Pumidor discussion

User avatar
d.manuk
Posts: 655
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:13 pm
Location: Dallas

Wed Feb 14, 2018 2:32 pm

I'm interested in learning more about your setup and want to start a discussion about pumidors.

Things I'd like to know more about:

Does anyone know if it's possible to purchase a fully assembled pumidor? I am no longer confident clay crocks is the solution for me as I think I would need to insert moistened clay chips/moisten the lids much more often than I am currently willing to devote time to in order to deal with NYC winters (once every 2 months).

I am also not so confident that I could build a pumidor and have it work extremely well, but it seems that I feel this way because a lot of what people are doing are new and uncharted territory. I'd prefer to buy one and know it should work very well with minimal fussing. But is there such a place where I can buy one? It seems like most people are making custom builds.
Last edited by d.manuk on Thu Feb 15, 2018 3:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
ShuShu
Posts: 335
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:36 pm
Location: New York

Wed Feb 14, 2018 4:46 pm

What kind of puerh are you aging?
User avatar
d.manuk
Posts: 655
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:13 pm
Location: Dallas

Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:00 pm

ShuShu wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 4:46 pm
What kind of puerh are you aging?
For now, just shou. I’ve been storing in clay crocks for 6 months. However I think it’s not working well for some of them, the humidity is too low.

I just did a tea swap with someone who stores their shous in a pumidor and it made me feel like my teas were missing something (more humidity).

Eventually I want to get a proper storage solution so that I can also store 60s-80s sheng but I need more confidence that they will be well taken care of.
User avatar
ShuShu
Posts: 335
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:36 pm
Location: New York

Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:25 pm

A friend of mine bought something like this a while ago that suppose to guarantee constant 65-70... but he ended up with infections on some cakes and some mold
User avatar
pedant
Admin
Posts: 1516
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 4:35 am
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:46 pm

i've never heard of an actual pumidor product for sale
Atlas
Posts: 138
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2017 7:09 pm
Location: SGV, Los Angeles CA
Contact:

Wed Feb 14, 2018 6:40 pm

ShuShu wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:25 pm
A friend of mine bought something like this a while ago that suppose to guarantee constant 65-70... but he ended up with infections on some cakes and some mold
What kind of device? Like a CigarOasis?
User avatar
ShuShu
Posts: 335
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:36 pm
Location: New York

Wed Feb 14, 2018 7:33 pm

Atlas wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 6:40 pm
ShuShu wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:25 pm
A friend of mine bought something like this a while ago that suppose to guarantee constant 65-70... but he ended up with infections on some cakes and some mold
What kind of device? Like a CigarOasis?
I think so but not sure... I just remember it was really not a good idea eventually...
Teachronicles
Posts: 436
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:13 am
Location: SF Bay Area, CA

Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:25 pm

Have you considered boveda packs?
User avatar
d.manuk
Posts: 655
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:13 pm
Location: Dallas

Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:44 pm

Teachronicles wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:25 pm
Have you considered boveda packs?
This is interesting. Would seem like a good solution for the short term while I figure out how to make a pumidor?

Do you have any experience using these?
Teachronicles
Posts: 436
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:13 am
Location: SF Bay Area, CA

Wed Feb 14, 2018 10:18 pm

Shine Magical wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:44 pm
Teachronicles wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:25 pm
Have you considered boveda packs?
This is interesting. Would seem like a good solution for the short term while I figure out how to make a pumidor?

Do you have any experience using these?
Yes I have them in my pumidor and they work great.
User avatar
d.manuk
Posts: 655
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:13 pm
Location: Dallas

Thu Feb 15, 2018 8:18 am

Teachronicles wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 10:18 pm
Shine Magical wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:44 pm
Teachronicles wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:25 pm
Have you considered boveda packs?
This is interesting. Would seem like a good solution for the short term while I figure out how to make a pumidor?

Do you have any experience using these?
Yes I have them in my pumidor and they work great.
If you use these, do you also use a fan to circulate the air inside?
And also is there an air vent in your pumidor so that some fresh air can get in?
Do you use anything else inside the pumidor other than these packets?
Also how many packets do you use at a time?

And how can you regulate the temperature in a refrigerator that isn't plugged in?
Do you do something different for wet storage vs dry storage puers?
User avatar
d.manuk
Posts: 655
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:13 pm
Location: Dallas

Thu Feb 15, 2018 1:58 pm

https://teadb.org/pumidors-101-designin ... n-pumidor/

I also wanted to post this as a reference for others.
Teachronicles
Posts: 436
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:13 am
Location: SF Bay Area, CA

Thu Feb 15, 2018 2:54 pm

Shine Magical wrote:
Thu Feb 15, 2018 8:18 am
Teachronicles wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 10:18 pm
Shine Magical wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:44 pm


This is interesting. Would seem like a good solution for the short term while I figure out how to make a pumidor?

