The Ideal Storage Places And Methods For Storing Pu-erh And Other Teas

An earthly and mellow delicious tea that is made post fermentation, Pu-erh tea has the unique qualities that have made it famous all throughout the world. While other teas lose their flavor and freshness with time, Pu-erh does not; in fact this tea is almost like a fine wine in that respect, because the older the tea gets the better and more valuable it becomes. The fragrance gets more exquisite with age and the flavor follows suit. That is why the older the tea gets the more you should expect to pay for a brick, bing or cake of Pu-erh. Some of the tea can actually be found for $10,000 and above.

As it is with fine wine however, you cannot expect for the flavor and the aroma to improve unless you are storing Pu-erh in the best possible conditions.

Air And Humidity

The storage that you are looking for to increase the quality of Pu-erh tea should be dry. You should also make sure that there is no air flow.

How Important Is Clean Air

If you have ever dealt with tea leaves then you know that the leaves can absorb the odors in the environment; that is especially true of Pu-erh tea leaves. The fact that bthe leaves can absorb odors is why you have to make sure to store the Pu-erh leaves in a place that is clean where it will not absorb the many impurities that can be found in the air. The place where you store should not be something that can absorb the herb’s natural odors such as a pantry. Pantries can in fact absorb other smells besides the herbs, changing the flavor of the tea.

Use The Original Storage Packaging Of Pu-erh Tea

If you look at the traditional package of the Pu-erh tea you will find that the package is very much like bamboo. The fact is that the packaging is made of a plant called indocalamus which is a cousin of bamboo plants. The plant serves as a filter of impurities after fermentation and it also helps improve the quality. One of the biggest mistakes that you can make is to place Pu-erh tea in plastic because mildew can then form which then ruins the tea. That is why most experts will tell you to stay away from plastic when packaging the tea.

The best thing that you can do is to keep the Pu-erh tea in its original packaging. The packaging will say if it is appropriate for storage, and it will also include a very important date at which the tea will have conserved the quality and also its value.

If using the original packaging is not an option then there are other choices that are great for the value and quality. Containers that have a sand base, and even clay containers are a great option. They are especially good for bricks of Pu-erh because of their permeability, not to mention that they are an attractive storage choice. Over the years it has been discovered that using this type of storage will in fact improve the Pu-erh quality.

Properly storing Green and Oolong Teas

If you were to store Oolong or Green teas improperly, the taste can range between lighter, to too light. Some teas like Longjing (Dragon Well) and Dong Ding teas are best stored in a cool place such as a refrigerator at about 5 degrees C. The refrigerator can be substituted by a cool dark and dry place. The Green and Oolong teas do not require the same storage that Pu-erh requires; in fact you can store them in your house if you have that cool dark and dry place in it. Green and Oolong teas should be stored separately and never with any strongly fermented teas; it can degrade the flavor of the green and Oolong teas permanently.

Professional Storage For Your Teas

If you want to make sure that you preserve the flavor and the value of your tea, then you could do nothing more important than storing it at a professional facility. Choosing a professional to store your teas like Pu-erh will ensure that the tea does not get affected by outside conditions such as temperature fluctuations and light. This type of storage will result in the best tasting tea even years after the purchase.

You should not fall into the bad habit of storing the teas just anywhere. These are very valuable teas that will not be as good if you do not properly store them. Follow the simple steps of storage and you will ensure the best quality and more importantly the best flavor of your teas.