Dustin said

Letting Tea Cure

I have heard a few of you talk about letting some 52teas cure for a while, giving them a chance to ripen or let the flavors mature. I’m assuming that is because they are freshly mixed/made? The Ovation blends that I ordered are SUPER strong right now and were just blended. I’m thinking maybe they need a little time to cure, let the flavors mix and mellow out a little. Can anyone tell me more about letting tea cure? Do you who have companies let your tea sit for a while after blending to let the flavors merge before selling? How long should I let a tea sit to do that before I should expect well rounded flavor? I’m guessing it’s just a matter of putting it in the cupboard and trying to ignore it’s presence for a while? Help please! :)

11 Replies
Uniquity said

On advice from LiberTeas I used to let my 52Teas hang out on their own for a few weeks before drinking them. I would imagine it would be much the same with any freshly blended tea. Just keep trying it every once in a while (once a week or two?) and see if it’s more to your tastes. Set a time limit that you will move it along if you still don’t like it after that period of time.

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You should definitely wait at least 1 week; however, you may also notice that between 3-4 weeks the flavor will settle even more. If your tea is super strong, it may not change as much as you would like.

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Dustin said

Thanks guys! So 1-4 weeks. I’m actually heading out of town for a month, so maybe it will be ready by the time I get back.

Getting tea from you through yssah. Thanks a lot. Going to end up with a fair amount of 1 oz ovation tea. Probably should have used this sale to stock up for iced teas. Oops!

Dustin said

Sure, no problem! That sale was a bit of a feeding frenzy! I got excited and bought a little too much! Oops for me too!

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52 Teas uses only natural and/or organic flavors while Ovation used ‘artificial’ flavors (as per US laws on the topic). I’m sure that has some impact on letting the teas cure.

Dustin said

Probably so. I wonder what it ends up meaning in terms of cure time tho. One of the Ovation teas I got has a ton of cardamon in it and the other a ton of orange peel. Those are the two flavors that I’d like to see even out and mellow a tad.

Dr Jim said

If aging doesn’t work, you can also blend the tea with a plain tea you aren’t overly fond of. I did this to an Earl Grey that had too much Bergamot for my taste.

Dustin said

I wonder if keeping it in a not sealed well container would help with the mellowing too.

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sandra said

i have a shou mei that i store to ripen. It gets sweeter and darker over the years.

Dustin said

How do you store it? Is it just in a tin? In a dark or cool closet? I’m guessing it’s not as particular as aging pu erh?

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