What are some of the best ways to preserve your tea? Let’s explore some tea storage tips!
While the tea produced today won’t ever really go bad, it can get stale and lose its flavor. Proper tea storage is imperative to the shelf life, quality and flavor of your tea.
The following are some general guidelines to help maintain the freshness of your tea for as long as possible:
Storage conditions play a role is the life of your tea. Here are some storage conditions to avoid. (1) Light: UV rays degrade tea quickly. Store tea in a dark place. (2) Heat: avoid placing tea in the sun or near a heat source such as ovens. Keep tea at room temperature, between 68 to 77 degrees F. (3) Moisture: tea absorbs moisture from the air very easily, so keep away from humid areas like above a dishwasher vent or in a refrigerator or freezer. (4) Odor: Tea is highly absorbent so storing your tea near coffee, your spices or anything else with strong odor is a no-no. (5) Air: The more tea is exposed to oxygen the likelier it is to absorb odor and moisture. Avoid leaving tea out, sealing it with excess air in the packaging or storing in porous packaging material.
This brings us to the next important step in caring for your tea: Tea Storage Materials:
Tea should be stored in containers that are opaque and food safe. A tight seal is key.
* Glazed ceramic or non-reactive metal with double lids make great storage containers.
* Multi-ply bags with resealable plastic zippers are also a great choice.
The Tea Cupboard ships your tea to you in a thick barrier, black opaque bag that protects from light, moisture and odor and has a resealable zipper to protect from air. Simply squeeze out as much air as possible when closing the bag and zip it shut! Our bags are also FDA and USDA food compliant.
TIPS:
* Buy fresh tea in small quantities.
* Only open what you can drink in the next few months. (Unless they are well stored, aged pu-erhs or aged oolongs which have longer shelf life. Use green, white, herbal and black teas within a year for best taste.)
Sources:
Tea Bag by Wikipedia
Comments