Storing Opened Cakes and Pried Tea
Few people finish a 357-gram cake in one sitting. Once it's opened, the tea falls into two parts: the half that's still in one piece, and the pried pieces you're about to drink. They're stored differently: the half remains "tea in storage," while the pieces are "tea for the next few weeks." Once you separate them, storage is simple.
The Remaining Half: Wrap It Back Up and Return It
Should an opened cake be wrapped back up? Yes. The original cotton paper is the cake's closest layer of protection, blocking light and dust and keeping the tea's surface from direct contact with the air in the box and with other teas.
- Brush off the crumbs after prying: bits on the surface absorb moisture easily, so sweep them into today's portion.
- Wrap it in the original cotton paper: it doesn't matter if the paper is torn; just fold it around the cake. If you can't find the original paper, use clean, odor-free cotton paper or plain newsprint instead.
- Put it back where it was: return it to its cardboard box, wooden cabinet, or original tong alongside unopened tea, with the same storage conditions as a whole cake.
- Make a note on the paper: write the date you opened it, which is useful when comparing flavors later.
Taiwan is humid, so some people slip the wrapped cake into a zip bag with the opening left slightly open, the same as for whole cakes. See Choosing Storage Containers.
Pried Pieces: Into a Jar, to Be Finished Over Time
How should pried tea be stored? Pried pieces have far more surface area than a whole cake and absorb moisture and smells and lose aroma faster, so put them in a lidded container somewhere cool, dry, and odor-free.
- Ceramic and Yixing jars: they breathe and block light, the pieces slowly loosen inside, and the aroma becomes rounder. The most common choice.
- Tin or steel canisters with an inner lid: they seal well and suit tea whose aroma you want to keep and will drink soon.
- Paper canisters and kraft paper bags: simple and convenient, but they block smells less well, so keep them away from the kitchen and fragrances.
Don't fill the jar too full, and don't mix other teas in the same jar; use separate jars for raw and ripe tea.
What Is a Resting Jar?
What tea drinkers call a "resting jar" (xingcha guan) is usually a medium-sized lidded ceramic or Yixing jar for freshly pried pieces. Compressed tea that has been in storage a long time has a more reserved aroma. After prying, leaving it in a jar for a few days to a week or two lets the pieces come into contact with air and slowly loosen, so the aroma opens up more when brewed and storage taste dissipates more easily. The tea world calls this process "awakening" the tea (xingcha).
How to use a resting jar:
- Put the pried tea in the jar, close the lid, and keep it somewhere stable indoors.
- After a few days, open it and smell. When the aroma is clean and bright, you can start brewing.
- Keep the jar for one kind of tea, and wipe and dry it after use before filling it with the next batch.
A resting jar is a tool for letting tea "breathe" briefly, not a place for long-term storage. Rinsing once with hot water when brewing also helps the leaves unfurl; see Rinsing and Awakening Tea.
How Much to Pry at Once
Pried pieces are more easily affected by the environment than a whole cake, so there's no need to pry too much at once. A common approach in the tea world:
| How often you drink | How much to pry at once |
|---|---|
| Once a day (about 7–8 grams) | About 50–100 grams, enough for 1–2 weeks |
| Two or three times a week | About 30–50 grams |
| Occasionally | Just pry one session's worth before drinking |
When prying, follow the layers of leaves and try to lift off flakes rather than crumbling it. Prying technique is in How to Open a Pu'er Cake.
How Soon Should Pried Tea Be Finished?
How long should pried tea be kept? In a lidded jar, we suggest finishing it within 2–4 weeks, when the aroma is at its best. It can still be drunk after that, but the pieces' aroma gradually goes flat, and if kept somewhere damp or smelly, they may pick up off-odors.
The test is simple: open the jar and smell. If you smell clean tea or aged aroma, go ahead and brew; if there's a stuffy or musty smell, or you see white or green fuzzy spots, don't drink it. How to spot this is covered in How to Identify Mold.
Small Differences Between Ripe and Raw Tea
- Ripe tea: freshly pried, it often has a bit of pile taste; a few days in a resting jar clears much of it, and the taste becomes cleaner.
- Young raw tea: the floral and honey notes are vivid but fade if kept too long, so pry smaller amounts and finish them soon.
- Aged raw tea: storage taste needs time to dissipate, so it can rest a bit longer.
A Checklist
- Pry off a week or two's worth, and put the crumbs in the jar too.
- Wrap the half cake back in its cotton paper, write the opening date, and return it to its place.
- Put the pried pieces in a resting jar and start brewing after a few days.
- Finish them within 2–4 weeks, smelling before each brew.
- Keep each jar for one kind of tea, and wash and dry it after use.
Overall storage principles are covered in How to Store Pu'er at Home.
FAQ
Where should pried pu'er go? In a lidded ceramic jar, Yixing jar, or tea canister with an inner lid, somewhere cool, dry, and odor-free, to be finished within 2–4 weeks.
When half a cake is pried, should the rest be wrapped back up? Yes. Brush off the crumbs, wrap it in its original cotton paper, and return it to its cardboard box or wooden cabinet, storing it the same way as a whole cake.
What is a resting jar, and do I need one? A resting jar is a ceramic or Yixing jar for freshly pried pieces, letting the tea meet the air and its aroma open up. If you don't have one, an ordinary lidded ceramic jar works too.
How long can pried tea be kept? We suggest finishing it within 2–4 weeks for the best aroma; it goes flat if kept longer. Just smell and look before drinking.