During this Qingming short holiday, many tea lovers have been rushing to the tea mountains. This has caused famous mountains like Bingdao to be overcrowded, with traffic jams stretching for several kilometers!
Beyond just joining the excitement, the primary purpose for many tea enthusiasts visiting the tea mountains is still to buy tea! For those friends who cannot make it to the mountains, they also like to stock up on some tea during this season—either for collection or to prepare their daily tea supply for the year.
How to store this purchased tea has become another challenge facing many tea enthusiasts.
Fortunately, although many of us do not possess a dedicated space for tea storage, storing Pu-erh tea is relatively simple compared to other types of tea. Whether at home or in the office, it can be easily stored as long as certain conditions are met.
Today, let us discuss together: what kind of environment is suitable for storing Pu-erh tea?
Appropriate temperature and humidity.
The transformation of Pu-erh tea is a biochemical process. This aging process requires a certain temperature and humidity, along with oxygen and microorganisms, to complete the biochemical reaction. Temperatures that are too high or too low are detrimental to aging, as is humidity that is too high or too low.
The most ideal environment for storing Pu-erh tea is under constant temperature; however, such an ideal storage environment is impossible to achieve for home tea storage, as there are simply no conditions to create a constant temperature and humidity environment—and it is also not truly necessary. It is sufficient to ensure a relatively appropriate environment.
The key to this environment is: relative to the temperature and humidity of a comfortable human life—where humans typically feel most comfortable at approximately 20–30°C with a relative humidity of around 50%–60%—this range is also suitable for Pu-erh tea.
In drier living spaces, attention should be paid to maintaining appropriate humidity. When it is too dry, Pu-erh tea (especially raw Pu-erh) will enter a dormant state, which is detrimental to aging; a humidifier can be used to appropriately increase air humidity. You can purchase a thermo-hygrometer from home goods stores to easily monitor humidity fluctuations.
An odor-free environment.
All tea is extremely prone to absorbing other odors. Sometimes, tea leaves are even used in households to remove unpleasant smells. Since Pu-erh tea is typically not stored in airtight containers, it is even more susceptible to absorbing external odors; therefore, a key point in storing Pu-erh tea is to prevent the tea from absorbing odors produced within the home.
Every household inevitably has various domestic odors, such as the smell of cooking fumes during meal preparation, the scent of cleaning products used during bathing and cleaning, and even the smell of toxic gases released by furniture, etc. Therefore, if conditions permit, you may set up a dedicated tea storage room; if not, you should still strive to keep the Pu-erh tea as separate from other odors as possible.
Ventilation and shade.
Pu-erh tea also needs to “breathe”; its transformation requires oxygen and moisture. If storing Pu-erh tea at home, it should be placed in a dry and well-ventilated area because the moving air is richer in oxygen, which favors the transformation of the tea’s internal components while also enhancing the activity of aerobic microorganisms, thereby accelerating the aging of the Pu-erh tea.
Under the dual action of enzymatic and non-enzymatic oxidation, the beneficial aging of Pu-erh tea can be promoted and accelerated. However, one must note that Pu-erh tea should not be directly exposed to wind, nor should it be hung on a balcony; if stored this way, the tea qi will be blown away and the tea’s flavor dispersed, making it taste bland when consumed. Therefore, while storing Pu-erh tea requires moderate air circulation, it must not be placed in a drafty spot; although the transformation may be slower, this approach preserves the true character of the Pu-erh tea.
The so-called “shade” means keeping the Pu-erh tea in a place away from direct sunlight to minimize the impact of strong light. Additionally, do not allow the Pu-erh tea to be in a high-temperature environment for long periods, especially during the hot and humid seasons in the South. High temperatures not only easily cause Pu-erh tea to lose its vitality but are also detrimental to its aging process; over time, the Pu-erh tea will “die,” meaning it will no longer possess any value for storage and transformation.
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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
