How are crocks for storing pu-erh?

[steanze]

+1 I am also interested in the positioning of the buttons, I am thinking of putting them on top of the cakes, using a piece of cardboard to separate them from the highest cake in the pile.

What I found out so far is that ACE hardware sells crocks of various sizes by Ohio stoneware that are quite a bit cheaper than amazon, and has a $10 discount coupon for orders over $80 (and $20 off orders over $150). The 1 gal crock seems a good size for small cakes (~200gr) - the internal dimensions should be 6 5/8" (http://www.allamericancanner.com/Opco2L.htm). The 2 gal should fit well regular cakes (357gr) - see http://www.amazon.com/review/R28DVC3K5N2C14/.

I got these buttons: http://www.amazon.com/Moisture-Pouch-Bu ... co+buttons but I wonder if they will be sufficient to raise the humidity in the crock to 60-70% - they seem pretty small.

Thanks a lot bellmont for your thoughts. I agree that it might need to be replenished but it still seems it would hold more water than the buttons... maybe I am wrong though, I'll experiment. I don't think the instrument humidifier would do better than a regular sponge in a tupperware, but at $6.80 it is pretty cheap and the advantage might be that it seems pretty thin, so it could leave space for one more cake in the crock...

[bob]

Wet sponge is a bit "old technology". There are a lot of products intended for cigar humidors that can keep the moisture for much longer. Humidity beads seem nice and I used them for a while. But then I found this "Acrylpolymer Fleece Humidifier": http://www.tabak-pietsch.de/product_inf ... cts_id=338

I'm using that for about a year now and it seems to work OK. It absorbs a lot of water and doesn't need too frequent attention. Keeps the humidity at about 65% - 70% and I don't notice any off smells.

[Cwyn]

A gal on Steepster is using floral foam which is another inventive idea. And talk about a cheap solution. If you don't want to pay for new, just stop by a church after a funeral.

[Balthazar]

Cwyn, I am still wondering how you position the pouch buttons. I have a few on their way (and will start frequenting flee markets looking for some good crocks come spring).

[Cwyn]

I drop them in along the side.

If the crock is very full with no room, I used a curved piece of moistened terra cotta flower pot. Another option is a lid attachment. Or a damp cloth draped over the opening and the lid on top of that.

[Balthazar]

Thanks for clearing that up!

I came across a very nice crock at an antique today. It had a diameter perfect for puer-cakes (according to my eye measurement), and would probably hold 5-6 cakes. However, at $45 it was too pricey. I've seem similar items go for much less at flee markets. For now I'll be experimenting a bit with some smaller sized ones (perfect for samples, I imagine) we have lying around.

[Cwyn]

That price would be very reasonable in my area for a larger crock that holds regular 357g beengcha. Then again if you are in Norway, you would have access to some really amazing mid century modern ceramics which is what I'd go for in your area.

I have been hoping more people will commit a sample or two into crock storage, to acquire more case data. I know of at least a half dozen people now using crocks for storage. My shou experiment is going well, and is about 50% done at this point.

[steanze]

+1 reasonable price here.

some sources tell me that people in Xi'an use crocks to store pu erh too