Taiwan Storage: Between Hong Kong Storage and Kunming Storage

Among pu'er collectors, a tea's "storage" (倉, cang) matters almost as much as its mountain and vintage. The same batch stored in Hong Kong, Kunming, or Taiwan can taste like three different teas ten years later. "Taiwan storage" (Taicang) is how tea drinkers describe pu'er stored in Taiwan, often compared as sitting between Hong Kong storage and Kunming storage.

What Is Taiwan Storage?

Taiwan storage isn't a storage method with a standard definition; it's a tea-world expression meaning "this tea has mainly aged in Taiwan's environment." It usually refers to tea:

• Kept indoors in ordinary homes, tea shops, or offices, stored naturally;
• Without deliberate humidifying or heating, that is, what's generally called dry storage;
• Through Taiwan's four seasons: spring plum rains, sultry summers and typhoons, and relatively dry autumns and winters.

So "Taiwan storage" is more a climate background than a technique. Storage conditions vary greatly between tea shops and households; tea all called Taiwan storage can be clean and fresh, or may have taken on moisture. For the basics of dry and wet storage, start with Dry Storage and Wet Storage.

Where Taiwan's Climate Falls

Looking at climate figures makes Taiwan storage's position easier to understand. Based on the Central Weather Administration's 1991–2020 climate normals:

• Taipei: Average annual temperature about 23.4°C, average annual relative humidity about 74.8%.
• Kaohsiung: Average annual temperature about 25.4°C, average annual relative humidity about 75.0%.

The Hong Kong Observatory's average annual temperature for the same period is about 23.5°C, close to Taipei, but its average annual relative humidity is about 78%, often 82%–83% in March and April; Kunming, on a plateau at about 1,890 meters, has an average annual temperature of about 16°C and average annual relative humidity of about 69%, with a distinct dry season from November to April. Taiwan falls right between the two: a little less humid than Hong Kong, much warmer than Kunming, and without such a long dry season.

What Defines Taiwan Storage

Tea drinkers describe Taiwan storage roughly as follows (these are experiential observations, and individual cases vary widely):

• Medium transformation speed: Warmer than Kunming, so tea changes faster than in Kunming; a bit less humid than Hong Kong, so not as fast as Hong Kong storage.
• Liquor color: For the same vintage, Taiwan-stored raw tea is often a little darker than Kunming-stored and a little lighter than Hong Kong-stored.
• Cleaner aroma: Well-stored Taiwan tea has little storage odor, retains more of its fragrance, and develops aged notes earlier than Kunming storage.
• Taste: Bitterness and astringency settle faster than in Kunming storage, and the mouthfeel gradually becomes mellow and smooth.

Comparing Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Kunming Storage

Hong Kong-stored aged tea has its own allure, and many classic aged teas spent time in Hong Kong; Kunming storage retains more of each mountain's original personality. None of the three is absolutely better; it depends on which flavor you prefer. Full comparisons of regional storage are in Regional Storage, Hong Kong Storage, and Kunming Dry Storage.

"Into Storage in Hong Kong, Out of Storage in Taiwan"

There's an experienced saying in the tea world: "Into storage in Hong Kong, out of storage in Taiwan." It means some teas first aged and transformed in Hong Kong's more humid warehouses, and after being shipped to Taiwan and kept in a drier, better-ventilated environment, their storage odor gradually faded and the liquor became cleaner. Much of the aged tea that flowed from Hong Kong into Taiwan in the early years went through just this process. The idea of airing out storage is covered in Tuicang: Airing Out Storage.

What to Watch When Storing Tea in Taiwan

Taiwan storage's advantage is that it's warm enough for visible transformation; what you have to guard is humidity.

1. Moisture control first: Indoor relative humidity in Taiwan is often above 70%, and higher still during the plum rains and around typhoons. Run a dehumidifier in the room where you keep tea, or put replaceable desiccant packs in the cabinet, aiming for roughly 55%–70%; the figures are summarized in Temperature and Humidity for Storing Pu'er.
2. Ventilated but not in a draft: Keep tea where air circulates, but not in the direct path of air conditioners or fans.
3. Avoid west-facing rooms and top floors: Places that get sultry in summer swing in temperature, which isn't good for storage.
4. Stay away from odors: Avoid kitchens, closet mothballs, fragrances, and cigarette smoke; see Odor Absorption and Cross-Contamination.
5. Check periodically: Turn the tea over and smell it monthly; if you find mold spots or a musty smell, deal with it. How to identify mold is in How to Identify Mold.

For small portions of tea you drink day to day, like Bingdao Old Village Dragon Pearls or pyramid tea bags, keep them in their original packaging, sealed, in a cool, dry place, and finish them within a month or two; there's no need to age them deliberately.

FAQ

What is Taiwan storage?
It's the tea world's customary term for "pu'er stored naturally in Taiwan," meaning dry storage in Taiwan's warm, somewhat humid climate; it isn't a storage method with a standard definition.

How does Taiwan storage differ from Hong Kong storage?
Hong Kong is hotter and more humid, so tea transforms faster with a heavier aged character, sometimes with storage odor; Taiwan storage transforms a bit more slowly, and well-stored tea has a cleaner aroma.

And compared with Kunming storage?
Kunming is cool and dry, so tea transforms slowly and keeps more of its young character; Taiwan is warm, so tea transforms faster than in Kunming and develops aged notes somewhat earlier.

What matters most when storing pu'er in Taiwan?
Humidity. Keep relative humidity at about 55%–70% as much as possible, dehumidify during the plum rains, and avoid west-facing rooms, top floors, and odors.