Puerh jar

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


Aug 13th, '12, 08:49
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Joined: Mar 16th, '12, 08:51
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Puerh jar

by Antihero » Aug 13th, '12, 08:49

Greetings,

Does anyone have experience ordering jars from this vendor? Just wondering if the quality of the jars is any good.

[url]http://www.zhizhengtea.com/tea-storage-jars.html[/url

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks

Aug 14th, '12, 23:17
Posts: 504
Joined: Oct 7th, '09, 21:31
Location: South Carolina

Re: Puerh jar

by bryan_drinks_tea » Aug 14th, '12, 23:17

I see your point, but i'm skeptical of storing puerh cakes in jars - I doubt that it will get enough air and humidity to really change enough, in fact, it may just become flat...but that is just my opinion. The jars look good, and whatever your choice is, I hope it goes well for you. :D

Aug 14th, '12, 23:20
Posts: 504
Joined: Oct 7th, '09, 21:31
Location: South Carolina

Re: Puerh jar

by bryan_drinks_tea » Aug 14th, '12, 23:20

bryan_drinks_tea wrote:I see your point, but i'm skeptical of storing puerh cakes in jars - I doubt that it will get enough air and humidity to really change enough, in fact, it may just become flat...but that is just my opinion. I also think they are selling the jars to make money, hence, they suggest they are good for storage...remember, no man is an island, and neither is puerh. The jars look good, and whatever your choice is, I hope it goes well for you. :D

Aug 15th, '12, 13:23
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Joined: May 9th, '09, 15:59

Re: Puerh jar

by shah82 » Aug 15th, '12, 13:23

Jars are great for airing out formerly compressed puerh. Wouldn't want to age anything in them, but taste generally gets better after awhile.

Aug 16th, '12, 22:49
Posts: 504
Joined: Oct 7th, '09, 21:31
Location: South Carolina

Re: Puerh jar

by bryan_drinks_tea » Aug 16th, '12, 22:49

shah82 wrote:Jars are great for airing out formerly compressed puerh. Wouldn't want to age anything in them, but taste generally gets better after awhile.

+1

Aug 17th, '12, 00:24
Posts: 38
Joined: May 27th, '12, 07:22

Re: Puerh jar

by ciphoto » Aug 17th, '12, 00:24

Those jars look nice, I'm looking at the garden centers for broken and chipped pot etc.

I think they would make excellent storage.

Aug 17th, '12, 00:28
Posts: 38
Joined: May 27th, '12, 07:22

Re: Puerh jar

by ciphoto » Aug 17th, '12, 00:28

bryan_drinks_tea wrote:I see your point, but i'm skeptical of storing puerh cakes in jars - I doubt that it will get enough air and humidity to really change enough, in fact, it may just become flat...but that is just my opinion. The jars look good, and whatever your choice is, I hope it goes well for you. :D
Can you explain your reasons or experience for these thoughts? It would seem to me that jars would be good their hard don't smash, crumble, don't draw bugs, they have as much air flow as a closed cabinet, as long as you don't make them air tight, and they look okay.

Aug 17th, '12, 13:34
Posts: 21
Joined: Mar 16th, '12, 08:51
Location: USA

Re: Puerh jar

by Antihero » Aug 17th, '12, 13:34

I appreciate all the comments!

Does anyone on the forum have any experience using unglazed clay jars for storing puerh for long, or short period of time?

Aug 17th, '12, 23:17
Posts: 504
Joined: Oct 7th, '09, 21:31
Location: South Carolina

Re: Puerh jar

by bryan_drinks_tea » Aug 17th, '12, 23:17

ciphoto wrote:
bryan_drinks_tea wrote:I see your point, but i'm skeptical of storing puerh cakes in jars - I doubt that it will get enough air and humidity to really change enough, in fact, it may just become flat...but that is just my opinion. The jars look good, and whatever your choice is, I hope it goes well for you. :D
Can you explain your reasons or experience for these thoughts? It would seem to me that jars would be good their hard don't smash, crumble, don't draw bugs, they have as much air flow as a closed cabinet, as long as you don't make them air tight, and they look okay.

ciphoto,

Pu-erh needs some air flow, and even a non airtight jar has a little airflow, but they do not have as much airflow as a closed cabinet - per se. One would have to define the cabinet at hand.

I've had teas that were stored in jars from their youth, and even at five to 7 years old - they had no flavour, texture, or strength compared to the same tea that was stored out of a jar (it was mildly wet stored). An example I have is the 04 changtai yiwu zhengpin blue stamp. The one stored in the jar did not get enough airflow or moisture to age properly.

