Aging in UK - Douji Yiwu 2009

[apache]

Hobbes wrote about this tea, so I am not going to say much about it here.
Douji Yiwu 2009

Here come something more interesting:
Sep 2011

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Dec 2017

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More to follow ...

[apache]

Sep 2011

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Dec 2017

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Does it age? I can't say, may be very slowly. I only know that I myself certainly aged in the last six years.

I store it in a cardboard box in my place and it is probably around average 70% RH and 18C. Basically it is cold and damp.

[Zared]

Sep 2011
Sep 2011b.jpg

Dec 2017
Dec 2017b.jpg

Does it age? I can't say, may be very slowly. I only know that I myself certainly aged in the last six years.

I store it in a cardboard box in my place and it is probably around average 70% RH and 18C. Basically it is cold and damp.

The leaves definitely look darker. What's the difference taste wise?

[mr mopu]

Sep 2011
Sep 2011b.jpg

Dec 2017
Dec 2017b.jpg

Does it age? I can't say, may be very slowly. I only know that I myself certainly aged in the last six years.

I store it in a cardboard box in my place and it is probably around average 70% RH and 18C. Basically it is cold and damp.

Looks like some aging has occurred. Albeit maybe slowly. I am beginning to think the temperature has more to do with it as opposed to just humidity.

[Nefarious]

Difference in colour could be just down to exposure. Difference in taste can be very subjective, especially when comparing now with a long time ago, and our tastes change in the meantime. What we really need is a scientific approach - does anyone have a mass spectrometer to hand?! As an ex-scientist who is definitely aging in the UK, I’d love to see that kind of analysis...

[apache]

This is one of those perennial discussion topics on this forum: would puerh age outside tropical or sub-tropical climate areas? I still don't have a definite answer to this six million dollar question. Even after six years, if there are any changes, it is too small to give a definite answer.

This kind of thing would never be able to do it in a scientific way 'cos it has too many variables. The leaves in a cake are not homogeneous to begin with. Then the amount of leaves and water and water temperature. And as soon as you pour the tea it starts getting darker every second. And the list of factors are endless.

I can only say that after six years it still tastes fine and has an edge. If the manufacture process had problems, it normally shows up after three or four years. It would either tastes flat or not 'right'. Don't ask me what do I mean 'right' and I really can't give you a definition, but if you drink a lot of different puerh teas, sooner or later you would know what are the things to look for.

May be I would come back to this post again after a few more years but I would like to hear other people experiences.

[bagua7]

I have the 2005 version of that pu and live in Brisbane, Aust. It has the bite of young sheng but with the ageing character of old shengs. I don’t drink this tea often though because I have 6 cakes which I have saved for the future. I hope it can be 30 years but am I going to be on Earth that long! Maybe or maybe not.

Well some lucky person is going to enjoy those cakes.

Subtropical climate mostly hot and humid (but not the Singapore or HK nasty sweat) between November and April. IMO an excellent place to speed up the ageing process..

The 2017 Nancai I was delivered from EoT 3 weeks ago has already changed. I was very worried initially because the steeps yielded only a flat and dull brew. The one I had early this morning was remarkable, an ugly duckling transformed into a flamboyant swan. A remarkable change indeed.

Pu loves hot weather more than anything else, for sure.

[Teasenz]

Keep it for yourself, there are Chinese emperors who are buried together with tea