Hello,
Im very new to Chinese teas and want to store tham properly.
I get how to store Pu'er (as a cigar guy, it makes sense to me), but I see that people mention "airtight" container for black/oolongs/whites, etc.
What are we considering "airtight"? What are the best jars/bags/containers to use for this?
Thanks
Emil
Airtight?
It seems that the consensus for fresh, greener oolongs (Taiwan) is to keep them in the vacuum packs they come in. Before opening store in the fridge. After opening, use a clip or other suitable things, tightly fold/roll it to make sure only a minimum of air is left. For good measure put that pack into a double lidded container.
Roasted or black oolongs can do with a bit more air. I store my opened oolongs (for near future consumption) in porcelain or wood-fired jars, only lightly sealed with a sheet of calligraphy paper. Needs to be consumed in a reasonable time though. Porcelain seems to have some properties that make some teas better.
Aging oolong is a more complicated topic, search the teamsters blog, it has a lot of posts about that topic.
Roasted or black oolongs can do with a bit more air. I store my opened oolongs (for near future consumption) in porcelain or wood-fired jars, only lightly sealed with a sheet of calligraphy paper. Needs to be consumed in a reasonable time though. Porcelain seems to have some properties that make some teas better.
Aging oolong is a more complicated topic, search the teamsters blog, it has a lot of posts about that topic.
Curious, which teas are you storing in refrigerator? I put Sencha and Gyokuro in there but have not yet put any oolongs in refrigerator. Maybe because I finish them up within the 1st year of getting themBok wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:11 pmIt seems that the consensus for fresh, greener oolongs (Taiwan) is to keep them in the vacuum packs they come in. Before opening store in the fridge. After opening, use a clip or other suitable things, tightly fold/roll it to make sure only a minimum of air is left. For good measure put that pack into a double lidded container.
Any high mountain greenish Oolong goes into the fridge. More oxidised roasted and blacks stay outside.Victoria wrote: ↑Fri Dec 15, 2017 10:58 amCurious, which teas are you storing in refrigerator? I put Sencha and Gyokuro in there but have not yet put any oolongs in refrigerator. Maybe because I finish them up within the 1st year of getting themBok wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:11 pmIt seems that the consensus for fresh, greener oolongs (Taiwan) is to keep them in the vacuum packs they come in. Before opening store in the fridge. After opening, use a clip or other suitable things, tightly fold/roll it to make sure only a minimum of air is left. For good measure put that pack into a double lidded container.
Better to finish the greener ones in one year anyway they won’t get any better.
Some people here insist on quickly finishing the fresh high mountain teas when they come in, sort of like a seasonal delicacy. I personally found the decline not that apparent to have to rush through them...
Victoria and Bok, do you have a refrigerator dedicated to tea or do you put teas into your regular fridge? Have you ever frozen your teas? A stroll through Ma Lian Dao in Beijing will show you MANY vendors - especially of green teas - keeping them in a freezer (not that I'd recommend buying at MLD without an experienced local guide - that's a recipe for disaster.)Bok wrote: ↑Fri Dec 15, 2017 8:15 pmAny high mountain greenish Oolong goes into the fridge. More oxidised roasted and blacks stay outside.Victoria wrote: ↑Fri Dec 15, 2017 10:58 amCurious, which teas are you storing in refrigerator? I put Sencha and Gyokuro in there but have not yet put any oolongs in refrigerator. Maybe because I finish them up within the 1st year of getting themBok wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:11 pmIt seems that the consensus for fresh, greener oolongs (Taiwan) is to keep them in the vacuum packs they come in. Before opening store in the fridge. After opening, use a clip or other suitable things, tightly fold/roll it to make sure only a minimum of air is left. For good measure put that pack into a double lidded container.
Better to finish the greener ones in one year anyway they won’t get any better.
Some people here insist on quickly finishing the fresh high mountain teas when they come in, sort of like a seasonal delicacy. I personally found the decline not that apparent to have to rush through them...
I use a bottom drawer in my regular refridgerator for tea. I have found using Loksak's Opsak bear proof camping zip lock bags very good at keeping all odors and moisture out. I then place the zip locked bags inside mylar bags to keep light out. As an experiment I put a cheap sencha in the freezer but haven’t tried it yet.Tillerman wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:49 amVictoria and Bok, do you have a refrigerator dedicated to tea or do you put teas into your regular fridge? Have you ever frozen your teas? A stroll through Ma Lian Dao in Beijing will show you MANY vendors - especially of green teas - keeping them in a freezer (not that I'd recommend buying at MLD without an experienced local guide - that's a recipe for disaster.)Bok wrote: ↑Fri Dec 15, 2017 8:15 pmAny high mountain greenish Oolong goes into the fridge. More oxidised roasted and blacks stay outside.
Better to finish the greener ones in one year anyway they won’t get any better.
Some people here insist on quickly finishing the fresh high mountain teas when they come in, sort of like a seasonal delicacy. I personally found the decline not that apparent to have to rush through them...
Similar to Victoria, I keep them in an odour free part of the fridge. I used freezer before, but had an unfortunate incident with the neighbouring ice cube department.Tillerman wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:49 amVictoria and Bok, do you have a refrigerator dedicated to tea or do you put teas into your regular fridge? Have you ever frozen your teas? A stroll through Ma Lian Dao in Beijing will show you MANY vendors - especially of green teas - keeping them in a freezer (not that I'd recommend buying at MLD without an experienced local guide - that's a recipe for disaster.)
Where I buy tea, they keep them in a sort of wine fridge for the shop tasting use and in a controlled temp storage room.
Recently I've been vacuum sealing most of my tea for storage and with green TGY I've been refrigerating it too!
Hojo advocates storing (and aging) puerhs in airtight aluminium packs in zero oxygen condition (with the help of oxygen absorbers).
Recently I had the privilege to sample their vintage 2008 Bai Ying Shan raw puerh. The tea wasn’t “decanted”, brewed straight out of pack. It tasted clean and floral with lingering aftertaste. A side by side comparison with 2017 Bai Ying Shan would be telling.
What is your take on this type of tea aging?
Recently I had the privilege to sample their vintage 2008 Bai Ying Shan raw puerh. The tea wasn’t “decanted”, brewed straight out of pack. It tasted clean and floral with lingering aftertaste. A side by side comparison with 2017 Bai Ying Shan would be telling.
What is your take on this type of tea aging?