I'll also say that I could be wrong - so with that in mind, i'd suggest trying both - two cakes in a jar, and two cakes on the shelf to age for a few years. compare them after a long while, and see what you get!

Aug 18th, '12, 09:21
Posts: 38
Joined: May 27th, '12, 07:22

Re: Puerh jar

by ciphoto » Aug 18th, '12, 09:21

ciphoto wrote:
bryan_drinks_tea wrote:
Can you explain your reasons or experience for these thoughts? It would seem to me that jars would be good their hard don't smash, crumble, don't draw bugs, they have as much air flow as a closed cabinet, as long as you don't make them air tight, and they look okay.

ciphoto,

Pu-erh needs some air flow, and even a non airtight jar has a little airflow, but they do not have as much airflow as a closed cabinet - per se. One would have to define the cabinet at hand.

I've had teas that were stored in jars from their youth, and even at five to 7 years old - they had no flavour, texture, or strength compared to the same tea that was stored out of a jar (it was mildly wet stored). An example I have is the 04 changtai yiwu zhengpin blue stamp. The one stored in the jar did not get enough airflow or moisture to age properly.

I'll also say that I could be wrong - so with that in mind, i'd suggest trying both - two cakes in a jar, and two cakes on the shelf to age for a few years. compare them after a long while, and see what you get!
Bryan,
Thanks for your reply. I wonder if perhaps the “mildly wet” had more to do with that.

I will probably end up with both if I continue to pursue my desire to have some different and quality tea to drink on a regular bases.

I’m a noob but it seems to me that the tightness of the packing in the jar or cabinet would matter more.

But this bring another question what about that tea made you think it would age well? What taste profile etc…

Aug 18th, '12, 18:45
Posts: 239
Joined: Sep 2nd, '10, 12:57

Re: Puerh jar

by fdrx » Aug 18th, '12, 18:45

i store my pu into earthen jars. The jars allow the air to flow because the lids don't fit well. It took time for me to find good jars but my tea is a bit too young to say if it ages at a normal speed, i mean like if the tea was on shelves.
maybe i should put my beengs on shelves... i don't know but i'm really interested in all that

Image
(picture updated)
Last edited by fdrx on Oct 11th, '12, 01:15, edited 16 times in total.

Aug 18th, '12, 20:42
Posts: 38
Joined: May 27th, '12, 07:22

Re: Puerh jar

by ciphoto » Aug 18th, '12, 20:42

fdrx wrote:
Image
Nice jars....

Aug 19th, '12, 00:50
Posts: 504
Joined: Oct 7th, '09, 21:31
Location: South Carolina

Re: Puerh jar

by bryan_drinks_tea » Aug 19th, '12, 00:50

ciphoto wrote:
ciphoto wrote:
bryan_drinks_tea wrote:
Can you explain your reasons or experience for these thoughts? It would seem to me that jars would be good their hard don't smash, crumble, don't draw bugs, they have as much air flow as a closed cabinet, as long as you don't make them air tight, and they look okay.

ciphoto,

Pu-erh needs some air flow, and even a non airtight jar has a little airflow, but they do not have as much airflow as a closed cabinet - per se. One would have to define the cabinet at hand.

I've had teas that were stored in jars from their youth, and even at five to 7 years old - they had no flavour, texture, or strength compared to the same tea that was stored out of a jar (it was mildly wet stored). An example I have is the 04 changtai yiwu zhengpin blue stamp. The one stored in the jar did not get enough airflow or moisture to age properly.

I'll also say that I could be wrong - so with that in mind, i'd suggest trying both - two cakes in a jar, and two cakes on the shelf to age for a few years. compare them after a long while, and see what you get!
Bryan,
Thanks for your reply. I wonder if perhaps the “mildly wet” had more to do with that.

I will probably end up with both if I continue to pursue my desire to have some different and quality tea to drink on a regular bases.

I’m a noob but it seems to me that the tightness of the packing in the jar or cabinet would matter more.

But this bring another question what about that tea made you think it would age well? What taste profile etc…
That changtai had a fuller, more robust flavour - in other words, it had depth and complexity. There are teas out there that have this quality other than the one I mentioned, of course, and the only way to find out is to sample, sample , and sample some more. Pay close attention, and one will see the similarities and differences in the various pu'erhs. As time goes on, one might realize what those deep, complex teas are. Teas with heavy compression and/or lots of bitterness tend to respond well to longer periods of high humidity - at least 70 plus RH. and as always, experiment with storage options, wait a few years and see how each storage group is coming along. Good luck!

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