Watching this video reminded me of a good thing for all people to remember if they're storing their PuErh in a closet of some sort: You want your closet to smell like PuErh, and not for your PuErh to smell like a closet. Thanks for the vids Don, I've been enjoying them a lot!
Don my friend you have taught me so much about tea through the years i just want to say thank you from the states here in Cleveland Ohio ps I’m waiting on you to analyze some grade A Darjeeling
I have "unknowingly" store my puehr tea about the right way like what you've just explained for around ten years now.. your sharing motivated me to keep it for probably another 10 years.. mine came from Si Shuang Pan Na. Thanks a lot for the information videos. I love teas, especially Chinese Tea..
Hi Don, thanks so much for all your free content it’s made such a difference to my tea education! Can I ask, does the advice in this video apply to white tea cakes such as your wonderful Jade Star? Thank you 😊
Great Video - thank you for your constant effort. I got some questions: I also store my pu-erh in a cardboard box but why is this environment aging it faster? And would it make any sense to put such humidipaks inside such a cardboard box with those cakes? And last but not least. I was wondering if I store all those different cakes together just in their wrappers in a box aren't those different Pu aromas mixing up and influence each other.
I would also add that it's important to store the tea away from the kitchen or in areas where there is a lot of cooking going on, as PuErh tends to absorb aromas and over time it could effect the flavor of the tea.
You're videos are always very informative, Don. However, after aging tea for several years in a variety of locations, I can confidently say that between 40 and 50 percent RH is definitely too low for the aging of puerh. My personal aging solution is an old, sealed, wooden cabinet. I keep all of my Sheng in there, along with two "room humidifier" balls. Right now, my measuring device says that the inside of the cabinet is 22 degrees C with a humidity of 81% RH. This is cool enough that I don't run the risk of mold while still maintaining the aging process at a fair clip. I turn the tea once every month to ensure that each cake gets a similar amount of exposure. My oldest teas are from the early 90's with the youngest cakes from spring 2015. I've got a tong of 2009, formerly Guangzhou-stored, Yiwu and a tong of 2007, formerly Menghai-stored, Hekai, my greatest treasures that I intend to age for decades.
Thanks Dylan. Definitely 50% is a very dry ageing process that will take a fair while although we have seen good ageing at these levels of humidity after about 5 years. It sounds like you have a valuable collection in that cabinet and we are a little envious!
Hey Don, a question. Planning on going the cigar humidor route for tea ageing but I came on a conundrum. Cigar humidors come in two varieties wooden and acrylic. By my research the wooden is less airtight, allowing some breath-ability, and the wood absorbs the moisture keeping it well regulated and controlled but the wood tends to be aromatic spanish cedar and some people are concerned about taste adulteration. the acrylic humidors keeps moisture by being completely airtight so the humidity stays in but I am afraid the lack of air will choke the tea and some say lack of breath-ability will grow mold. Personally I am leaning to wood humidors, I would rather have a slight wood flavor to the tea than killing the ageing process or worse having mold growing, but what are your thoughts?
Hi Don! I have seen people store cakes in baskets with lids. Would it be sensible to use one, and a basket near in circumference to the cakes being stored? Where would YOU look for cakes that have been aged for 30 or more years? Is there a "trusted source" for a budding tea enthusiast just to get the taste experience? I love the artwork behind you!
I love your videos and have learned so much. We will be in London Sept 19-21, 2018 and plan to visit your shop. Will you be there one of those days? Cathy
I find most people consider 70-80%+ rh to be wet storage and 60-70%rh to be dry. Not sure you’d see any real fermentation happening below 60%. I aim for 65% myself
though waiting 20- 40 years for tea seems silly but it sounds like a cool idea to share a well aged drink with your son or grandson when the time is right.
Got my humidor coming, got my hygrometer setting up and once everything is set I am gonna add my first tea to the ageing collection, an unopened cake of night forest muse.
@@MeiLeaf had a cake if it a while ago. Although I agree it is a difiicult tea what I got from it hit all my check marks in a raw pu-erh. Citrus Tang, great mouth feel, strong effects. Got the cake I plan to age before the holidays and noticed it was one of the last so I realized I better save it. I have to say thanks for all you do here. Every thing about your channel shows you are not just passionate about tea but sharing it in every way possible. And happy New year MeiLeaf crew.