Do you have any experience using these?
Yes I have them in my pumidor and they work great.
If you use these, do you also use a fan to circulate the air inside?
And also is there an air vent in your pumidor so that some fresh air can get in?
Do you use anything else inside the pumidor other than these packets?
Also how many packets do you use at a time?

And how can you regulate the temperature in a refrigerator that isn't plugged in?
Do you do something different for wet storage vs dry storage puers?
No fans, I place 5 or 6 boveda packs in different places in my cooler. As far as fresh air I'm not too concerned about that. I think it was marshaln that mentioned he didn't think air circulation as as important as some people think. I do open up my cooler once a week for a few hours to air out and once every month or two I will take all my cakes out to pry off some pieces to try and will lay them out to air out.

As far as temperature, that's something I'm still working on. Atm, it sits at ~60 degrees most of the year and in summer naturally my house gets into the 70-80s. Im experimenting with a heated blanket wrapped around the pumidor, which gets it up to 80° at the hottest temp and 70° at the lowest, but it's not a long-term solution. I think for the time being ill let the temp fluctuate naturally with the temp inside my house.

Wet stored gets aired out for a good while although I don't have any overly wet stored so all my sheng, wet or dry, sits together in the pumidor. I also have aged and young sheng stored together which marshaln says might actually be beneficial for the young sheng. I think with the lower temperature my sheng will mature slowly than a hk environment.

You also have to consider absolute humidity. Relative humidity of 70% at 60° is not the same as the same RH at 80°. The hotter the temp the more moisture it can hold so 70RH at 80° will have a higher absolute humidity than at 60°, which is why hot and humid is good for aging cakes quickly. I don't have a ton experience with aging puer or pumidors but have done a lot of reading about it on various blogs.
User avatar
d.manuk
Posts: 655
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:13 pm
Location: Dallas

Thu Feb 15, 2018 3:31 pm

Teachronicles wrote:
Thu Feb 15, 2018 2:54 pm
Shine Magical wrote:
Thu Feb 15, 2018 8:18 am
Teachronicles wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 10:18 pm


Yes I have them in my pumidor and they work great.
If you use these, do you also use a fan to circulate the air inside?
And also is there an air vent in your pumidor so that some fresh air can get in?
Do you use anything else inside the pumidor other than these packets?
Also how many packets do you use at a time?

And how can you regulate the temperature in a refrigerator that isn't plugged in?
Do you do something different for wet storage vs dry storage puers?
No fans, I place 5 or 6 boveda packs in different places in my cooler. As far as fresh air I'm not too concerned about that. I think it was marshaln that mentioned he didn't think air circulation as as important as some people think. I do open up my cooler once a week for a few hours to air out and once every month or two I will take all my cakes out to pry off some pieces to try and will lay them out to air out.

As far as temperature, that's something I'm still working on. Atm, it sits at ~60 degrees most of the year and in summer naturally my house gets into the 70-80s. Im experimenting with a heated blanket wrapped around the pumidor, which gets it up to 80° at the hottest temp and 70° at the lowest, but it's not a long-term solution. I think for the time being ill let the temp fluctuate naturally with the temp inside my house.

Wet stored gets aired out for a good while although I don't have any overly wet stored so all my sheng, wet or dry, sits together in the pumidor. I also have aged and young sheng stored together which marshaln says might actually be beneficial for the young sheng. I think with the lower temperature my sheng will mature slowly than a hk environment.

You also have to consider absolute humidity. Relative humidity of 70% at 60° is not the same as the same RH at 80°. The hotter the temp the more moisture it can hold so 70RH at 80° will have a higher absolute humidity than at 60°, which is why hot and humid is good for aging cakes quickly. I don't have a ton experience with aging puer or pumidors but have done a lot of reading about it on various blogs.
I am assuming you have a device also that can measure the humidity inside of your cooler?
6 packs seems like a lot to have to switch out every few months!
Teachronicles
Posts: 436
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:13 am
Location: SF Bay Area, CA

Thu Feb 15, 2018 3:41 pm

Yes I have two humidity and temp readers placed in different locations. I mean it's really not much, I've had the current ones in there for 3 months now, some of them are starting to turn hard (sign there done) and I go in and out of there once a month anyways so for me it's not a big deal. Other than moving somewhere that's condusive to aging puer where you can just leave your tea in boxes, idk how much more low maintenance your gonna get.
Post Reply