The idea of a pumidor is simple. Create an enclosed space where conditions like relative humidity can be manipulated to better maintain and age pu’erh. In the west, this usually means creating an environment where the humidity is higher than the ambient conditions. Much of the western hemisphere west is a cold, and dry relative to pu-hotspots in east Asia. If Kunming is dry compared with places that pu’erh was traditionally exported and stored at, then a good chunk of the US is the desert. With the risk of the tea drying out or simply not evolving or maturing, it is no surprise that the western pu’erh world is filled with people trying to create artificial ways of aging. One such way is the pumidor, a riff on humidor, an airtight device for aging cigars. (more…)
Author: James
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Pu’erh Home Storage — TeaDB James InBetweenIsode Episode #112
A non-drinking episode covering some topics of home storage. Basic ideas of storage, pumidors, and some dangers of storing pu’erh.
Further reading: Home Pumidor Survey, Kunming Storage
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2007 Kunlu via Bana Tea [Episode 184]
A premium, smooth, and generally very nice tea from Bana Tea. The 2007 Kunlu is very solid base material.
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2001 Yiwu Spring Buds [Episode 183]
Another review of the Yiwu Spring Buds cake that James picked up in his trip to Hong Kong in 2015. Traditionally stored, this tea is very drinkable.
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How Dry is Kunming Storage & What Does That Mean For Western Home Storage?
“At least it’s not Kunming storage.”
“Stored in Kunming….. Maybe it’ll be ready in 50 years.”
-Anonymous Pu’erh HeadsKunming has developed a reputation as the whipping boy of storage locations. Anyone who’s sampled a tea aged in Kunming knows it’s way different and tea is much slower to change than something like dry Hong Kong storage. There’s a sizable group of pu’erh people who consider Kunming a pu’erh purgatory where tea neither ages nor dries out.. So let’s avoid Kunming and store all our pu’erh in Guangdong or Malaysia. Not so fast.. Yunnan itself certainly isn’t a desert, with places that are known to have decently hot and humid environments, such as Menghai County or Jinghong. Kunming is even described in the climate section of wikipedia as having a “mild climate”. So how dry is Kunming storage really? (more…)
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2015 Denong Wild Ripe [Episode 182]
A very nice young ripe pu’erh from Denong Tea, a boutique operation who is available through Bana Tea but has also opened their own web store.
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Extended Episode, YS 2004 Songpin, Gu Puer — TeaDB James InBetweenIsode Episode #111
An extended episode featuring a pair of Yunnan Sourcing wetter stored teas.
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2002 Wistaria Ziyin You [Teas I Own] — TeaDB James InBetweenIsode Episode #110
A tea from iconic tea house. This one is made from small-leaf varietal on Youle.
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White2Tea’s The Treachery of Storytelling P2 [Episode 181]
A review of White2Tea’s most expensive (per g) 2016 tea. The Treachery of Storytelling. Thanks to CavemanKing for the sample.
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Give me Guangdong or Give me Death. Factory Tea Report
Young pu and now factory tea. Aren’t you the guy that published that super-negative Xiaguan report. At least young pu’erh is popular in our western pu’erh community. Who the hell is talking about factory tea in the west? Other than the odd cake here or there, or a LP/Toby group buy most of our pu’erh drinkers are chugging White2Tea, Bitter Leaf, Yunnan Sourcing, Essence of Tea, Crimson Lotus, etc. Then we have another collection of drinkers buying up Yangqing Hao and Wistaria. Factory pu’erh is the neglected child, that is championed amongst some old school drinkers, a group of drinkers that isn’t really represented in the western pu-sphere. (more…)