I'll be turning 25 this year and I'm thinking it might be cool to get a raw puerh tea cake and hang onto it until I'm 50. Feels like a good opportunity in terms of time and a nice way to honor my own aging.
In some Chinese regions, when a daughter was born, Puerh cakes would be buried to be aged and only be dug up as a dowry when the daughter would leave the parental home.
old video but maybe you’ll answer - what about ageing white tea? I have „a cake” of pai mu tan - can i age it somehow to make this cha zui makijg material?
I have a box at home where I store my raw puerh cakes. Is there any problem when I have the Raw Puer Cakes togehter with Aged White Tea Cakes and/or Ripe Puer (sheng) ?!
Thanks for your amazing videos Don! I have purchased a few of 9yo cooked puerl bricks. I enjoyed it so much, however having a proper storage the puerl would be a challenge for me, esp in the aspect that i need to avoid strong smelling things on my puerl. Is it advisable to store the puerl in a completely sealed container (say, perfectly sealed thick plastic bag) ? I think its better to get my puerl stop aging rather than aged, but in a wrong direction (like, absorbing unwanted aromas from the environment). What do you think?
I bought Silver needle from a market and they were letting me try the aged silver needles (3-7 years). I ended up buying the recent year's pickings, since I wasn't ready to pay $100+. Can I age silver needle in a similar way to puerh? It's not in a cake though :(
Could you do a video on Yabao or pu erh buds, I'm not sure what the proper name is? I feel like there isn't a lot of information about it out there. Many people including myself don't really know what it is.
Hi Don; you mentioned picking up odors. Should we keep them away from each other or could they be in the same pantry? ? If we have a clay pot only one per pot or several in the same pot? Thanks so much for all your videos!
How should I age if strong smells are unavoidable? I'm a chef and I live in a small apartment with a dog; I've been thinking about batch storing cakes in a large tub that I would air out every few months or so; stored with some humidity packs, as well. Is this a viable option?
Sorry, one more question. Must it be stored totally in a dark place (meaning inside a cabinet). Being the case, the air will be stale, isn't it? Or store it within a room but no direct sunlight is good enough? Tks again
It is best in a dark place but it does not have to be totally dark. If it is away from direct sunlight like drawers then it is perfect and open the drawers every month to let some air in.
+kenly gallagher Sure thing. You should get a sharp and thin metal pick (you can buy PuErh picks but anything sharp and metal like a skewer will work too). Insert into the cake or brick from the side and move the pick gently up and down to loosen. Repeat all around the cake or brick and the tea will eventually become loose enough that you can manually pull apart the leaves with minimal breakage. It takes a while so be patient and try not to break up the leaves too much or it will be a more bitter brew. We will try to do a video to show you what we mean.
Tks for your informative video. I received a riped Puerh cake from a friend as a gift about 3 yrs ago but left it untouched in the cabinet as I don’t quite fancy drinking chinese tea. Than I chanced upon some article and learned its goodness and decided I should now drink it. But discovered a label at bottom of box stated Best Bef Nov 2016 ( I assumed its expiry date). Here’s my questions: 1) Since puerh tea can be stored for many yrs, why is there a Best Before date? As I’m the only one to drink it, it may takes me several mths or maybe even a yr to finish the cake. Is there any harm to continue to consume it? 2) I saw some articles that said riped cake will not aged anymore, unlike the raw type. Assuming my cake still can consume, is there any advantage to let it age further? Can I simply put it in a plastic container with screw in cover (those that put cookies)? This knowledge is for the purpose of future purchase. 3) Most articles mentioned riped puerh tea commonly will have an earthly taste but yet some articles mentioned an earthly taste denotes poor quality. So which is correct? 4) If you strongly advocate storage shld be either in an unglazed jar or paperbag, does it mean we still pick the tea from these storage containers for our daily drinking (means it will subject to light and air when open constantly), or put aside a smaller quantity of leaves separately into another smaller jar/bag for daily cosumption and leaves those larger jar/bag untouch for a longer period. Tks so much.
