Storing flaked sheng puerh

I have some bricks of aged 1990 sheng puerh from Taiwan that I flaked about six months ago and put in yixing ceramic containers to store. One of the teas (a Menghai region large-leaf puerh) has taken on a fishy smell, which goes away if I leave the tea out overnight before I drink it.

My suspicion is that this is because of overactive microorganisms in an environment without enough oxygen. However these are non-glazed ceramic containers, which I thought would be appropriate for sheng puerh tea because they breathe. I know that cooked puerh is best stored in paper bags; now I'm wondering if that would be more appropriate for flaked sheng as well--at least an amount for immediate consumption.

I'm curious, what are your experiences with storing flaked sheng puerh? Do you just keep it in a brick and flake off whatever you need? If you flake it, what kind of containers do you use?

Looking forward to your responses.

Danica

Reply to
Danica
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Imperial Tea Court (in the old San Francisco tearoom), stores their tasting beengs in a big ole yixing jar. We do get a great deal more humidity here than you do in LA. I keep my flaked sheng in brown bags, as well. I've always presumed that brown bags "breathe", as well. Just thinking: is it possible that the lack of humidity in Southern California is the culprit? Do you have a humidifier running in your storage area? Perhaps, the dryness leeches a "fishy" flavour.............. Shen

Reply to
Shen

Hi Danica, does your 1990's sheng have any white dusting that could indicate mold or fungi from a previous humid storage condition? As far as I know, certain mold, fungi and bacteria release a fishy smell. I'm merely guessing, but it is possible that an enclosed environment accentuates this aroma more *if* they are present. And that letting the tea "breathe" before consumption -- which is practiced by some teaists -- reduces this aroma. My worthless 2 cents.

Reply to
Phyll

quoted text -

It's usually temperature and humidity that affect tea bacteria growth. There may be a need to keep it in a cooler place. Airborne yeast can also really affect tea and can cause a "fishy" smell; but, that usually needs moisture to grow. I have an older sheng that has some grey-ish fine fluff on the longer leaves; but, I've actually found this tasty. Shen

Reply to
Shen

No mold spots, just that fishy flavor which goes away if I leave it out overnight. You can taste some next time we get together!

I actually f> >

Reply to
Danica

I've been living with puer for nearly 5 years and I've never observed any obvious microbial activity. They will air out(months) and change surface color(years). My climate is so dry it will split wood. The only description of surface activity I see is in wet humid climates. I think you will see this for any exposed organics from spores in the air. Some call that decay. The puer activity supposedly happens over years, not overnight. If your puer acts like a Chia Pet it has been doctored or mistreated along the way.

Jim

PS I've looked at Ch> > > > I have some bricks of aged 1990 sheng puerh from Taiwan that I flaked

Reply to
Space Cowboy

This has not been my experience. In my experience many (but not all) sheng puerhs will indeed evolve noticeably over time, but this is only marginally true for shu. Whether this evolution yields good or bad results is a culmination of many factors, the three biggest being the quality of maocha used, the skill in preparing the maocha and the subsequent compression, and perhaps most of all the care in which it was stored. If all three of these are hit just right a remarkable evolution will take place in the tea, hit any one or more wrong and you can wind up with old swill. Case in point are those 25 year old PLA bricks floating around for $35, mere aged floor sweepings.

I have to admit though that I am seriously questioning the value of these old puerhs, even the great ones. I find myself asking "is *any* tea really worth $5+ per gram"? I am only a working stiff, I do not have a trust fund or any other such source of endless income. To spend $50-$100 on a single pot of tea is rather decadent for me, perhaps once a year or so with friends but still..........

That is why I am aging about 200kg of puerh myself, then hopefully when I am an old man I will have good tea to drink that only cost a few $ per bing, plus some square footage of storage. I sure am glad that I bought most of it about 5 years ago before the recent puerh(gold) rush. I keep hearing rumors of a stock market crash being inevitable in China, maybe that will slow things down a bit.

Mike

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Reply to
Mike Petro

I'm on the same plan - age it now so I'll have something to enjoy when I'm retired.

Mike, what are your thoughts about humidity? Do you think that those of us who live in drier climates should be humidifying? I remember seeing something on your website to the effect that any climate that is ok for people is ok for pu'er.

Reply to
Alex

Yes, however there is a lot "collective wisdom" that says that humidity around 60% or so is good, alternating humidity is theorized to be even better. High humidity (not wet) for a few months, then dry for a few months etc. If I lived in the desert I would probably add a humidifier to the storage room once in a while. However, when I *did* live in the desert we used evaporative coolers instead of AC, they actually add some humidity as well as cool, but I wasn't into puerh back then.

Mike

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Reply to
Mike Petro

Wow! That sounds like we are nearly perfect here in the Bay Area. I had been using a humidifier since it's been rather dry this year - normally we have a decent rainy season. So, generally, we naturally alternate humidity. Shen

Reply to
Shen

I'm *so* glad you added that last line. See ya soon. Michael

Reply to
Michael Plant

Soon indeed..... ___________ Mike Petro

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Reply to
Mike Petro

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