Worried that my stash has been too dry since... well always, I've not been looking forward to waiting around 20 years until I start tasting some of my now young teas. I've heard that a decent humidity level for pu-erh is 70%. Is this true? Anyone experience good long-term results with this? If so, then I came across something interesting. Perusing some cigar enthusiast forums on the subject of humidity, I came across some of the usual stuff we talk about such as hygrometers, salt tests, etc. However, I saw something that stood out to me. They were talking about "humidity beads", and apparently these are little see-through pellets that regulate the humidity very accurately in a small storage space. You can't have too many beads, as it regulates the moisture content of the air around it. They come in (so far only able to find) two levels, 65% and 70%. I couldn't find the 65% super cheap on eBay, so I sprang for a half pound of the 70% for a very very cheap price.
I guess all you have to do with these is spray 3/4 of the beads with distilled (distilled water ONLY, I guess this is extremely important or the beads won't work) water until the 3/4 you sprayed are see-through, then when they become milky white you just spray them again. These cigar fans are saying this stuff is so accurate that they only use hygrometers to check when they have to spray their beads again!
What do you guys think of all this business, and what are your thoughts on ideal humidity levels for pu-erh storage?
Jan 5th, '09, 08:39
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I have heard of something similar. I believe we touched on them in the past in this forum. I have also heard of Gel that can be used in the same fashion.
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Jan 5th, '09, 15:18
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Jan 5th, '09, 17:16
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http://stores.cigarsolutions.com/Detail.bok?no=90
http://www.cigartrends.com/viewtopic.php?t=27
I may suggest 65-70% if you can keep it steady. Good Luck.
Aged cigar (20yrs+) are usually stored in 55-65% to keep the higher notes from degrading.
http://www.cigartrends.com/viewtopic.php?t=27
I may suggest 65-70% if you can keep it steady. Good Luck.
Aged cigar (20yrs+) are usually stored in 55-65% to keep the higher notes from degrading.
Jan 5th, '09, 17:26
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Re: Relative Humidity
CDS I think was shooting for ~65% in his custom-made pumidor.thanks wrote:What do you guys think of all this business, and what are your thoughts on ideal humidity levels for pu-erh storage?
So thanks -- what are you going to put the tea + beads in....??
I'm still pondering over the home-made vice the professional solution. . . . . .
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Do something different, something different will happen. ( Gong Fu Garden )
Look how little work i have to do:
http://www.cityrating.com/cityhumidity.asp?City=Houston
My house is probably more humid due to the number of fish tanks.
http://www.cityrating.com/cityhumidity.asp?City=Houston
My house is probably more humid due to the number of fish tanks.
You know, that sucks. Why did I have to get into tea AFTER moving out of Corpus Christi...??edkrueger wrote:Look how little work i have to do:
http://www.cityrating.com/cityhumidity.asp?City=Houston
My house is probably more humid due to the number of fish tanks.
My house is sitting around 39% right now because of the seasonal need for a heater. My cabinet is around 43%. I just recently added the hygrometer, but I assume it's a bit lower than it would normally be, largely due to the fact that I just added 4600g of Kunming stored pu-erh to it in the last day. As soon as I added the tea, I noticed the general aroma declined a bit. Same thing happened last time I added a tong. Then after a few days, it seemed to reach balance and everything went back to normal. I plan to keep an eye on it through the next few days and see if I'm right.