Hey David, Thanks for your questions about your mystery PuErh: 1. Sometimes the law requires a Best Before Date on foods even if there technically is no issue with ageing. We would advise ignoring that BB and taste the tea - if it has been stored ok then it will be fine. If you taste a funky and very fishy aroma then it may have developed some undesirable mold which is not going to be too harmful usually but then you may want to avoid the tea. 2. Ripe PuErh does continue to age like all teas but at a slow pace and so there is not that much advantage in ageing ripe tea (I know some PuErh heads will age them for many years but the difference in 1 or 2 years is not that much in our opinion). If you do want to age the cakes then store as we advise in the video. 3. The subject of taste is pretty subjective. In general there are a few basic layers of taste grades for ripened PuErh. Starting at the bottom with a fishy and dirty taste, moving to an earthy taste and finally to a cave or cellar type taste. BUT this is personal of course. 4. Yes we think it is fine to pick your leaves out of the storage container. You can do it the other way if you are determined to age a lot of leaf for many years but our philosophy is that if you start with good leaves and store them sensibly then don't stress too much and enjoy! Cheers!
Hi Don, As time passed, a few more questions come to mind. 1) Is there a limit for not overdosing, like how many ml can be drunk in a day. I know it sounds very variable as it depends on how concentrated or how long it steep but lets assume av steeping and av amt of leaves (if it sounds sensible). I believed in all consumable things, everything has to be taken in moderation. Or in summary, how many allowable grams of leave per day. Hope I don’t sound too scientific. 2) How long can the leaves be left in the tea pot for the next few subsequent infusion without losing its effect. I have the whole day free time to slowly enjoy.
Hey David, 1. There is of course an upper limit for everything and usually this depends on the ability of someone to metabolise caffeine. We would recommend an an average upper limit of about 2 litres of a strong tea (like raw PuErh) per day. BUT some people can handle much more and other much less. 2. You can leave the leaves for up to 12-15 hours. We did another video about storing between steepings: ua-cam.com/video/Xfog_jJ9zis/v-deo.html
Hi Don, I saw your video about breaking up the cake and it seems somehow you are able to salvage individual leaves. I tried to break up my first cake yesterday and most of the time it ends up in small lump (the size of cornflakes), with leaves somehow still stick together. If I were to try breaking up further, I’m afraid it may become so small that will end up in small dust (not fine dust though). Is it a sign of poor quality or the breaking up will end up in small lumps? There were also some twigs inside the cake. Can we soak the twig as well?
Don't worry too much, some cakes (usually the fresher ones) are very tightly compressed (it is not a sign of poor quality) and you will definitely break a lot of leaves but try your best to be gentle and patient to get the best brew. Yes you can brew the stems which are often found in the raw cakes. The one thing that we avoid is cakes with a lot of yellow leaves (Huang Pian) which in our opinion is not a nice flavour.
Sorry, let me rephrase the question. AS a retiree, I have the whole day free. Can I leave the wet tea leaves in the tea pot and infuse it as and when I feel like drinking? Meaning the tea leaves are constantly inside the pot perhaps for next 10 or 12 hrs. It won't be practical for me to take out and dry it in between as it won't be dry anyway.
You have mentioned that tea absorbs other aromas very easily. So if the PuErh cakes are stored tightly together, is there not a danger that the aroma of the different teas will mix and eventually level out over the years? That we lose the distinguished aroma and taste of every single cake at the end?
No not really. I am talking about really strong aromas. The subtlety of aroma coming off from a dry cake will not have much influence on surrounding cakes.
+Maniza Khan Yes, same process and same cautions. If you have Pu erh and White tea... then you don't want to age them together or they will absorb fragrance from each and other.
They are all good for drinking immediately and we encourage everyone to drink fresh or age themselves. We will probably be getting some aged cakes in but the concept of ageing tea PuErh has become a bit warped in our opinion. Sure the tea changes and in some cases improves with age but PuErh is meant to be enjoyed fresh too and if you start with good tea then there is no requirement to age. If the tea is very astringent then ageing helps to add roundness and is used more of a way to improve lower quality tea but if it is good from fresh then enjoy it fresh and age if you fancy tasting as it evolves and oxidises.
It is a good point that the cardboard is good quality and not an old box used to store other things. In our experience the smell of the cakes do not transfer but of course you can separate them (although it is harder to maintain even humidity).
There is no brand. Region, mountain at the very least. All that matters is that you like what's in your cup. It's a hunting game. I guess it's all a game
Surprised by the plastic bag storage. Doesn't that affect aroma/taste? Why not keep it in paper bags even while enjoying and prior to long term storage?
