Pumidor Candidate

[Seeker]

pb2q - very helpful, thank you. The moment I finish writing this, I'm off to read that article!
As one who is only 3yrs into puerh and all it's splendor and complexity, I have only had my teachers and sources to rely on/believe - and here in the San Francisco Bay area, I've been led to believe they are formidable -- Roy Fong, of Imperial Tea Court, the gang at Teance (Winnie, Tano), as well as others such as Master Wang of Zen and Tea. So, I've thought it well to believe them when they said to me what I have posted here; and I was sure disappointed to hear what they said.
And, of course, here, the temps tend to be low most of the year every year and/or the humidity low most of the year every year (I live in the far east bay, where we have some 100+ degrees in summer, but very low humidity; whereas closer to the bay I imagine they have higher humidity, but suffer low temps almost always. So perhaps my teachers/sources think of closer to the bay).
At any rate, I am fascinated by the learning, and forever grateful for all of you that so graciously share your knowledge.
Please - what is "shicang"? Haven't been exposed to that term yet.
Off to the reading!

[pb2q]

Please - what is "shicang"? Haven't been exposed to that term yet.
Off to the reading!

sure: Shi Cang (濕倉) means 'wet storage' for puerh.

See, for instance: http://marshaln.xanga.com/571764631/coo ... -kie-yuen/, or do a search through the half-dipper reviews for shicang.

Also, if you haven't already, check out babelcarp: it's a translator for tea terms.

I'd likely also be considering humidors for tea if I lived over there.

Oh, and if you're looking for tea reading, also be sure to check out The Leaf.

[Seeker]

pb - I've read both Jinghong's articles, and Cha Dao's i, and am now on ii.

You rock!

Great reading.

I'm starting to get the feel about why a "pu"-midor now.

Thank you kindly for the pointers to addt'l readings!

I bow in gratitude.

And then sip from some 18yr loose leaf pu.

[tacobell]

Cha Dao ran this series of articles: Perspectives on Storing and Aging Pu'er Teas (this is the last article which links to the previous ones). A handful of tea minds weighed in, and the result is a variety of useful opinions, anecdotal experience, and some empirical knowledge. Some of the contributors are also posters here. This is required reading.

The tea will age regardless, but not necessarily for the better.

Thank you. This an excellent series of observations. I love those earthenware jars.

[MarshalN]

I think the key is variation -- if you have consistent heat over 90F and relative humidity over 70%.... your pu will start growing mould very, very quickly. You can try it out, but I'm sure of it.

[Seeker]

So, pb - wouldn't using a "pu"-midor in essence be creating wet storage conditions?

And, I think some of what I gleaned from reading the articles you suggested (read 'em all) is that some happy medium between "wet" and "dry" storage might be optimal? Is this correct?

Your thoughts?

Maybe rotating? Some time in the humidor, and some time out?

Curious.

[wyardley]

So, pb - wouldn't using a "pu"-midor in essence be creating wet storage conditions?

Using a humidor would only be creating a "wet storage" condition if the humidifier is set really high year-round. You could program the humidifier for 65% year round, or for 80% during the summer and 40% during the winter, or whatever. Obviously, natural storage in an environment with sufficient natural humidity for the tea to age well is better than artificially humidifying, but I do think that for those people who want to store tea and live in an environment that's too dry, humidification may be a good option. The goal (IMHO) should be to prevent the tea from getting so dry as to completely stop the aging process, not to create a mini tropical rainforest in your living room.

Where I live now is borderline; LA isn't as dry as you'd think, but it still isn't super humid either. I am in the process of ordering a humidor, but I think I'm going to hedge my bets and try storing some tea naturally and some in the humidor.

For the "extreme pumidor" enthusiasts... if you want to just crank your humidifier up to 85% for years at a time, why not save your time and energy and just buy wet-stored sheng, which can be found fairly easily and inexpensively.

And, I think some of what I gleaned from reading the articles you suggested (read 'em all) is that some happy medium between "wet" and "dry" storage might be optimal?

Wet storage means different things to different people, but generally speaking, I wouldn't consider tea which encounters high humidity during one or two seasons to be "wet stored". There is quite a difference between tea that's stored in HK (where the humidity and temperature drop during the winter) and tea that's stored in Taiwan or Malaysia.

"Dry storage" is a relative term; it just meant storage that was less humid than the traditional ways most HK merchants stored tea.

There are a lot of variables besides the ambient humidity that affect how the tea ages and how quickly it's affected by changes in humidity - how it's packed, how often it's rotated, etc.

[tony shlongini]

So, pb - wouldn't using a "pu"-midor in essence be creating wet storage conditions?

Not at all. I think he's looking to create a "non-dry" environment.

The highest level of humidity that guys shoot for in a humidor barely qualifies as dry storage. Shicang storage is closer to a tropical rainforest.

[Seeker]

So, pb - wouldn't using a "pu"-midor in essence be creating wet storage conditions?

Not at all. I think he's looking to create a "non-dry" environment.

The highest level of humidity that guys shoot for in a humidor barely qualifies as dry storage. Shicang storage is closer to a tropical rainforest.

Thank you wyardley for your helpful comments.
Hi pb,
So, what level of humidity could I realistically expect to shoot for in a humidor?
Also, in the humidor that started this topic, it seems it would not be possible to keep certain kinds of puer bings and their young aromas from other bing and their differing aromas? Is there a way to solve this.
Also, do you use a humidor?

[Drax]

I recommend searching for "pumidor" on the board. There have been some pretty interesting discussions.

CDS found a good custom humidor maker (discussed here), which I also used, and at least one other member (who will remain nameless just in case ). I've got pictures of mine in the "show off your pu" thread... buried in there somewhere.

I got my pumidor in about Feb/Mar and started around 62% relative humidity. As it has warmed up, I shifted to ~68%, occasionally opening up the cabinets when the AC is off to go up to 73% or so. When it gets cold again, I will probably drop the humidity. Not sure yet to what level.

Certainly many options are available. In apartments and such in the winter, with the heater on, it gets quite dry, so I wanted 1) a way to keep the humidity from crashing way too low, and 2) a place to store all the pu-erh. The custom humidor solved both of those problems...

[Seeker]

Drax,
Thank you for your comments.
Wow, I love your pumidor!
I totally want one, so thanks for the link.
I'm wondering - now that you've had yours for a bit, how is it?
How'd it go with the wood smell?
And do you still recommend the honduran mahogany?
What wood on the outside? Or is it just stain?
Thx.

[Seeker]

Hey Tacobell,

Did you get the pumidor unit?

I'm dying to hear. Any odor? Can partitions be removed?

How's it working?

Etc?

Peace.

[tacobell]

Hey Tacobell,

Did you get the pumidor unit?

I'm dying to hear. Any odor? Can partitions be removed?

How's it working?

Etc?

Peace.

Seeker:

I have been on vacation for a week so haven't had a chance to really set it up...but it will work. It has no odor and no partitions just shelves.

I have not set up the humidifier yet. I will work on it this weekend and get back to you.

David

[tacobell]

Well the pumidor is up and humidifying. I am happy with it and believe it is a good and safe environment for my Pu (sounds like I am describing a pre-school). Here is a link to my experience and pictures on B&B (have trouble posting photos here):

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread ... ost1363618

[Seeker]

Hey Taco!
Awesome, I've been checking back excitedly waiting!
Yay!
Hey - looks like you removed the vertical dividers? Easy?
How about odor? Any plasticy odor?

Congrats!

Wantzzz!