While it certainly doesn't require daily maintenance, I use distilled water only and keep the humidity moderate (65-70% usually), but I've still had to change the wicks and clean the reservoirs with a diluted bleach solution 3-4 times a year, and usually they're moldy enough that I don't feel comfortable reusing them, even if I were to bleach them also. I've also had red mold grow in the fan filters, which necessitated replacing the entire humidifier assembly.

I personally find the fan noise distracting, even in living areas. When I had it in a guest room, I'd have to unplug it when we had guests over, because the fan noise is quite distracting. If there were neoprene biscuits under the humidifier, maybe it would isolate it a bit more, but as it is, it resonates through the wood cabinets, and is quite distracting, especially because they switch on / off fairly frequently.

Between the hassle and having had some bugs in there for a bit, I let it dry up for a bit, and haven't gotten around to rehumidifying it for quite a few months now.
Last edited by wyardley on Jun 1st, '14, 00:11, edited 1 time in total.

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Jun 1st, '14, 00:10
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by wyardley » Jun 1st, '14, 00:10

bonescwa wrote:If passive humidification is good enough for cigar people then it's good enough for me.
There's a certain size over which, I think you'll have a hard time getting the beads to work. You'll also need a very well sealed enclosure.

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Jun 1st, '14, 00:13
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by BioHorn » Jun 1st, '14, 00:13

wyardley wrote:
bonescwa wrote:If passive humidification is good enough for cigar people then it's good enough for me.
There's a certain size over which, I think you'll have a hard time getting the beads to work. You'll also need a very well sealed enclosure.
I would avoid using beads. Boveda has worked well for me.

Jun 1st, '14, 02:16
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by Exempt » Jun 1st, '14, 02:16

BioHorn wrote:
wyardley wrote:
bonescwa wrote:If passive humidification is good enough for cigar people then it's good enough for me.
There's a certain size over which, I think you'll have a hard time getting the beads to work. You'll also need a very well sealed enclosure.
I would avoid using beads. Boveda has worked well for me.
Why? Boveda and beads do the same thing, boveda packs are just way more expensive for similar volumes

Jun 1st, '14, 02:20
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by Exempt » Jun 1st, '14, 02:20

wyardley wrote:
Exempt wrote: 1. I've added water to my humidifier twice in the two years I've owned it and haven't touched it besides that and I was adding water to beads at least once every two weeks. I don't know why you think you'd have to "deal with" a humidifier every day
2. You have to use distilled water with beads too…… the minerals in regular water will clog the beads
3. My aristocrat humidifier hasn't had any mold and minerals don't accumulate because the water is distilled so there aren't minerals
4. The fan's are so small I can't hear the noise unless the main fan runs which is less than once a week for a few seconds
I have an Aristocrat humidor, and I have not had the same experience. While it certainly doesn't require daily maintenance, I use distilled water only and keep the humidity moderate (65-70% usually), but I've still had to change the wicks and clean the reservoirs with a diluted bleach solution 3-4 times a year, and usually they're moldy enough that I don't feel comfortable reusing them, even if I were to bleach them also. I've also had red mold grow in the fan filters, which necessitated replacing the entire humidifier assembly.

I personally find the fan noise distracting, even in living areas. When I had it in a guest room, I'd have to unplug it when we had guests over, because the fan noise is quite distracting. If there were neoprene biscuits under the humidifier, maybe it would isolate it a bit more, but as it is, it resonates through the wood cabinets, and is quite distracting, especially because they switch on / off fairly frequently.

Between the hassle and having had some bugs in there for a bit, I let it dry up for a bit, and haven't gotten around to rehumidifying it for quite a few months now.
Huh, I find this odd. I'd love to see a picture of where your humidifier is placed. Maybe that has something to do with the mold? I haven't had any issues with any mold or other substances anywhere in the device. Also, my entire pumidor is completely filled with tea and they hold moisture so well that even without the humidifier they will hold the pumidor humidity for weeks. Due to this I find that I rarely, if ever, actually hear it run. Come to think of it I can't remember the last time I heard the fan run. Interestingly, I have my aristocrat set at 70% humidity, but even without running the tea holds and releases humidity keeping the pumidor at about 75%. Your setup must be allowing a lot of airflow if the fan is turning on and off frequently.

Jun 1st, '14, 06:02
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by TofuMiso » Jun 1st, '14, 06:02

Exempt , what material is your pumidor cabinet made from ?

Jun 1st, '14, 12:53
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by Exempt » Jun 1st, '14, 12:53

TofuMiso wrote:Exempt , what material is your pumidor cabinet made from ?
I use a brand new non working refrigerator shell for my pumidor

Jun 1st, '14, 15:59
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by AllanK » Jun 1st, '14, 15:59

Exempt wrote:
TofuMiso wrote:Exempt , what material is your pumidor cabinet made from ?
I use a brand new non working refrigerator shell for my pumidor
I just "built" a new pumidor out of a mini fridge. I am now in the process of testing the device. I was given much help by Mr Mopu. The mini fridge should also seal out any miscellaneous odors as well as keep the humidity up. It has been recommended to me that I keep the humidity at 68%.

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Jun 1st, '14, 17:49
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by wyardley » Jun 1st, '14, 17:49

Exempt wrote: Huh, I find this odd. I'd love to see a picture of where your humidifier is placed. Maybe that has something to do with the mold? I haven't had any issues with any mold or other substances anywhere in the device. Also, my entire pumidor is completely filled with tea and they hold moisture so well that even without the humidifier they will hold the pumidor humidity for weeks.
I have one fan on each side of the bottom of the box.
Image

Mine also has quite a bit of tea (somewhat more than is in the photo above, which was taken a while back), and can hold its humidity for quite some time without active humidification if the doors are shut, but I think the fans on the humidifiers run at some semi-regular interval anyway (which I think would be important for circulation anyway). As best I can tell, the interval isn't configurable.

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Jun 1st, '14, 18:45
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by TokyoB » Jun 1st, '14, 18:45

AllanK wrote:
Exempt wrote:
TofuMiso wrote:Exempt , what material is your pumidor cabinet made from ?
I use a brand new non working refrigerator shell for my pumidor
I just "built" a new pumidor out of a mini fridge. I am now in the process of testing the device. I was given much help by Mr Mopu. The mini fridge should also seal out any miscellaneous odors as well as keep the humidity up. It has been recommended to me that I keep the humidity at 68%.
Can you tell is what the setup is? Any photos?
Thanks!

Jun 1st, '14, 19:01
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Re: Aging tea in NYC

by AllanK » Jun 1st, '14, 19:01

TokyoB wrote:
AllanK wrote:
Exempt wrote:
TofuMiso wrote:Exempt , what material is your pumidor cabinet made from ?
I use a brand new non working refrigerator shell for my pumidor
I just "built" a new pumidor out of a mini fridge. I am now in the process of testing the device. I was given much help by Mr Mopu. The mini fridge should also seal out any miscellaneous odors as well as keep the humidity up. It has been recommended to me that I keep the humidity at 68%.
Can you tell is what the setup is? Any photos?
Thanks!
The setup is very simple. A mini fridge with a cigar oasis humidifier. I also have a large computer fan for extra air circulation that I am advised to run once a week for 30 minutes. I will be happy to post photos once I have filled it. I am waiting a day or so for the humidity to get to 68 which is where the humidity will start. I am also waiting for a shipment from http://www.yunnansourcing.us which the post office has be slow to deliver.

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