+BEST chiropractor We like to keep it in vacuum sealed or airtight containers while fresh to slow down the ageing and enjoy fresh until we decide that we want to save some for ageing. It's quite incredible how quickly the fresh flavour disappears in the first 2 years if it is not sealed and we have never noticed any flavour or aroma from food grade plastic. Airtight glass or porcelain would be a more elegant solution but we picked up this tip from our travels in Yunnan with farmers storing in double seal freezer bags for the young PuErh tea.
So...if you break up the tea and store it in a unglazed clay pot, then it will slow down the aging process...but if you break up the cake, put it un a plastic bag/paper bag, then it speed up the aging process???? Why is that???
Seems like mainly puerhs are aged along with shou mei and mu Dan white tea and some oolongs, ball rolled roasted seem to be best suited. Correct me if I'm wrong
Why exactly is it taboo to drink the tea in that 2-6 years of ageing? Is it to do with the flavor or does messing with the tea durring that time throws off the ageing process?
Not a taboo and of course you can drink and enjoy. The issue is that for a lot of teas, that 2-6 years do not show off the best of the tea as it is neither young nor aged but it depends on the tea.
Good thing these cakes are wrapped, otherwise storing them would look like you were some kind of drug dealer. How many police know what pu-erh looks like?!
Shouldn't you use gloves. you're adding you body microbes to the tea, might be ok in the early process. but no one would dip there finger in a 10 year old claret
@@wynngwynnbefore they're wine. After fermentation, the alcohol kills all the athletes foot, haha. But I don't think clean hands would harm the tea much. There are already microbes in the tea which are causing the aging so it shouldn't be detrimental.
Watching this video reminded me of a good thing for all people to remember if they're storing their PuErh in a closet of some sort: You want your closet to smell like PuErh, and not for your PuErh to smell like a closet. Thanks for the vids Don, I've been enjoying them a lot!
Love that expression!
Don, I want to start collecting cakes of Puerh so I can sit and count them like Scrooge with his coins!!! I have tea cake envy!
What a great image and I think we all like to hoard cakes!
Tks Don,
Didn't know my 2nd question is the most frequently asked. Yes, I watched the video and very informative. Tks again
Hi Sir,
Tks so much for your quick response. You have enlightened me very well. And yes, like you said don't stress too much over it. Cheers
Thank you, very good information and very well explained. Happy New Year!
Amazing! Great advice! Keep 'em coming!
True and well say in n your storing information of these puerh from young tea into the vintage one.
Don my friend you have taught me so much about tea through the years i just want to say thank you from the states here in Cleveland Ohio ps I’m waiting on you to analyze some grade A Darjeeling
Great video, really helpful ! Thanks man !
Great episode, thank you so much for the information!!
+Russell Houck Thanks for watching!
I have "unknowingly" store my puehr tea about the right way like what you've just explained for around ten years now.. your sharing motivated me to keep it for probably another 10 years.. mine came from Si Shuang Pan Na. Thanks a lot for the information videos. I love teas, especially Chinese Tea..
Super video! Thank You!
This was really interesting. I'm not likely to ever do this, but it's always good to learn something.
+TheAyeAye1 This video will always be here if you change your mind and get into PuErh ageing.
Much appreciated
Brother Don, I looooooooooooove your videos. Thank you so much from A Colombian American living in Japan.
Cheers John!
Good basic training!
Great explanation and Pu erh cakes. I'm going to add several of your videos to one of my sites.
+Jack Kennard Thanks, which site?
Hi Don, thanks so much for all your free content it’s made such a difference to my tea education!
Can I ask, does the advice in this video apply to white tea cakes such as your wonderful Jade Star? Thank you 😊
Many thanks great info
Just in time. I'm young and have decided to purchase a number of cakes to age well into the years ahead of me.
+Vito Farella Great stuff, we wish you successful cake ageing!
How’s the aging going
Great Video - thank you for your constant effort. I got some questions: I also store my pu-erh in a cardboard box but why is this environment aging it faster? And would it make any sense to put such humidipaks inside such a cardboard box with those cakes? And last but not least. I was wondering if I store all those different cakes together just in their wrappers in a box aren't those different Pu aromas mixing up and influence each other.
I would also add that it's important to store the tea away from the kitchen or in areas where there is a lot of cooking going on, as PuErh tends to absorb aromas and over time it could effect the flavor of the tea.
