Newbie Questions
Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2019 2:05 pm
I hosted my book group last month. The book I chose was the Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, in which the protagonist’s life is interwoven with the rise in popularity of Puerh. I invited anyone who wanted to arrive early, see a bing with its wrapper, a tuocha, a brick and loose puerh. I brewed some puerh for everyone to taste, None of my tea had the life-changing impact that’s discussed in the book!
My puerh collection dates back at least 6 years and has been very casually stored, most of it in a plastic bin with a snug lid. I was Inspired by the discussion to begin tasting the tea that I own. I haven’t made much headway because of temporary circumstances at home which mean it’s impossible to get through a session with introspection and without interruption. I did fall in love with a sample from Bana Tea, possibly because of the detailed brewing instructions. I ended up ordering a cake of that tea, 2008 Bana Tea Company Limited Edition Raw Pu-erh Tea (200 grams), and a second cake just based on the description of its properties, 2015 Speechless Euphoria Raw Pu-erh Tea (100 grams).
Finally the questions.
First, I’m not expecting to age the tea but I’d like to store it properly for the next year or so while I drink it. The larger cake arrived in its wrapper inside a resealable bag that’s plastic-lined. The smaller cake is in its wrapper in a kraft cardboard box. Do I leave them like this or move them to something better? My old puerh is in brown paper lunch bags and I’m not sure the tea benefited from that.
Second, I’ve been opening the tea cakes just about every day to break off a chunk for brewing. Should I break off a larger chunk and store it separate from the rest of the cake for daily drinking?
Third, I have an EOT cake that’s been sitting in its wrapper in a lunch bag. I feel as if it has the same off putting storage odor/taste as it did when I purchased it. I have an unglazed porcelain tea caddy made by Hong Seong-il. Would some time in there be helpful?
My puerh collection dates back at least 6 years and has been very casually stored, most of it in a plastic bin with a snug lid. I was Inspired by the discussion to begin tasting the tea that I own. I haven’t made much headway because of temporary circumstances at home which mean it’s impossible to get through a session with introspection and without interruption. I did fall in love with a sample from Bana Tea, possibly because of the detailed brewing instructions. I ended up ordering a cake of that tea, 2008 Bana Tea Company Limited Edition Raw Pu-erh Tea (200 grams), and a second cake just based on the description of its properties, 2015 Speechless Euphoria Raw Pu-erh Tea (100 grams).
Finally the questions.
First, I’m not expecting to age the tea but I’d like to store it properly for the next year or so while I drink it. The larger cake arrived in its wrapper inside a resealable bag that’s plastic-lined. The smaller cake is in its wrapper in a kraft cardboard box. Do I leave them like this or move them to something better? My old puerh is in brown paper lunch bags and I’m not sure the tea benefited from that.
Second, I’ve been opening the tea cakes just about every day to break off a chunk for brewing. Should I break off a larger chunk and store it separate from the rest of the cake for daily drinking?
Third, I have an EOT cake that’s been sitting in its wrapper in a lunch bag. I feel as if it has the same off putting storage odor/taste as it did when I purchased it. I have an unglazed porcelain tea caddy made by Hong Seong-il. Would some time in there be helpful?