Puerh storage dilemma!

[android73]

Hi Everyone,

I have a small collection of sheng puerh cakes and tuos which I am attempting to age, and I had read some articles on storage that state if you don't have all the right conditions met then the tea won't really age. My question is in regard to temperature. I don't think that the temperature I am storing at is high enough, as I had read that it needs to be relatively high(as compared to your average temp inside your home). The humidity and darkness is not a problem to create, but how has everyone else dealt with this temperature problem? Or am I wrong about this? Any advice would be much appreciated!!

Andrew

[shogun89]

Most likely, if you are comfortable your pu is too. In the summer, my house gets at lowest around 70 degrees when the AC is on. In the winter my house is usually heated to about 70 degrees as well. So, what Im saying is, for my house I am always at about 68 degrees +. I would imagine that you are very similar as this seems to be the norm no matter where you live because of heaters and AC and all.

[Zanaspus]

Most likely, if you are comfortable your pu is too. In the summer, my house gets at lowest around 70 degrees when the AC is on. In the winter my house is usually heated to about 70 degrees as well. So, what Im saying is, for my house I am always at about 68 degrees +. I would imagine that you are very similar as this seems to be the norm no matter where you live because of heaters and AC and all.

+1

"Won't age" is a misnomer. Low humidity does not mean no aging, it means slower aging. I actually prefer this as the tea remains rounder and less 'earthy' as it ages more slowly.

[808Hawaiian59]

Also, what and where you put your Pu-erh in plays a factor. Some of these guys have homes with a lot of room so they can store them nicely. As for me, I live in a condo where space is limited so I keep them in a cardboard storage box. I also found some plastic shoe boxes that works well too. The covers are loose enough so air can circulate. That bring us to another topic; Circulation is important because this is a "living" thing. It needs air to breath so it can aid in it's fermentation. I also have a hydrometer in my boxes and you can see from the pictures the kind of temperatures and humidity I keep. I've been keeping my Pu-erh in these conditions for a year now and I'm glad to say that no mold has grown on them. I'm very luck that the weather on Maui is just like in Yunnan, China. Just remember to keep your humidity below 70% and then your good to go.

[android73]

Thanks everyone for the tips! I kept thinking to myself, maybe I should just start breaking these open and drink up if they're not going to age. I am also limited for space so I am actually using an old frontloader dryer with a stainless steel tub inside that we retired years ago. Strange, but it seems to work pretty well for stacking up cakes inside. There are no odors in it, and the magnetic door is not completely air-tight so some air can get in. But it is of course very dark inside so no sunlight can get at the cakes. I just use a clean sponge for humidity, pretty simple! Thanks again for the tips on temp, I am going to try to track mine and see what fluctuations I get.

Regards,
Andrew

[betta]

Andrew, there's no way that the cake will not age if it is left in open air under normal temperature. Unless you live in Siberia where temperature is always subzero throughout the year, the aging will proceed. If you left any food on a table and if it gets spoiled, then logically your cake can also age .
Controlled humidity and temperature can be used to influence aging rate. The short article from cloud might be interesting for storage. From my POV this is somewhat optimal, cheap and provide more degree of freedom as well as acting as a buffer against extreme changes of storage condition.

[shogun89]

A front loader is defiantly a new one round here, please take a pic and show it in the "show off pu" section.

Betta- very good thoughts there on leaving food out and molding, I have never thought of that and it makes complete logical sense.

808Haiwaii- I notice you have a few of those 2007 Jingmai cakes there from Puerh Shop. Out of curiosity, what are your thoughts on these?

[808Hawaiian59]

808Haiwaii- I notice you have a few of those 2007 Jingmai cakes there from Puerh Shop. Out of curiosity, what are your thoughts on these?[/quote]

I'm glad you asked, I had these beeng cha from Puerhshop.com for about a year now and it's starting to turn out very well. I just opened a cake a few months ago and put most of it in a cheap jar I got from Ross's and the rest in my Pu-erh box. I'm finding that it's developing rather nicely in these jars. It's not made of Zisha clay but it has a loose lid so air can get in. It as a nice aroma that's kinda floral with a good yellow tea soup. It had some bitterness to it but the years and good storage has made it mellower with a good mouthfeel. Again back to what we're talking about, with good conditions Pu-erh will age well if you pay attention. I don't know if Puerhshop.com has any more because I think I bought the last ones.