+D_Otec We did mention it at 6:10 but maybe we could have been a bit clearer. Thanks!
So helpful
very interesting thank you, i love pu erhs...
Me too!!!
BTW, i have a 2012 'Xiguan "Jia Ji" Raw Puerh Tuo in Green box ' aging at my grandmothers house. I check on it at least once every 3 months
You're videos are always very informative, Don. However, after aging tea for several years in a variety of locations, I can confidently say that between 40 and 50 percent RH is definitely too low for the aging of puerh. My personal aging solution is an old, sealed, wooden cabinet. I keep all of my Sheng in there, along with two "room humidifier" balls. Right now, my measuring device says that the inside of the cabinet is 22 degrees C with a humidity of 81% RH. This is cool enough that I don't run the risk of mold while still maintaining the aging process at a fair clip. I turn the tea once every month to ensure that each cake gets a similar amount of exposure.
My oldest teas are from the early 90's with the youngest cakes from spring 2015. I've got a tong of 2009, formerly Guangzhou-stored, Yiwu and a tong of 2007, formerly Menghai-stored, Hekai, my greatest treasures that I intend to age for decades.
Thanks Dylan. Definitely 50% is a very dry ageing process that will take a fair while although we have seen good ageing at these levels of humidity after about 5 years. It sounds like you have a valuable collection in that cabinet and we are a little envious!
Hey Don, a question. Planning on going the cigar humidor route for tea ageing but I came on a conundrum. Cigar humidors come in two varieties wooden and acrylic. By my research the wooden is less airtight, allowing some breath-ability, and the wood absorbs the moisture keeping it well regulated and controlled but the wood tends to be aromatic spanish cedar and some people are concerned about taste adulteration. the acrylic humidors keeps moisture by being completely airtight so the humidity stays in but I am afraid the lack of air will choke the tea and some say lack of breath-ability will grow mold. Personally I am leaning to wood humidors, I would rather have a slight wood flavor to the tea than killing the ageing process or worse having mold growing, but what are your thoughts?
Hi Don! I have seen people store cakes in baskets with lids. Would it be sensible to use one, and a basket near in circumference to the cakes being stored?
Where would YOU look for cakes that have been aged for 30 or more years? Is there a "trusted source" for a budding tea enthusiast just to get the taste experience?
I love the artwork behind you!
I love your videos and have learned so much. We will be in London Sept 19-21, 2018 and plan to visit your shop. Will you be there one of those days? Cathy
I find most people consider 70-80%+ rh to be wet storage and 60-70%rh to be dry. Not sure you’d see any real fermentation happening below 60%. I aim for 65% myself
What about artificial light such as room lams and chandeliers? Would it affect the tea that is stored in a cabinet or cupboard?
though waiting 20- 40 years for tea seems silly but it sounds like a cool idea to share a well aged drink with your son or grandson when the time is right.
Got my humidor coming, got my hygrometer setting up and once everything is set I am gonna add my first tea to the ageing collection, an unopened cake of night forest muse.
Excellent selection NFM is going to age beautifully in my opinion.
@@MeiLeaf had a cake if it a while ago. Although I agree it is a difiicult tea what I got from it hit all my check marks in a raw pu-erh. Citrus Tang, great mouth feel, strong effects. Got the cake I plan to age before the holidays and noticed it was one of the last so I realized I better save it. I have to say thanks for all you do here. Every thing about your channel shows you are not just passionate about tea but sharing it in every way possible. And happy New year MeiLeaf crew.
What if we store original packings in a wooden cupboard while other parameters remain the same as you advised ?
I'll be turning 25 this year and I'm thinking it might be cool to get a raw puerh tea cake and hang onto it until I'm 50. Feels like a good opportunity in terms of time and a nice way to honor my own aging.
In some Chinese regions, when a daughter was born, Puerh cakes would be buried to be aged and only be dug up as a dowry when the daughter would leave the parental home.
If it takes up aroma then wouldn't it be interesting to age the tea with orange peels or apple slices or something similar?
old video but maybe you’ll answer - what about ageing white tea? I have „a cake” of pai mu tan - can i age it somehow to make this cha zui makijg material?
Thank you for Pu'erh support; the world needs you. Question: My 2021 cake has a 2025 expiration date. What have they done to it?
