Storage containers for pu'er?
So since I’m now getting into pu’er, I figure I need to get some storage containers. Are there different containers for long(er) term storage than short term? I’ve seen both wood (which slides out to keep the cake and the loosened leaves) and Yixing clay. I assume I should get some for keeping the cakes I don’t plan on drinking immediately and some for those I am in the process of drinking, right?
Note: I plan on mostly drinking shu pu’er. I live in a very dry part of China.
Thanks! You guys are so helpful and knowledgeable. Grateful for you all.
Go for Yixing storage containers. They should be relatively cheap at a local market. They can be a bit heavy but I like storing puerh in clay. It does quite well at creating a micro climate that is resistant to humidity shifts. I use them here in Kunming which is quite dry and can keep the internal humidity much higher.
I got one tonight (a mere 30 rmb). Can I store different types of cakes in it? What about chatou and tuocha?
Usual recommendation is to store shu separate from sheng. I would keep chatou and shu tuos with shu cakes, sure.
I agree you are lucky to be able to get them. I am envious of your climate as well. I think if you kept the sheng and shou apart and rotate and watch the humidity you could probably sell us all tea in a decade. I think the aging will be fabulous if you keep up with it.
Yeah since stuff is relatively cheap here, I’m thinking about sending one/two Yixing containers with 2-4 cakes in them back to the States with a family member who will visit in a few months. I could even do more potentially if I ask them to bring an extra bag ;) Would you guys recommend I send back shu or sheng? Both? Also, any potential customs issues?
Also, is there some easy set of instructions I could give my family for storing them until I come back to the States? They live in Tennessee so the humidity is relatively high in the summer but nothing like the Deep South.
I can’t help but to smile, asking non-puerh-heads to store your puerh for you :) If it were me, I’d tell them to keep the sheng and shu separate, and put them in the yixing jars in the back of a closet, and who knows if they smoke or cook with lots of oils, but maybe even wrap the jars in a bedsheet or towel for extra measure, and even put in a cardboard box. Until you move back to the US, that’s probably the safest and easiest instructions IMO. My goal would be just to protect the teas until you return if you’re returning in the next year or so. People who aren’t into puerh (or wine, cigars, etc) are pretty obtuse about storage conditions like humidity, temp, sunlight, air flow, molds/fungus, insects, etc…
If you bring back too much tea that won’t all fit into the jars, just put them in an empty cardboard box in the back of a closet.
Oh it’s as easy as putting it in a cardboard box in a closet? That’s totally doable. It would be for 2-3 years or so though, so I don’t know if that makes a difference? Yeah my family isn’t into pu’er, wine, cigars or anything like that.
Cardboard boxes will work fine for storage of puerh in general as long as you place them away from strong odors. You wouldn’t store puerh in the spice cabinet for instance even if you have space and the humidity is right.
I have also seen photos of large bamboo baskets used for puerh storage. These can in my understanding be easily found in China. But I have also heard they leave behind an odor from the bamboo.
@AllanK, I could actually be interested in baskets. Unfortunately ones that look plausible are as expensive as stone jars or metal tins.
I’d recommend against storing in cardboard, especially in more humid environments. Cardboard definitely imparts an unpleasant aroma into the pu.
I have never noticed any flavor from the cardboard that I store most of my puerh in. I have way to much puerh to realistically store it in anything else. It’s not like I can find large Yixing containers in my local market even if that would work for me.
If the humidity is over 50ish%, there is definitely going to be aromatic problems with cardboard in the long term. Cardboard is a moisture thief ;-)
I tried cardboard storage for about 8 months at 60%RH on a shou cake just to see what would happen and it developed a pretty pronounced papery taste that was not present in the cakes stored out of cardboard. Cwyn also had some experience with this over time.
“When I started aging shou puerh cakes in 2009, I dutifully followed Cloud’s advice about storage in cardboard boxes. Fast forward four more years, I had shou that smelled and tasted like cardboard box.” – http://deathbytea.blogspot.com/2014/10/puerh-storage-is-crock.html
If you are serious about long-term storage and keeping your pu tasting top-notch, use something else. I’d recommend crock or something else that won’t impart aromas over time.
Anecdotally a large amount of puerh professionally stored in China is stored in cardboard boxes. It won’t be naked cakes on naked cardboard; the cakes will be paper wrapped. The paper wrapped cakes will then be wrapped in bamboo or paper stacks. Then these will be stored directly in cardboard boxes.
I do think that storage in clay jars is superior.
@Whispering – can you give some specific recommendations then? I’ll need to pass off the instructions to my family. Thanks!
Clay jar storage would probably be your best option, but depending on the humidity where they’re being stored it could be done out in the open. How long will they be stored in Tennessee, and what city (so I can find the monthly average humidity)?
If all else fails you can just send em to me, haha. I’ve got a lot of extra storage room. Heat and humidity controlled :-P
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