I’ve stored tea for around six years now in Seattle and while I’ve fussed a bit over a few small things, the methodology has been overall consistent. The pu’erh has been stored in an enclosed container with Boveda packs to ramp up the humidity to around 65RH. Airflow is low. Most people would call this a pumidor. Every year I look at my spreadsheet and decide on pulling a few teas to retry.
(more…)Author: James
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2019 WuyiOrigin Silver Needle White Tea [Episode 353]
This episode, Denny and I drink a relatively fresh Silver Needle tea from WuyiOrigin. Slightly atypical, but very enjoyable.
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2011 Dayi Jade Dew Ripe Pue’rh via YS [Inbetweenisode 215]
This episode, I drink another tippy, premium ripe blend, the 2011 Jade Dew. The tea like the Golden Needle is made by Menghai Tea Factory. Shoutouts to Carl for turning me onto this tea.
Rating: 6.2 .
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2010 Dayi Golden Needle White Lotus Ripe Pu’erh via YS [Inbetweenisode 214]
This episode, I drink a Dayi ripe I’ve been storing locally for the past seven years. The tea is the 2010 Golden Needle White Lotus, a premium tippy production by Menghai Tea Factory. Originally acquired from Yunnan Sourcing.
Rating: 6.2
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2017 W2T Happy Anniversary Baby Raw Pu’erh [Episode 352]
This episode Denny and I drink a W2T production from 3 years ago. The tea is rumored to be an Yiwu and is decently punchy but with a good aftertaste and overall structure. Sent in by Atlas. Thank you!
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Five Things I Like & Dislike 12. Measuring Pu’erh Conditions, Steaming Iron Cakes, Anonymous Vendors
Five More Things I like & Dislike.
Measuring Pu’erh Conditions (Relative Humidity Generated)
One smart thing that I believe Marco was the first to do was measure the condition/relative humidity generated by cakes (see conditioning experiment). This isn’t difficult and only requires storing the tea for a few days with a mylar and hygrometer. It’s a useful way to think about short-term storage and the condition a cake may be currently at.
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2018 Yunnan Sourcing Balance Ripe Pu’erh [Episode 351]
This episode, Denny and I drink a 2018 ripe pu’erh from Yunnan Sourcing’s line, the Balance blend. The tea has a solid body and is a great, enjoyable drinker. Thanks to Char for giving us the sample! https://yunnansourcing.com/
http://oolongowl.com/ -
2014 Gongjian Liuan via Chawangshop [Episode 350]
This episode, Denny and I drink a Liuan Heicha from Chawangshop. The tea makes an interesting contrast vs. our more standard brew of pu’erh. Thanks to Toby for sending this in! https://www.chawangshop.com/ Toby’s blog: http://ntan.tcpsolomon.com/
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Marco Hotbox Experiment (Bosch) Comparison
The most interesting storage experiment in the west is a heated cooler filled with mylar bags of pu’erh in Toronto. This is of course Marco’s hotbox experiment where cakes are conditioned to generate 63-69RH and then stored at fixed temperatures. I was lucky enough to get two five gram samples of tea from Marco that were stored in the box for two years. One was stored at both 23C (~73-74F) and the other at 32C (~89-90F) sent by Marco.
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2019 Tea Encounter Baiyingshan Raw Pu’erh [Episode 349]
This episode, Denny and I drink an aromatic approachable young sheng from Tea Encounter. This is part of Tea Encounter’s inaugural set of productions. Congrats to Tiago!