I have a box at home where I store my raw puerh cakes. Is there any problem when I have the Raw Puer Cakes togehter with Aged White Tea Cakes and/or Ripe Puer (sheng) ?!
I've been keeping my puerh in a plastic bag for about 3-4 months until I saw this video am I completely screwed??
for the 2-7 year wait, does that apply to both Ripe and Raw?
Hm, how about storing ripe and raw cakes, can they be in the same box? Will teas kindof blend to pick up eachothers taste and fragrance over time?
Thanks for your amazing videos Don!
I have purchased a few of 9yo cooked puerl bricks. I enjoyed it so much, however having a proper storage the puerl would be a challenge for me, esp in the aspect that i need to avoid strong smelling things on my puerl.
Is it advisable to store the puerl in a completely sealed container (say, perfectly sealed thick plastic bag) ? I think its better to get my puerl stop aging rather than aged, but in a wrong direction (like, absorbing unwanted aromas from the environment). What do you think?
You can, but don’t do it for more than a year, otherwise you will kill the enzymes responsible for aging
I bought Silver needle from a market and they were letting me try the aged silver needles (3-7 years). I ended up buying the recent year's pickings, since I wasn't ready to pay $100+. Can I age silver needle in a similar way to puerh? It's not in a cake though :(
What about keep in zip plastic bags?
nice :)
Does the storage works only for sheng puer or also for the shu? Thank you to share your knowledge over tea!
It works for Shu too!
Could you do a video on Yabao or pu erh buds, I'm not sure what the proper name is? I feel like there isn't a lot of information about it out there. Many people including myself don't really know what it is.
+Cole Cyr Sure thing, thanks for the suggestion.
Hi Don; you mentioned picking up odors. Should we keep them away from each other or could they be in the same pantry? ? If we have a clay pot only one per pot or several in the same pot? Thanks so much for all your videos!
Ahh! Should have waited to the end of the video!! But clay pots? Same idea as cardbord? Thank you!!!
How should I age if strong smells are unavoidable? I'm a chef and I live in a small apartment with a dog; I've been thinking about batch storing cakes in a large tub that I would air out every few months or so; stored with some humidity packs, as well. Is this a viable option?
would the cakes absorb eachothers' aromas?
Sorry, one more question.
Must it be stored totally in a dark place (meaning inside a cabinet). Being the case, the air will be stale, isn't it? Or store it within a room but no direct sunlight is good enough? Tks again
It is best in a dark place but it does not have to be totally dark. If it is away from direct sunlight like drawers then it is perfect and open the drawers every month to let some air in.
I have a tightly compressed brick of puer from 2006 I want to break it up but it isn't easy do you have suggestions
+kenly gallagher Sure thing. You should get a sharp and thin metal pick (you can buy PuErh picks but anything sharp and metal like a skewer will work too). Insert into the cake or brick from the side and move the pick gently up and down to loosen. Repeat all around the cake or brick and the tea will eventually become loose enough that you can manually pull apart the leaves with minimal breakage.
It takes a while so be patient and try not to break up the leaves too much or it will be a more bitter brew.
We will try to do a video to show you what we mean.
Tks for your informative video.
I received a riped Puerh cake from a friend as a gift about 3 yrs ago but left it untouched in the cabinet as I don’t quite fancy drinking chinese tea. Than I chanced upon some article and learned its goodness and decided I should now drink it. But discovered a label at bottom of box stated Best Bef Nov 2016 ( I assumed its expiry date). Here’s my questions:
1) Since puerh tea can be stored for many yrs, why is there a Best Before date? As I’m the only one to drink it, it may takes me several mths or maybe even a yr to finish the cake. Is there any harm to continue to consume it?
2) I saw some articles that said riped cake will not aged anymore, unlike the raw type. Assuming my cake still can consume, is there any advantage to let it age further? Can I simply put it in a plastic container with screw in cover (those that put cookies)? This knowledge is for the purpose of future purchase.
3) Most articles mentioned riped puerh tea commonly will have an earthly taste but yet some articles mentioned an earthly taste denotes poor quality. So which is correct?
4) If you strongly advocate storage shld be either in an unglazed jar or paperbag, does it mean we still pick the tea from these storage containers for our daily drinking (means it will subject to light and air when open constantly), or put aside a smaller quantity of leaves separately into another smaller jar/bag for daily cosumption and leaves those larger jar/bag untouch for a longer period.
