A Tea Addict's Journal

Growing culture

October 3, 2010 · 6 Comments

I didn’t realize that it’s possible to grow mold in heavily chlorinated water, which is what I get from the tap.  I added some water to two glasses and put them in my storage closet for my puerh.  I left them there for a few weeks, figuring there’s no reason to bother them since they had not evaporated.  I went back a few days ago to check on my tea, and I saw a thin film of white and black mold on the water.  Yum.

The tea, however, is fine — no evidence of mold outbreak.  Not sure what to make of it, really, but this is a first.

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6 responses so far ↓

  • Anonymous // October 4, 2010 at 12:44 am | Reply

    Chlorine in water disappears in hours if left in open air. The growth in water is rarely fungus, probably just bacteria or algae, especially if you don’t see spores. So it’s perfectly safe. But if the water is still there after weeks, how could it help promote the humidity?

  • MarshalN // October 4, 2010 at 12:45 am | Reply

    @gingko – 

    It’s been pretty rainy here so the water was not really needed, I think.

  • AkedoMakona // October 6, 2010 at 3:15 am | Reply

    I get white mold growing in the bottom of the cups I leave in my pu’mador.
    I don’t really bother cleaning them, just refill them with more water.
    Also nothing on the tea.
    Black though…
    You may want to check the chlorine and fluoride levels of your water.
    chlorine should evaporate between 3 days and a week,
    though I don’t know how long the fluoride takes to evaporate, if at all.
    It may not be good for your tea though…
    If your using the water for humidity, the chemicals that don’t evaporate are still present in vapor form.
    I wouldn’t want that in my pu…

    What do you think?

    – Jason Cohen

  • sjschen // October 13, 2010 at 11:44 am | Reply

    The thin and invisible coating of tea residue inside the glass (if you used it for tea before) would grow mold. I’m not sure if it’s the same thing in this case but it has happened to me before.

  • G // February 14, 2015 at 6:46 pm | Reply

    Belgian beers! :p

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