How are crocks for storing pu-erh?

[bellmont]

Hello,

I am thinking about picking up an old crock (with a lid) off Craigslist to store my pu-erh cakes.

I am not trying to age any of my cakes, this is just for immediate storage (...fairly immediate drinking). I am wondering if anyone can comment about the breath-ability and/or any concerns they would have storing pu-erh in a crock.

Thank you,

bellmont

[Chip]

Tea picks up aromas extremely easily which can of course ruin the tea. I would be concerned what may have been in the crock previously.

[Bef]

You might want to have a look at these pages:

http://deathbytea.blogspot.ca/2014/10/t ... crock.html

http://deathbytea.blogspot.ca/2015/01/p ... ock-2.html

[bellmont]

Yeah, I saw those posts by Cwyn, and this additional post by her:

http://deathbytea.blogspot.ca/2014/10/p ... crock.html

I was hoping she would chime in.

Chip's point is a relevant one, if a crock had been used for pickling very recently or as a planter I could see how that could impose nasty scents or flavors.

I am still unclear on how one would go about telling if a crock would impart a scents or flavors apart from the obvious: "this crock was stored in a garage with dirt in the bottom of it for twenty years". What precautions would/should one take when considering a crock for cake storage?

My understanding is that the American stoneware crocks (I am considering), like the Red Wings mentioned in Cwyn's post, have fairly thick glaze so even it if was used for making sauerkraut, everything would/could remain sterile after the kraut was done and crock was washed out.

Additionally, if a glaze is so thick would that create too much of a sealed environment? Adding a cloth top, like Cwyn did (as she mentioned in one of her articles), does seem like it would solve the "sealed environment" issue but then would the humidity be less controlled (ie, a greater chance of drying out the cake)?

My original thought was that crocks need experimentation just like many other storage methods in North America.

[TwoDog2]

...

My understanding is that the American stoneware crocks (I am considering), like the Red Wings mentioned in Cwyn's post, have fairly thick glaze so even it if was used for making sauerkraut, everything would/could remain sterile after the kraut was done and crock was washed out.

Additionally, if a glaze is so thick would that create too much of a sealed environment? Adding a cloth top, like Cwyn did (as she mentioned in one of her articles), does seem like it would solve the "sealed environment" issue but then would the humidity be less controlled (ie, a greater chance of drying out the cake)?

My original thought was that crocks need experimentation just like many other storage methods in North America.

Message Cwyn, or maybe if we post her name three times she will appear.

As for Chip's comment, from my experience with the Red Wings and other crocks we had floating around the Wisconsin/Minnesota, they have a very thick glaze and do not absorb much odor if properly washed out. That being said, you'd definitely want to vet for odor/clean thoroughly before storing Puer.

Also, you mentioned "for fairly immediate" drinking. If that is the case, you run much less risk. Unless their is too much moisture or a drastic lack of moisture, a crock probably won't change tea that quickly.

[Cwyn]

Here I am, I've been drinking tea.

Seriously these crocks are awesome. My tea has held its fragrance quite nicely.

I use a cloth only on teas that need airing, such as humid stored teas that smell like basement. Also, some shou puerh can benefit from airing if they are fairly new. The photos on my blog with cloth or paper napkin are either shou or humid sheng.

My house in winter has a RH as low as 24% sometimes! I add either soaked tobacco pouch buttons or soaked clay pot pieces. But if the crock is really full, such as with a tong or a lot of loose tea it seems to be quite fragrant without added humidity. The crock creates a micro environment. Our ancestors used these for a reason.

[bellmont]

Awesome. Thanks for the clarification Cwyn. I will keep my eye out for a good crock. I also like your idea of adding soaked clay pot pieces.

Peace,

bellmont

[Zacherywolf7]

Would a yixing clay jar work in the same way ?

[Cwyn]

Check if the jar is glazed either on the outside or inside, or both. In Asia, many people use unglazed Yixing jars which are basically similar to Terra Cotta or Navajo. If there is no glaze anywhere on the pot, then it will be porous and breathe. This is fine for very humid climates and exactly what you want if you live in Florida. But otherwise, in my northern climate a Yixing jar will completely dry out the tea come winter.

Use Yixing if your relative humidity is over 50% and preferably even higher. Otherwise, expect the tea to get dried out and lose its aroma and flavor over time. Whatever your choice, the tea in the container or humidor needs to be at least 64% if you want to preserve the tea, higher if you want the tea awake and fermenting.

[Zacherywolf7]

Check if the jar is glazed either on the outside or inside, or both. In Asia, many people use unglazed Yixing jars which are basically similar to Terra Cotta or Navajo. If there is no glaze anywhere on the pot, then it will be porous and breathe. This is fine for very humid climates and exactly what you want if you live in Florida. But otherwise, in my northern climate a Yixing jar will completely dry out the tea come winter.

Use Yixing if your relative humidity is over 50% and preferably even higher. Otherwise, expect the tea to get dried out and lose its aroma and flavor over time. Whatever your choice, the tea in the container or humidor needs to be at least 64% if you want to preserve the tea, higher if you want the tea awake and fermenting.

A crock with the occasional tobacco pouch buttons occasionally thrown in/the crock being full keeps the humidity at least 64% then?

[Cwyn]

It is more an issue of watching that it is not too humid. Mostly this has to do with the amount of tea, if the crock is really full or not so much. If you don't want to continuously measure I go by the smell, the tea should be fragrant but not musty. Too dry and the tea doesn't have any smell. If it is too humid, the pouch button will leave a round spot of white frost. A soaked pouch button usually lasts around 3 days for me, a large terra cotta shard is fine for a week.

When the weather outside starts getting muggy I remove the lids and just let the tea get air that way.

Someone was concerned about odors from previous contents. Glaze is no different than washing a cereal bowl, but if I had any concern I'd use a mild bleach and water solution (1 tsp per gallon), rinse well and air dry before adding tea.

[Zacherywolf7]

Thank you for the help!

[steanze]

I was thinking of using this: http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Waves-Smal ... humidifier any thoughts?

[bellmont]

steanze, I have a couple thoughts.

This humidifier looks be a sponge with a plastic casing, if you had lots of pu-erh to keep moist (in a more open area than a crock) I feel one sponge/instrument humidifier may not cut it to keep the humidity (during dry periods the sponge may need to be replenished frequently).

Also, I wonder how similar a sponge soaked in water and placed in a shallow piece of tupperware (with a lid that has holes in it) would preform...in comparison.

peace,

bellmont

[Balthazar]

I will have to get into this soon. A lot of my tea has gone stale over the winter, unsurprisingly. Luckily I have small quantities of tea, so there is no huge loss. I think I'm going to have to buy pre-aged tea pretty much no matter what (at least as long as a pumidor is out of the question), but I'm interested in the crock solution to keep the teas from deteriorating too much.

I have one question: Where do you place the pouch buttons/clay shards? Right on top of the cakes inside the crocks, or with a layer of some sort between them?