Ⅲ.Scientific Storage

Compared with other kinds of tea, Pu’er tea is particularly storage tolerant.This characteristic of Pu’er tea is manifested in that the quality of Pu’er tea stored for a certain period of time will be improved (for after-ripening), and the value will be enhanced with the improvement of quality.Good Pu’er tea has dual functions of both drinking and collecting.

“Aging”during storage is an important process for Pu’er tea to develop aroma, consolidate,perfect and improve its quality.After a period of storage, different styles of products are formed.Generally speaking, the quality of Pu’er tea improves with age, but the tea quality is closely related to moisture, temperature, oxygen and light.Therefore, we should pay attention to the influences of oxygen content, odor, temperature, humidity and other factors on Pu’er tea during storage.Clean air is conducive to the formation and maintenance of Pu’er tea quality, so the environment for storing Pu’er tea is very important.At the same time, the surrounding environment where Pu’er tea is stored must not have odor, otherwise Pu’er tea will absorb the odor and deteriorate.The storage temperature of Pu’er tea should not be too high or too low.It should be kept between 20°C and 30°C.Too high temperature would accelerate the oxidation of tea leaves, reduce the effective substances and affect the quality of Pu’er tea.Light can change some chemical components in Pu’er tea.When Pu’er tea is exposed to sunlight, its color and taste will change significantly,losing its original flavor and freshness.Therefore, Pu’er tea must be stored in the dark.Humidity is an important factor in the formation of Pu’er tea quality.The formation of good Pu’er tea quality requires the annual average humidity to be controlled below 75%.Therefore, in the storage of Pu’er tea, attention should be paid to timely opening of windows for ventilation and moisture releasing.During storage, new and old tea products, raw tea and fermented tea should be classified and stacked, and be turned over regularly to make them age evenly.It is forbidden to store or mix the tea with toxic, harmful, smelly and easily polluted articles.