Storing Maocha

[bryan_drinks_tea]

Greetings Everyone,

I have about 300 grams of maocha in bags right now, from years 2007 until present. Greg from Norbu suggested that I used cardboard for storage, and I have thought about using a woven sweetgrass basket. It's clean, with an oval shape, about 7 inches at it's widest point and 5 1/2 inches at it's second widest point, and 3 inches tall. It also has a lid I can see light through this thing, so I'm figuring that air might pass through it too. Do you out there who have stored maocha think this might be a decent idea?

Thanks.

[gasninja]

I have no experience with this. Sweetgrass has a strong smell it might impart that onto you moacha. Which might be a good thing I'd like to try some sweetgrass aroma pu-erh.

[bryan_drinks_tea]

This was a handmade sweetgrass basket from about 1965 or so. It has lost it's strong smell, and has a hint of it left. I have some 2010 nannuo maocha stored in it, and 150 grams of 2007 yong de mao cha stored in a cardboard box with tissue paper in it. the cardboard smells pretty strong, and that worries me just a little. I figure I could also try storing maocha in one of those storage vases from fine-puer.com. anybody out there got any advice?

[greenleafblue]

I'd say rather than use cardboard just buy cotton bags or burlap bags like for coffee.
see eg: http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/ ... /bags.html they have 5lb. bags, or even the 20lb. cotton bag (weight refers to coffee amount obv, not maocha)

[bearsbearsbears]

Greetings Everyone,
Do you out there who have stored maocha think this might be a decent idea? Thanks.

Sounds like a perfectly good idea to me. I doubt the lingering sweetgrass smell would get much into the tea. If anything, the sweetgrass will smell like pu'er some years down the line.

[bryan_drinks_tea]

The sweetgrass is pretty old, about 40 years old, but it doesn't have a musty smell. also, i've moved all of my 2007 yong de mao cha into a white paper bag and perforated it. it seems to work okay.