Tea Corner

How To Store Your Tea

How long will tea stay good?  Generally, black teas will last for up to two years, while green and white teas will remain fresh for about a year.  Extremely delicate teas are even more fragile, with a shelf life of only several months.

However, like all natural products, the proper storage of tea can prevent the loss of its flavor and freshness.  The main enemies of tea are heat, light, moisture, and exposure to air.  Some teas will bear recommendations for their storage; the proprietor of your local tea shop is also a good source of information.  However, there are some rules of thumb for proper care and storage of your favorite teas.

The ultraviolet rays present in all forms of light will cause tea to degrade quite quickly, greatly affecting its appearance, and more importantly, flavor.  Therefore tea should be kept in a dark place, in a dark container of some kind, or both.  Clear containers of glass shelved in your cabinets will work just fine, and opaque metal canisters are even better.  Even though tea is wonderful to behold, avoid showing off your favorite teas in clear containers in direct light if you can help it.

Exposure to air causes tea to oxidize and can shorten their shelf life. Even if the tea is already oxidized, as black teas are, constant contact with oxygen causes the tea to degrade.  Green tea, especially, because it isn’t oxidized, will degenerate in short order.  Store tea in airtight containers made of glass or metal.  Plastic bags are too unstable for long-term storage, and more permanent plastic containers retain odors from their previous contents.

It is extremely important for tea to avoid excessive heat.  Exposure to heat above around 80-85o makes the tea sweat oils that are crucial to its taste and preservation, and can even cause the formation of mold, ruining the tea entirely.  Store tea in a cool place away from your stove and out of direct sunlight.

Perhaps the gravest danger to tea is moisture.  People living in naturally humid climates will find long-term tea storage quite challenging.  Resist the temptation to use dessicant (substances that contain natural or chemical humidity-elimination agents) packets in your tea containers, as some of the materials used can be harmful or compromise the flavor of the tea.  When removing tea from an airtight container for consumption, leave the container open for just long enough to remove the desired amount.  Another solution for those who like to purchase their favorite teas in bulk (which can be cost effective) is to keep a weekly supply of tea in another, smaller container.

Since cool, dark places are crucial for proper tea storage, the refrigerator or freezer seems like a good option, but this is misleading.  While cool and usually dark, such appliances are by necessity also moist, and storing tea in them will spoil it quickly.  Freezing tea is fine until you un-freeze it, at which time condensation forms and this moisture ruins it entirely.  Tea that is stored in the refrigerator also often absorbs other unwelcome odors and flavors from surrounding items.

Superior storage solutions for your tea are containers of glass, ceramic, or metal fitted with airtight lids.  Tea tins in particular have a rich tradition for tea storage, both in stores and at home, and are excellent because they can be very easily cleaned and reused without retaining the flavor of the last tea.  An antiquarian way to store tea less often seen today is in wooden tea chests, which were finished outside with varnish or other sealants to keep their contents dark, cool, and dry.  Your local tea purveyor will offer some appropriate tins and other containers for your tea storage needs.

The ideal way to store tea is in mason-type jars or tins with airtight lids.  If you’re not sure whether a container is waterproof, fill it with water, seal it tightly, and turn it over a few times.  The leakage of water, or lack thereof, will quickly provide your answer. Tea bags, of course, with their contents already crushed and pulverized, admit oxidation and decay quickly.  Tea bags have a considerably shorter life expectancy than bulk tea leaves, as the methods by which they are processed have already robbed them of some essential oils.

If you are unsure whether your tea is still fresh and tasty, there are simple ways to find out.  Faded or bland flavors are of course telltale signs.  If the tea has an unpleasant musty or moldy smell, you should probably discard it, and moist tea leaves are already past salvaging.  Familiarity with your favorite teas will also come to let you know what condition they’re in; stale or ruined green tea is yellowish in color and has a hay-like or vegetal aroma.

cast iron teapots, kyusu teapots, and Yixing teapots are all good choices for steeping your favorite loose leaf teas.

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