Today let us share what to watch when storing pu-erh tea long-term. First of all, why do we store pu-erh long-term? Of course, for its later aging.
The long-term storage and later aging of pu-erh are driven mainly by microorganisms. Simply put, microbial activity causes fermentation inside the tea — that is what gives pu-erh its character of growing more fragrant with age.
And these microbial transformations are chiefly accomplished by anaerobic bacteria, so the aging of the tea does not need much oxygen. Given how pu-erh ages, what should we watch in long-term storage?
We sum it up in four points:
1. Ventilation, and avoidance of light
Ventilation means the larger environment where the tea is kept needs some airflow; keep the surroundings fresh and clean. Avoid light: whether sunlight or indoor lamplight, keep it away as much as possible. Sunlight, ultraviolet rays and indoor light are all unhelpful to pu-erh’s aging.
Rong Rui Xiang 2021 Yiwu Wangong
2. Guard against moisture (off the floor, away from walls)
If tea is stored too close to the floor or right against a wall, it easily picks up damp. So always store it off the floor and away from walls — and friends in the more humid south must mind this all the more. In humid weather the air carries high moisture and the tea readily absorbs it, so be sure to store teas sorted and sealed.
3. Guard against odors
Any smell that is not the tea’s own is an odor, and it must be kept away. When storing tea at home, do not keep it near the kitchen or the bathroom, to keep the tea from picking up stray smells.
Rong Rui Xiang 2022 Bingdao Five Villages
Whole tong wrapped in bamboo husk — against moisture and odors
4. Store raw and ripe pu-erh separately
Raw tea and ripe tea should be stored apart, because their aroma types differ. And among the same kind of tea, the larger the quantity stored the better: the bigger the volume of a given tea, the more stable its microbial environment stays.
There we are — remember these points and home tea storage holds no terrors. Do you fellow tea lovers hold different views? You are welcome to leave a comment and share.
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Author: Lam Sam (LamSam), the Old Tea Head
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