pu-erh storage - will pine be the death of this collection?

[entropyembrace]

Stick your nose in the pine drawer, give it a good sniff and see...if it doesn't have a strong odour it's not going to cause any problems and I honestly don't think a light natural pine scent would hurt the tea in the least.

[cookiethemonster]

Thanks for everyone who has replied, although I'm more than confused now! I think I'm just going to use the drawers myself, as both me and boyfriend are quite worried about it. He's spent a fair bit of money on his tea (some of it is very old) and can't afford to replace it. I've seen some other containers that use MDF which he tells me is fine so hopefully that should be ok (unless any of you want to add to that?).

And for those of you who mentioned it, he has to accept my many eccentricities so it's a two-way deal

Thanks again!

[Jedi]

MDF is like a slow killer.

I'd rather store the Pu Erh in the pine drawers than the MDF any time. Pine is okay unless it's been harshly treated, so a simple whiff will tell you whether there are any nasties present.

MDF on the other hand, is always leaking off loose particles into the atmosphere, from the preservatives used during compression of the wood fibers, and the presence of real nasties such as formaldehyde and epoxy resins (which give off cancer-linked fumes).

[oldmanteapot]

actually, an odourless paper box would do... save the money and get him some nice pu instead

Yup... that would be ideal. Just don't bundle all the pu into the same box... hehe....
cheers!!

[shogun89]

I keep mine in cardboard file boxes that you can get at Staples for real cheap. They dont smell and are easy to transport and let air in and out.

[cookiethemonster]

I actually got some cardboard storage boxes today before reading this so I think I'm on the right tracks now . Besides having little sense of smell or taste to be able to appreciate old tea I find aging and storing tea very, very annoying when it goes wrong e.g MOULD especially when it happens to expensive tea! I think the reason he wants wooden storage rather than cardboard is because he's trying to create a fairly humid environment for the tea and I think he blamed the cardboard for the mould problems he had last time.

I've given the boxes a good sniff and they don't seem to be whiffy, as for the pine drawers you can smell it quite strongly so I don't think there's much chance of him using those any time soon unless the smell goes. They make for nice storage for all my crap though (very convenient)

And as for the pine/linseed oil layering super-experiment, I think by the time I was done his tea would already be aged - problem solved!

[shogun89]

Just our of curiosity, How could cardboard be to blame for mold if it has a better circulation than wood. Wood traps and holds humidity better than cardboard so with wood you would see a bigger build up of moisture, which is good for aging, but if not watched carefully will result in mold, Cardboard should be your safest storage bet.

[cookiethemonster]

You're right, I was mistaken in my post actually it was when he had his tea stored in plastic boxes and he'd used some water soaked cloth to keep it humid, except they soon got a bit mouldy. Oops!
Thanks for the advice though I think they will be fine in cardboard.

[shogun89]

Yeah, the plastic is not the best of ideas. The cardboard should suit him fine. Out of curiosity, what is the humidity he is maintaining?

[orguz]

http://goods.ruten.com.tw/item/show?11090402501733

http://class.ruten.com.tw/user/index00.php?s=mumu0628

Why not get these; odourless and proven to work for around 60 USD (first link)

[shogun89]

I would love to have a clay canister like that. . .

[cookiethemonster]

Sorry for the delayed reply about the humidity, I think he said around 70% but not too sure so don't take my word on that. And those canisters are gorgeous!

[shogun89]

70% is very good, actually, perfect : )