[android73]

Ha, yeah it just dawned on me one day to try and use it for storage. I am going to definitely take a few pics and post to that forum. I have occasionally read that one and it was interesting to see how others are storing their cakes. Thanks again for these great responses, I am still kind of new to these forums so thanks!

A

[shogun89]

Thanks for the review! I really appreciate you going out of your way for the pictures and all. I actually have a cake myself and just wanted another opinion. I havnt tried it for a while, but all I remember is that is was a little to "hayish" for me. Maybe now that its aired a bit I will enjoy it more. I'll give it a go soon. thanks again!

[android73]

Also, when you say humidity should be below 70 percent, is this the point at which you can attract mold much easier?

[808Hawaiian59]

Thanks for the review! I really appreciate you going out of your way for the pictures and all. I actually have a cake myself and just wanted another opinion. I havnt tried it for a while, but all I remember is that is was a little to "hayish" for me. Maybe now that its aired a bit I will enjoy it more. I'll give it a go soon. thanks again!

Like how we say in Hawaiian "A'ole Pilikea (No Problem) I enjoy doing this. I'm glad to find a place where people love Pu-erh just as much as I do. Also, this is something to think about. I'm finding that when I keep some of my Pu-erh in jars they age a little better then in my Pu-erh box. That same Pu-erh cake I have in the jar taste different then the same one I have in the Pu-erh box. I guess because it's by themselves then in a box with others. I think it would be better if it where in a Yixing tea jar. It's not to say you should put all your Pu-erh in jars but to put the ones you like to age better in. If you have a chance, try it and see. I've seen pictures of some tea masters in there tea rooms with these Yixing tea leafs jars.

[808Hawaiian59]

Also, when you say humidity should be below 70 percent, is this the point at which you can attract mold much easier?

It all depends on your temperature too. If it's high, like say 85-88 degrees with a humidity at about 70%-75% chances are you will have mold growing. Rule of thumb; if the humidity is high, your temperature will be high also. But then again, on Maui the temperature is high like about 78-89 degrees but the humidity is about 55%-61% which is good because it will speed up the fermentation of the Pu-erh. Some people like it, some people don't. It's all up to you. I do check to see if anything is growing but so far "Knock On Wood" it's good to go!!

[wyardley]

Also, when you say humidity should be below 70 percent, is this the point at which you can attract mold much easier?

It all depends on your temperature too. If it's high, like say 85-88 degrees with a humidity at about 70%-75% chances are you will have mold growing. Rule of thumb; if the humidity is high, your temperature will be high also. But then again, on Maui the temperature is high like about 78-89 degrees but the humidity is about 55%-61% which is good because it will speed up the fermentation of the Pu-erh.

I don't think 70-75% humidity will cause mold growth even at those temperatures, unless it's sustained. 55-60% sounds low - that's about what we see even here in Los Angeles, which is pretty dry. Even by "dry storage" standards, that's pretty dry. But yes, temperature plays a big factor too.

Based on what I've heard, I think you need to get into sustained high humidity around at least 80-85%+ (without seasonal breaks) for the cakes to start developing mold...

[808Hawaiian59]

Also, when you say humidity should be below 70 percent, is this the point at which you can attract mold much easier?

It all depends on your temperature too. If it's high, like say 85-88 degrees with a humidity at about 70%-75% chances are you will have mold growing. Rule of thumb; if the humidity is high, your temperature will be high also. But then again, on Maui the temperature is high like about 78-89 degrees but the humidity is about 55%-61% which is good because it will speed up the fermentation of the Pu-erh.

I don't think 70-75% humidity will cause mold growth even at those temperatures, unless it's sustained. 55-60% sounds low - that's about what we see even here in Los Angeles, which is pretty dry. Even by "dry storage" standards, that's pretty dry. But yes, temperature plays a big factor too.

Based on what I've heard, I think you need to get into sustained high humidity around at least 80-85%+ (without seasonal breaks) for the cakes to start developing mold...

I can see your point but you have to also take account on the area you live. Los Angeles is pretty dry but look how far you are from the ocean. I live on an island that is surrounded by water and when it get up to 70%-75% humidity it gets nasty.

In the summer the humidity is low except when a tropical storm is blowing by. But when it's the rainy season the humidity gets high, and from my experience it doesn't take long for mold to grow in places that you don't want to go.

This is something that I have experienced first hand because mold can be a health problem in some cases. Again, this is all relative to where you live.