Useful Tips For Tea Storage

[ceylontea]

Well, so now, you have one of the best qualities of tea from an of the best suppliers possible. Will you loosely store it in a cupboard full of spices or maybe the refrigerate (you think that is a great idea?). You may be wrong. Here are some tips for proper tea storage:

• · First and foremost, never buy tea in bulk unless you are the shopkeeper or a whole seller. If you are a family unit and want to buy tea for yourself or for your family, restrict yourselves to smaller quantities. This will ensure freshness and retainment of aroma
  
• · Many of us think that if we keep stuff in the refrigerator, it will be fresh and intact! But tea will prove you wrong. The last place you want to store your tea is in the fridge. This is because a typical fridge has many food items inside and tea can absorb all sorts of flavors and aroma. Also, the moisture inside the fridge is really bad for the freshness of the tea
  
• · If at all you are buying from a tea supplier in your area, make sure he/she has stirred the tea properly in an airtight container on a dark shelf. This is because light and air is bad things for the tea. It loses its aroma and freshness
  
• · At all times, keep it away from moisture other than actually brewing it. Tea leaves tend to absorb the moisture quickly and it will spoil the taste and the texture
  

Just make sure you take good care of your tea so that you can enjoy it to the fullest!

[andiesenji]

I buy some teas in larger quantities - a pound. I store a small amount in a caddy with a tight seal for regular use and the remainder I vacuum seal and store in an opaque container inside my small, closet-type pantry.

[Jason Perlow]

There are airtight containers that are sold primarily for storing cannabis. They work well for tea storage and come in different sizes.

http://tightvac.com/

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tightvac&sprefix=tightv%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Atightvac

Edited February 13, 2013 by Jason Perlow (log)

[andiesenji]

Thanks for posting that, Jason. I have no use for cannabis (I have no THC receptors) but I have lots of other things that need to be stored in vac and most I have tried simply have not worked. Most will lose the seal within a week or so...

[John Delaney]

Well, so now, you have one of the best qualities of tea from an of the best suppliers possible. Will you loosely store it in a cupboard full of spices or maybe the refrigerate (you think that is a great idea?). You may be wrong. Here are some tips for proper tea storage:

• · First and foremost, never buy tea in bulk unless you are the shopkeeper or a whole seller. If you are a family unit and want to buy tea for yourself or for your family, restrict yourselves to smaller quantities. This will ensure freshness and retainment of aroma
• · Many of us think that if we keep stuff in the refrigerator, it will be fresh and intact! But tea will prove you wrong. The last place you want to store your tea is in the fridge. This is because a typical fridge has many food items inside and tea can absorb all sorts of flavors and aroma. Also, the moisture inside the fridge is really bad for the freshness of the tea
• · If at all you are buying from a tea supplier in your area, make sure he/she has stirred the tea properly in an airtight container on a dark shelf. This is because light and air is bad things for the tea. It loses its aroma and freshness
• · At all times, keep it away from moisture other than actually brewing it. Tea leaves tend to absorb the moisture quickly and it will spoil the taste and the texture

Just make sure you take good care of your tea so that you can enjoy it to the fullest!

This is sound advice for tea storage. The one thing I might add is to keep your tea's separated in different tins. It may not be economical for them to all have separate tins but you should at least have a tin for each kind (Black, green, oolong, etc.). This will help reduce the risk that the strongers flavors of some teas will contaminate the more delicate kinds of teas.

[SylviaLovegren]

Thanks for posting that, Jason. I have no use for cannabis (I have no THC receptors) but I have lots of other things that need to be stored in vac and most I have tried simply have not worked. Most will lose the seal within a week or so...

How do you know you have no THC receptors? That is fascinating.

I buy small quantities (of TEA not cannabis!) and store them in a beautiful old Chinese tea tin with a tight fitting lid that I bought back when I was a hippie a hundred years ago. That stays in the pantry away from light and heat.

Edited May 7, 2013 by SylviaLovegren (log)

[ericparkr]

Never store flavored or scented teas together or near other foods, as tea readily absorbs other flavors and odors. Separate each type of tea, storing black, green, herbal, or scented teas separately, in their own air-tight containers.
For the best quality and flavor, tea experts recommend that tea be used within six months to one year. Green teas, white, and yellow teas lose their freshness faster than black or oolong teas.