@mpham787, to mature shengcha pu’er until it is round and still clean is a very skilled process. Most can mellow out the sharpness but make the tea muddled. Some make it dirty tasting. Others keep it clean, but lose the taste. To do it as you say, many people, even those in the trade, are finding the way.
I’d advise for 1kg of respectable quality shengcha to mature till it is not so “fierce” and darker, is to pack it quite tightly in a clean earthware. By clean, I mean free of chemicals and other alien matters. Avoid a big Yixing pot this size. 99.9% of such wares are made from dyed clays. At least half of that are with questionable additives.
An alternative is to wrap the tea in a few layers of “clean” paper.
In any case, avoid touching the leaves with the barehand; avoid also putting them close to the mouth or nose, lest moisture and grease from you become agents of unpleasant changes. Store the tea away from any smell, in the dark, and in average humidity. Noticeable taste changes happen from the third year onward, in normal, room temperature conditions.
