Ripe/raw puerh storage?

[pedant]

depends on what you're going for. higher temp seems to make change happen faster, but who knows if the result is the same. imo 73°F is not too cold for aging.

[OhThatNinja]

Thank you so much. That is reassuring.
I read somewhere that prolonged dry storage can permanently kill raw puerh so that really freaked me out.
I'll get on raising the humidity ASAP!

[pedant]

not to freak you out again, but i think i misread your original message.
i think i had originally read 2018 instead of 2008. i'm actually unsure of the result of storing a cake that dry for so long.
do you know when the tea was harvested or pressed?

have you tried the tea recently? what's your impression of it?

still, i'd rather store tea too dry than too wet.

[mbanu]

Thank you so much. That is reassuring.
I read somewhere that prolonged dry storage can permanently kill raw puerh so that really freaked me out.
I'll get on raising the humidity ASAP!

There are two main concerns with too-dry storage, I think.

The first one is that the tea will go rancid; the flavors in the tea will break down at random into new flavors. Some teas are actually not so bad for this, like some Chinese black teas that end up with rancid fruity notes when stored dry. Pu'er is not one of these teas, though -- it is more like white tea, in that it seems excellent at picking up really bad rancid flavors.

The other is that if you are trying to keep a pu'er happy that has been traditionally stored, if it gets too dry some of the micro-organisms and molds might become unhappy.

I don't know if anyone has done any formal studies on these things, though, to see what in particular happens when the pu'er is stored dry for a long time or if it is reversible.

[OhThatNinja]

not to freak you out again, but i think i misread your original message.
i think i had originally read 2018 instead of 2008. i'm actually unsure of the result of storing a cake that dry for so long.
do you know when the tea was harvested or pressed?

have you tried the tea recently? what's your impression of it?

still, i'd rather store tea too dry than too wet.

This cake is Menghai Dayi Jiaji Early Spring Cake 2008. There is a stamp on the wrapper and it says 2008 so I assume that's the pressing date? I've tried it several time over the years and it's quite pleasant to drink but it definitely tastes like a very green puerh. Although I have to say, the leaves got darker since last time I checked on this cake (they used to be greener before). Is that a good sign?
Here's a picture of the wrapper and the cake inside:

cake - front.jpg (224.7 KiB) Viewed 3102 times

cake - back.jpg (226.53 KiB) Viewed 3102 times

[pedant]

yea pressed in 2008, probably also picked in 2008.
and you bought it somewhere around that time?

I've tried it several time over the years and it's quite pleasant to drink but it definitely tastes like a very green puerh. Although I have to say, the leaves got darker since last time I checked on this cake (they used to be greener before). Is that a good sign?

if it had been stored in more humid conditions (and more heat couldn't hurt), i'd think it would taste way less green by now. changing color is a good sign. anyway, all you can do now is store it better from now on. i think it will age.

[OhThatNinja]

yea pressed in 2008, probably also picked in 2008.
and you bought it somewhere around that time?

Yes sir! Bought it around 2009 and it's been sitting in my cupboard in the kitchen since then.

[mrmopu]

I think it will age too. Albeit much slower than in an Asian climate or US pumidor. I have the same cake and I think the year prior to that one.

Pretty sure they are just like the Spring Of Menghai cakes. Spring productions.