I've been going through my neglected teas and in some categories - all the yancha was good enough to drink even if it was past its prime, last year's Chinese greens ended up in the compost, the whites are probably fine. In all categories other than puerh I can make decisions based on taste.
I have an assortment of Puerh that I purchased between 5 and 8 years ago that I just left on shelves and in drawers with no particular storage plan - so hot in the summer, warm in the winter, and middling humidity. I wasn't an adventurous shopper so the tea is not from obscure sources. Yesterday I tried something that should be very bland - a date fragrance puerh - probably shou - from Seven Cups. I used 208* water for a flash rinse and the first infusion and the tea was bitter, and then I developed a headache that lasted for 12 hours. Are these signs that the tea isn't good anymore? Maybe it's good but doesn't agree with my constitution. There was no visible mold, but is mold always white?
How to tell if Puerh is "spoiled"
What is the name of that puerh?
How did you brew it? ( volume/ g / C / time ) , because that could be the reason for bitterness, as the origin of the leaf.
In western environment, usually , the issue is not the mold by dry out. Shu becomes very very woody and in strong infusion ( when you try to make it dark black ) will turn bitter and sour.
Kunming dry stored old shu , gives dark yellow tea , sweet with woody notes ( because that's what environment here is ) , but if you try to push it into the coffee color, it will just hit you with bitter taste.
Some shu is bitter from beginning, like Yongde for example. It has some dry walnut notes in aroma, but again, you have to be gentle with it, if you go too dark, will be bitter as well.
Also some Bulang shu , where tea leaves are also originally bitter and not every blend or fermentation can make it creamy sweet.
White is mold.
Yellow is "Jin Hua" - golden flowers ( google for more details ) .
If you don't taste mushroom musty taste, it's more likely ok.
How did you brew it? ( volume/ g / C / time ) , because that could be the reason for bitterness, as the origin of the leaf.
In western environment, usually , the issue is not the mold by dry out. Shu becomes very very woody and in strong infusion ( when you try to make it dark black ) will turn bitter and sour.
Kunming dry stored old shu , gives dark yellow tea , sweet with woody notes ( because that's what environment here is ) , but if you try to push it into the coffee color, it will just hit you with bitter taste.
Some shu is bitter from beginning, like Yongde for example. It has some dry walnut notes in aroma, but again, you have to be gentle with it, if you go too dark, will be bitter as well.
Also some Bulang shu , where tea leaves are also originally bitter and not every blend or fermentation can make it creamy sweet.
White is mold.
Yellow is "Jin Hua" - golden flowers ( google for more details ) .
If you don't taste mushroom musty taste, it's more likely ok.
Did you ever like it in the past? If you did, then perhaps it has dried out like AET says.
If you didn't try it, or if you did try it and didn't like it, then perhaps it just isn't to your taste, or it is just bad.
I think that there is a real risk in the world of puer of people saying "Bitter, astringent, rough, harsh... should age well", instead of saying what they would say in any other context, being "I don't like it".
Not all red wines improve with age, nor should all puer (and in the case of the latter, storage is perhaps even more important because of how many different techniques there area, as opposed to wine simply being laid down in a cool dark place).
Please note, though, that I am strongly-biased against dry-stored puer because it does not suit my constitution or my tastes, and because I doubt that any realistic amount of dry storage of a brand-new tea during my remaining lifetime would make it pleasant to me, but that's just me.
Andrew
I didn’t intend to age the tea, which is why I didn’t plan a suitable storage environment. I thought I would become an enthusiastic puerh drinker but instead I focused on Japanese and Chinese greens, and yancha. I was encouraged by your response and that of aet to begin a testing process.
If I don’t see or smell signs of mold I’ll experiment with brewing the tea. The 2006 Date Fragrance Black puerh has faded and left me with a headache so that’s on the way to the compost bucket. The 2009 Bai Beeng Moonlight White from Rishi was good for one steep and is not causing a headache so it’s worth playing with.
Then hiding behind the two puerhs I found a canister containing 58 grams of 2020 Hua Ji Dancong from Essence of Tea. I have notes for that so I know that I prefer short steeps with a lot of tea as compared to three minute steeps with small quantities of leaf. I’m not sure if it benefitted from ‘aging’ but it’s definitely drinkable.
I’m not going to post about every tea but appreciate receiving advice that’s gotten me started.
If I don’t see or smell signs of mold I’ll experiment with brewing the tea. The 2006 Date Fragrance Black puerh has faded and left me with a headache so that’s on the way to the compost bucket. The 2009 Bai Beeng Moonlight White from Rishi was good for one steep and is not causing a headache so it’s worth playing with.
Then hiding behind the two puerhs I found a canister containing 58 grams of 2020 Hua Ji Dancong from Essence of Tea. I have notes for that so I know that I prefer short steeps with a lot of tea as compared to three minute steeps with small quantities of leaf. I’m not sure if it benefitted from ‘aging’ but it’s definitely drinkable.
I’m not going to post about every tea but appreciate receiving advice that’s gotten me started.