Best setup for keeping the flavors (not for aging)!

[VanFersen]

Ahoi there,

at the moment I am more and more getting deeper into the topic of storing bigger stocks of Pu-erh in the best possible way. I was also thinking about buying a broken wine fridge and those humidity bags but I am not sure if that's really right start for me.

To explain myself a bit better: I am not so much into buying whole cakes - some for sure but not the major type of order - mostly I order around 25-50g parts and pieces of cakes and keep them into those air tight zip doypacks like Yunnan Sourcing is using and many other modern tea shops. Then I store those doypacks inside a big closed cardboard box I bought at TK Maxx - one with less odor because I hate strong odors especially when it comes to my teas.

Beside that I am not into aging teas at all. If I want them old I order them aged. So I have my bags of raw shengs, aged shengs and shou all inside doypacks.

What I want to know is: How can I keep them at their best possible intense and full preserved aromatic way for at least 1-2 years? - because this might be the amount of time I am consuming those parts and pieces some sooner - some later.

I am only concerned on keeping their full profile at its best for this amount of time. So is a broken fridge and humidity bags even necessary in my case or what would you suggest?

Thanks for the time and your thoughts~ ^___~

[Bok]

Ahoi there,

at the moment I am more and more getting deeper into the topic of storing bigger stocks of Pu-erh in the best possible way. I was also thinking about buying a broken wine fridge and those humidity bags but I am not sure if that's really right start for me.

To explain myself a bit better: I am not so much into buying whole cakes - some for sure but not the major type of order - mostly I order around 25-50g parts and pieces of cakes and keep them into those air tight zip doypacks like Yunnan Sourcing is using and many other modern tea shops. Then I store those doypacks inside a bigh closed cardboard box I bought at TK Maxx - one with less odor because I hate strong odors especially when it comes to my teas.

Beside that I am not into aging teas at all. If I want them old I order them aged. So I have my bags of raw shengs, aged shengs and shou all inside doypacks.

What I want to know is: How can I keep them at their best possible intense and full preserved aromatic way for at least 1-2 years? - because this might be the amount of time I am consuming those parts and pieces some sooner - some later.

I am only concerned on keeping their full profile at its best for this amount of time. So is a broken fridge and humidity bags even necessary in my case or what would you suggest?

Thanks for the time and your thoughts~ ^___~

If your signature is right and you are in Central Europe I would mostly be worried about it being to dry… I think with airtight zipbags you should be fine.

[Rui]

In Austria the only time I would be seriously concerned about humidity is during the winter months when the heaters are on and indoor humidity levels drop sometimes to their 20% 's relative humidity.

My most expensive cakes are indeed in humidors but all the others are in canvas bags in a cabinet without any problems so far but where we live it is nowhere as cold as Austria can get during winter.

[jayinhk]

If you don't want to age it at all...vacuum seal and store in the fridge.

[fdrx]

If your signature is right and you are in Central Europe I would mostly be worried about it being to dry… I think with airtight zipbags you should be fine.

+1, and tested.
Just be careful with floor heating if the tea is near the ground

[VanFersen]

We don't have floor heating and yes Vienna is correct - Winter is definitely a problem because of heating the apartment. Our flat gets very cold easily that's why the radiators are always heating in Winter times. So our flat might be quite warm during that times - definitely more than 20°. But I open the windows many times a day for 15-30 minutes even in Winter to get fresh air into the apartment. So I don't now if that helps or not.

[fdrx]

don't put your tea too close to the radiators and everything will be fine then

[Bef]

But I open the windows many times a day for 15-30 minutes even in Winter to get fresh air into the apartment. So I don't now if that helps or not.

I don't think it helps.

Even if the r/h is higher outside, once the air is heated, the r/h goes down. The reason is that cold air can contain less humidity than warm air. So once you heat it, its r/h gets lower.

This is why "modern" appartments that have very efficient insulation need an air exchanger (i.e. to get the r/h inside lower, as to avoid condensation on windows or walls). So even in that scenario, the air from inside gets dryer by pumping in air from the outside (i.e. low r/h air).

[jayinhk]

But I open the windows many times a day for 15-30 minutes even in Winter to get fresh air into the apartment. So I don't now if that helps or not.

I don't think it helps.

Even if the r/h is higher outside, once the air is heated, the r/h goes down. The reason is that cold air can contain less humidity than warm air. So once you heat it, its r/h gets lower.

This is why "modern" appartments that have very efficient insulation need an air exchanger (i.e. to get the r/h inside lower, as to avoid condensation on windows or walls). So even in that scenario, the air from inside gets dryer by pumping in air from the outside (i.e. low r/h air).

You could always dedicate a walk-in closet to pu erh storage Dad had one in Wien that would've worked out great as a pu erh room! Sometimes I wish I'd stayed on in his apartment. He had a large one bedroom on Mariahilfestrasse for 800 Euro a month (rent unchanged for decades because of an old contract)!

[VanFersen]

@jayinhk - You lived in Vienna too? The world really is a small place

Our apartment isn't that big but cheap - so a walk in closet isn't possible here. But I wonder those an air improver would do a difference between winter times - the ones which blows air into the apartment to make the dry air filled with more humidity?

[jayinhk]

@jayinhk - You lived in Vienna too? The world really is a small place

Our apartment isn't that big but cheap - so a walk in closet isn't possible here. But I wonder those an air improver would do a difference between winter times - the ones which blows air into the apartment to make the dry air filled with more humidity?

Not me, but my mom, dad and uncle did. I went there for the first time in the mid-90s! I think I had my first doner kebab there and I remember watching Addams Family reruns on TV (it was the only thing on TV in English, aside from music videos)!

My uncle lived on Taborstrasse back then. Ah, my cousin lived with my unckle for a few years too (my cousin is American).

A humidifier (what you are describing) might work, but I'd be worried that the humidity might go too high! I'd get a good quality, calibrated hygrometer (to measure humidity) to make sure everything is ok and I'd try to keep humidity at a max of 70-75%. You sound like a good candidate for a pumidor.

[Rui]

A humidifier (what you are describing) might work, but I'd be worried that the humidity might go too high! I'd get a good quality, calibrated hygrometer (to measure humidity) to make sure everything is ok and I'd try to keep humidity at a max of 70-75%. You sound like a good candidate for a pumidor.

And one does not need to go for very expensive humidifiers. Usually I get mine from http://humidoro.de/ through Amazon.

For humidity I use Boveda 75% RH 2-way Humidity Control, Large 60 gram size which maintains the internal humidity at around 69 - 72% RH.

[stevorama]

I like to use porcelain tea caddys (containers) for small amounts of tea or for immediate drinking. They preserve the aroma well especially if they are full of tea and have some seal.