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There is a lot of evidence, and a lot have been written, about the detrimental nature of overly dry storage of sheng puerh. But how about shu? We can probably agree that under a hot & humid storage it can even develop some aged notes.
The question is, how much does it suffer under dry/very dry storage?
What are your experiences? Has anybody of you compared, for example, a Kunming stored shu with a Guangdong stored one?

I think it's a matter of personal preference. Although I suppose there can be extreme dry or humid conditions that are generally no good. I personally enjoy the aged notes of shu pu er that develop in more humidity. I also enjoy how shu pu er that's more floral or subtler develops in drier conditions.

I sometimes buy mid 2000s factory pu from Kunming that is horrible when it comes in because it has been stored very dry. After two or three years down here in HK it is completely different and a pleasure to drink!

tealifehk wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:35 pm

I sometimes buy mid 2000s factory pu from Kunming that is horrible when it comes in because it has been stored very dry. After two or three years down here in HK it is completely different and a pleasure to drink!

Bias!

tealifehk wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:35 pm

I sometimes buy mid 2000s factory pu from Kunming that is horrible when it comes in because it has been stored very dry. After two or three years down here in HK it is completely different and a pleasure to drink!

Thanks for the input. So it seems that shu can be recovered.

CWarren wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:16 pm

tealifehk wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:35 pm

I sometimes buy mid 2000s factory pu from Kunming that is horrible when it comes in because it has been stored very dry. After two or three years down here in HK it is completely different and a pleasure to drink!

Bias!

Cities have microclimates; I've had shu from Kunming that is perfectly stored, and other shu that is just death to drink!

tealifehk wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:35 pm

I sometimes buy mid 2000s factory pu from Kunming that is horrible when it comes in because it has been stored very dry. After two or three years down here in HK it is completely different and a pleasure to drink!

Golly gee, a vendor from HK who prefers HK storage! Next thing I know, someone's going to tell me that the Earth is round!

A vendor in HK has a financial incentive to say HK storage is better. That goes a step beyond bias, actually.

lurker wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 21, 2018 1:27 pm

tealifehk wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:35 pm

I sometimes buy mid 2000s factory pu from Kunming that is horrible when it comes in because it has been stored very dry. After two or three years down here in HK it is completely different and a pleasure to drink!

Golly gee, a vendor from HK who prefers HK storage! Next thing I know, someone's going to tell me that the Earth is round!

A vendor in HK has a financial incentive to say HK storage is better. That goes a step beyond bias, actually.

I didn't actually say that did I? Just that the shu I buy from Kunming arrives dead.

I think I know who you are. We've been through this before on Reddit. Welcome to TeaForum!

CWarren wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:16 pm

tealifehk wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:35 pm

I sometimes buy mid 2000s factory pu from Kunming that is horrible when it comes in because it has been stored very dry. After two or three years down here in HK it is completely different and a pleasure to drink!

Bias!

lurker wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 21, 2018 1:27 pm

Golly gee, a vendor from HK who prefers HK storage! Next thing I know, someone's going to tell me that the Earth is round!

A vendor in HK has a financial incentive to say HK storage is better. That goes a step beyond bias, actually.

He was actually answering to the question i posed.

tealifehk wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:50 am

CWarren wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:16 pm

tealifehk wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:35 pm

I sometimes buy mid 2000s factory pu from Kunming that is horrible when it comes in because it has been stored very dry. After two or three years down here in HK it is completely different and a pleasure to drink!

Bias!

No more jokes for me.

CWarren wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 22, 2018 2:31 am

tealifehk wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:50 am

CWarren wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:16 pm

Bias!

No more jokes for me.

Nah keep em coming

just to get things back on track here...

just the other day i had a 2013 shou pu er produced by a friend from high quality autumn material. notable for it's floral xiang qi (aroma), hui gan and lack of wo dui. stored in average conditions, but on the drier side. i think the best qualities of this tea are benefited by the storage. but, that said, i'm not sure this tea will develop strong chen xiang, zhang xiang or ren shen xiang like teas stored in higher humidity. time will tell!

That's a good point too. I recently had some cakes that died after three years of HK storage and now taste of nothing. Another 3-4 years will bring out aged taste and make them pleasant to drink, but the character the leaf had is lost. I put this down to processing. Other pu can age very well with more humidity but given enough time, even mediocre material will become drinkable!

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