Tks so much.
Hey David,
Thanks for your questions about your mystery PuErh:
1. Sometimes the law requires a Best Before Date on foods even if there technically is no issue with ageing. We would advise ignoring that BB and taste the tea - if it has been stored ok then it will be fine. If you taste a funky and very fishy aroma then it may have developed some undesirable mold which is not going to be too harmful usually but then you may want to avoid the tea.
2. Ripe PuErh does continue to age like all teas but at a slow pace and so there is not that much advantage in ageing ripe tea (I know some PuErh heads will age them for many years but the difference in 1 or 2 years is not that much in our opinion). If you do want to age the cakes then store as we advise in the video.
3. The subject of taste is pretty subjective. In general there are a few basic layers of taste grades for ripened PuErh. Starting at the bottom with a fishy and dirty taste, moving to an earthy taste and finally to a cave or cellar type taste. BUT this is personal of course.
4. Yes we think it is fine to pick your leaves out of the storage container. You can do it the other way if you are determined to age a lot of leaf for many years but our philosophy is that if you start with good leaves and store them sensibly then don't stress too much and enjoy!
Cheers!
Hi Don,
As time passed, a few more questions come to mind.
1) Is there a limit for not overdosing, like how many ml can be drunk in a day. I know it sounds very variable as it depends on how concentrated or how long it steep but lets assume av steeping and av amt of leaves (if it sounds sensible). I believed in all consumable things, everything has to be taken in moderation. Or in summary, how many allowable grams of leave per day. Hope I don’t sound too scientific.
2) How long can the leaves be left in the tea pot for the next few subsequent infusion without losing its effect. I have the whole day free time to slowly enjoy.
Hey David,
1. There is of course an upper limit for everything and usually this depends on the ability of someone to metabolise caffeine. We would recommend an an average upper limit of about 2 litres of a strong tea (like raw PuErh) per day. BUT some people can handle much more and other much less.
2. You can leave the leaves for up to 12-15 hours. We did another video about storing between steepings: ua-cam.com/video/Xfog_jJ9zis/v-deo.html
Hi Don,
I saw your video about breaking up the cake and it seems somehow you are able to salvage individual leaves.
I tried to break up my first cake yesterday and most of the time it ends up in small lump (the size of cornflakes), with leaves somehow still stick together. If I were to try breaking up further, I’m afraid it may become so small that will end up in small dust (not fine dust though).
Is it a sign of poor quality or the breaking up will end up in small lumps?
There were also some twigs inside the cake. Can we soak the twig as well?
Don't worry too much, some cakes (usually the fresher ones) are very tightly compressed (it is not a sign of poor quality) and you will definitely break a lot of leaves but try your best to be gentle and patient to get the best brew. Yes you can brew the stems which are often found in the raw cakes. The one thing that we avoid is cakes with a lot of yellow leaves (Huang Pian) which in our opinion is not a nice flavour.
Tks so much Don
What are carbol(?)boxes?
Sorry for my bad english
Cardboard boxes
How about how long can wet leaves be left inside the tea pot without loosing its flavour for subsequent infusion.
The leaves can be left for a few hours without affecting the flavour between infusions but take the lid off to allow to dry a little if possible.
Sorry, let me rephrase the question.
AS a retiree, I have the whole day free. Can I leave the wet tea leaves in the tea pot and infuse it as and when I feel like drinking? Meaning the tea leaves are constantly inside the pot perhaps for next 10 or 12 hrs. It won't be practical for me to take out and dry it in between as it won't be dry anyway.
I do this sometimes, and revisit the pot throughout the day. Not sure if it's a good or bad thing, but nothing bad has ever come of it for me.
You have mentioned that tea absorbs other aromas very easily. So if the PuErh cakes are stored tightly together, is there not a danger that the aroma of the different teas will mix and eventually level out over the years? That we lose the distinguished aroma and taste of every single cake at the end?
No not really. I am talking about really strong aromas. The subtlety of aroma coming off from a dry cake will not have much influence on surrounding cakes.
Is that mold on the paper of the older tea? 9:23
I think it's a kind of paper label some cakes come with
Is it possible to age white tea at home? Is there a video about it?
