Why store tea? You need a pleasant reason to store tea. Storing tea has three main benefits—economy, peace of mind, and pleasure. The reasons for the pleasure derived from storing tea consist mainly of these three points.
Economy—collecting in bulk saves costs.
First, collecting in bulk obviously saves costs. At the same time, as time passes, the tea in hand gains age and becomes more delicious, and its value increases; compared to purchasing new tea of the same or similar type, it naturally saves costs. The economic savings brought by storing tea are often reflected in the value brought by the later aging of the collection; this is what we often call “trading space for time.” Of course, how much space this involves depends on the specific tea.
Peace of mind—storing tea yourself means knowing every detail of its origin.
First, you can know the vintage clearly, especially for teas or loose leaves that lack year markings when purchased; you will know exactly how long they have been in your hands. Second, you can know the details of storage; you can control the storage environment based on your tasting preferences to produce the style you like. Of course, this must be built on a foundation of certain practical experience in storage. As for the practice and exploration of storage, as long as one pays slight attention, problems generally do not arise, and one can harvest pleasant experiences through the practice of exploration, perception, re-exploration, and re-perception in home-style tea storage.
Pleasure—sensing changes, harvesting surprises.
Storage is the second vitality of Pu-erh tea. For Pu-erh tea enthusiasts, storing tea is an important hallmark of becoming a true enthusiast. The process of storing tea is the process of witnessing the aging of tea products and continuously harvesting the pleasure brought by their aging; therefore, storing tea is an effective way to enhance one’s understanding of Pu-erh tea aging, and even more so, an indispensable way to improve one’s comprehensive tasting abilities.
What to store? You need a comprehensive view of tea storage.
Some tea friends often ask me, what is good to collect in Pu-erh? Actually, this question cannot be generalized; it depends on the individual. But overall, for tea friends who are preparing to enter the stage of storing tea or are already on the path of storage, a comprehensive view of tea storage is required.
One should store both raw Pu-erh and ripe Pu-erh.
Firstly, the nature of raw Pu-erh and ripe Pu-erh is different, each having its own benefits that can complement each other. For example, it is common knowledge that drinking ripe Pu-erh in the morning warms the stomach, and drinking more ripe Pu-erh in winter nourishes the stomach. Secondly, tea friends’ tastes will change. Younger tea friends prefer strong flavors and most like raw Pu-erh. As age increases, they will gradually come to like aged raw Pu-erh and ripe Pu-erh. It is often said that as one gets older, one should drink more ripe Pu-erh or aged raw Pu-erh.
One should store both aged tea and new tea.
Aged tea has a certain level of drinkability, making it suitable for both tasting and storing; the advantage is that it does not need to be stored for too long and its future transformation direction is relatively easy to judge, while the disadvantage is that the price is relatively higher, especially some high-quality mid-term teas with a vintage of over 10 years. If one only stores aged tea, then for Pu-erh tea enthusiasts, it will lead to a lack of understanding. Because Pu-erh tea has vitality; only by personally witnessing the entire process of Pu-erh tea aging can one appreciate the charm and surprises of its aging. From this perspective, storing new tea is also a unique experience.
One should store both consumption-oriented teas and connoisseur-grade teas.
For most tea friends, the purpose of storing tea is mainly for daily consumption, including daily tea and gift teas. As tasting levels and drinking demands increase, along with changes in economic levels and consumption concepts, the demand for connoisseur-grade teas also increases accordingly; the demand for high-quality, connoisseur-grade teas that offer a more pleasant tasting experience will also rise. This is a constantly changing process, which further requires tea friends to have a comprehensive understanding and long-term planning regarding tea storage.
—
Author: Lam Sam (LamSam), the Old Tea Head
ZENTEA MANOR
Alliance Supply Chain Services Limited
Unit 902-3, 9/F, Mini Cube, 10 Sam Chuk Street, San Po Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
www.zentea-shop.com Email:info@zentea-shop.com
