Should I be concerned?

[Rui]

For the past couple years, ever since I was introduced to a 19 years aged pu'er tea in HK I really fell in love with this type of tea and since then I have been drinking pu'er 95% of the time (statistically significant) using daily sampling. Unfortunately due to my tendency in getting kidney stones I have since then stayed with raw pu'er rather than the yummy ripe pu'er 95% of the time (statistically significant too).

Lately I have been concerned about the amount of pu'er tea I have been collecting (please read amassing) which led me to counting how much tea I have in storage which, according to my dear wife, I never do anything at half measures. The following statistics were found between my office and home:

• 357-400 gms cakes ---- 22
  200-250 gms cakes ----- 7
  100 gms cakes --------- 23
  Tuo's --------------------- 2
  Mini tuo's ---------- +/- 60

Nothing expensive and no 1990's or earlier tea but with the intention of eventually getting some tea tasting about the same as what 1990's tea tastes nowadays.

Meanwhile I drink between 1 to 1.5 litres of tea and around 2 litres of water daily.

How would you classify my love (obsession) towards pu'er tea?

[kyarazen]

you're doing very fine!

i think the quantity of tea amassed is not critical, but the enjoyment/appreciation is.

there are cardboard collectors whom would amass enough material to fill almost the whole house.. not too sure if they're cardboard connoisseurs though...

[steanze]

Sounds like a reasonable amount probably the only way to get something to actually age you should only be concerned if it's tea you don't like.

[Drax]

I agree, this amount of tea seems to me to be reasonably drinkable by one person in a lifetime. When you get beyond that point (that is, no way you could drink all the tea before you die), then you're getting into the hoarding realm.

The second sign that you're not going overboard -- no tongs mentioned.

[Jaymo]

I don't see it as problematic, but if you really like older teas and/or traditional storage, I would consider starting to buy fewer, but some more expensive, good aged cakes. Quality over quantity!

[wyardley]

I don't see it as problematic, but if you really like older teas and/or traditional storage, I would consider starting to buy fewer, but some more expensive, good aged cakes. Quality over quantity!

As someone who owns more youngish (lots of late 90s / early 00s) cakes, definitely wish I had taken this approach earlier on. Back when I started buying tea, I balked at prices for aged teas that now I'd love to be able to get.