+Maniza Khan Yes, same process and same cautions. If you have Pu erh and White tea... then you don't want to age them together or they will absorb fragrance from each and other.
All of the cakes you sell are very new. Is it expected that people will age these cakes, or are they good for drinking right away?
They are all good for drinking immediately and we encourage everyone to drink fresh or age themselves. We will probably be getting some aged cakes in but the concept of ageing tea PuErh has become a bit warped in our opinion. Sure the tea changes and in some cases improves with age but PuErh is meant to be enjoyed fresh too and if you start with good tea then there is no requirement to age. If the tea is very astringent then ageing helps to add roundness and is used more of a way to improve lower quality tea but if it is good from fresh then enjoy it fresh and age if you fancy tasting as it evolves and oxidises.
Can I drink the puer from 2017-this year-or it's only for aging?!
you can drink it at any time :)
so a cabinett made from Cedar wood could work as a quicker aging medium for PuErh?
I'd love to find out. You should talk to old Chinese puerh geeks and see how they do it
I would love to find out
I purchased tea cakes online, but it doesn't have nei-fei in it, does it mean that what l bought is fake? Thank you.
should i take my cakes out of the tongs or leave them packed for storage?
I'd leave them alone if I'm not breaking into them. So long as they can breathe and not wrapped in plastic
Seems like a recipe for mold. How is this prevented?
+magetaaaaaa The tea is practically dry and stored in porous material so mold cannot develop.
i afraid that the cardboard box smell will make the puerh aroma bad, and does two different tea stack up each other will smell alike?
It is a good point that the cardboard is good quality and not an old box used to store other things. In our experience the smell of the cakes do not transfer but of course you can separate them (although it is harder to maintain even humidity).
Where can I buy the best brand?
There is no brand. Region, mountain at the very least. All that matters is that you like what's in your cup. It's a hunting game. I guess it's all a game
Surprised by the plastic bag storage. Doesn't that affect aroma/taste? Why not keep it in paper bags even while enjoying and prior to long term storage?
+BEST chiropractor We like to keep it in vacuum sealed or airtight containers while fresh to slow down the ageing and enjoy fresh until we decide that we want to save some for ageing. It's quite incredible how quickly the fresh flavour disappears in the first 2 years if it is not sealed and we have never noticed any flavour or aroma from food grade plastic. Airtight glass or porcelain would be a more elegant solution but we picked up this tip from our travels in Yunnan with farmers storing in double seal freezer bags for the young PuErh tea.
So...if you break up the tea and store it in a unglazed clay pot, then it will slow down the aging process...but if you break up the cake, put it un a plastic bag/paper bag, then it speed up the aging process???? Why is that???
Can we only age peur or can it be any tea cake?
Seems like mainly puerhs are aged along with shou mei and mu Dan white tea and some oolongs, ball rolled roasted seem to be best suited.
Correct me if I'm wrong
Why exactly is it taboo to drink the tea in that 2-6 years of ageing? Is it to do with the flavor or does messing with the tea durring that time throws off the ageing process?
Not a taboo and of course you can drink and enjoy. The issue is that for a lot of teas, that 2-6 years do not show off the best of the tea as it is neither young nor aged but it depends on the tea.
I bought raw puerh tuo cha and it tasted too raw. It has to wait at least 5 more years, maybe 10, before it is drinkable.
😄😄👍🏼👍🏼
Wtf 13 years that's crazy long when are you going to brew it? Also with the 10 yr old one me how long are you going for the full 30 yr
I am trying to hold out for 20 years but you can tell I am picking little taster off to try!
Don, maybe put the label on the outside of the bag so the chemicals from the paper and the writing utensil isnt seeping into the tea
...
Do not open the original pack. Once you open, there is no value in the eyes of buyers
Good thing these cakes are wrapped, otherwise storing them would look like you were some kind of drug dealer. How many police know what pu-erh looks like?!
Shouldn't you use gloves. you're adding you body microbes to the tea, might be ok in the early process. but no one would dip there finger in a 10 year old claret
I thought people stomped on grapes?
@@wynngwynnbefore they're wine. After fermentation, the alcohol kills all the athletes foot, haha. But I don't think clean hands would harm the tea much. There are already microbes in the tea which are causing the aging so it shouldn't be detrimental.
1000 year old trees. LOL! What a complete load of bollocks.