Store Your Tea Properly For a Great Cuppa Anytime

Store Your Tea Properly For a Great Cuppa Anytime

Much like coffee, tea has several enemies: heat, moisture, light, air, and strong odors. For this reason, it is best to keep your teas stored in a cool, dry, dark place.

Air

Oxidation is the number one degrader of tea. As much as possible, tea should be stored in containers that keep as much air out as possible. Air causes oxidation of the tea leaves which causes the leaves to lose their flavor. With already oxidized tea, like black tea or oolong tea, the difference is not as noticeable as it is with lighter teas like white tea and green tea.

When storing your tea, think about how much air can get into the storage container. You will want something that does not allow air in to degrade the tea and does not have a lot of space in which air can be trapped. Some people might think they should use something like a vacuum sealer to remove all the air from the tea storage. In theory, this might be a great solution, however, in practice, the tea leaves would be crushed as the air is removed.

Light

The effect of light on tea leaves is still being studied, but it is believed that light can cause the tea to develop a metallic taste. Just in case, it is likely best to keep your tea in a container that doesn’t allow light in or keep the container in a dark place like a cabinet in your kitchen or tea prep area.

Odors

Because tea is made of small leaves that are porous, it can take on the aroma and even flavor of any strong-smelling foods stored near it. Though this can work in the tea’s favor when flavoring is desired, for example, jasmine tea, you would most likely not enjoy a garlic flavored tea!

But even more likely, you would not want your tea to taste like plastic or wood. Be aware of containers that can impart flavors from the package itself. Plastic, rubber, and even wood containers can give your tea an unpleasant aroma and flavor. Try to choose storage vessels that will cut down on these unwanted flavors.

Heat

Keeping your tea away from heat is also very important. Heat can cause further oxidation to your tea which can degrade the flavor. Some people go as far as storing their white and green teas in the refrigerator or freezer to cut down on heat degradation. However, this may cause another problem with moisture in the way of condensation. If you choose to put your tea in either the refrigerator or, especially, the freezer, make sure as much air and moisture is taken out.

Moisture

This brings us to the final degrader, moisture. Having too much moisture while storing your tea can cause the tea to lose its flavor but can also cause it to become moldy. Yuck! Make sure that your tea storage also keeps moisture out to keep your tea as fresh as possible. As with oxidation above, you might think about vacuum sealing your tea which would suck out the moisture along with the air. However, you would still want to be careful not to crush the tea leaves as they would most likely turn into a powder.

Storage

So what should you use to store your tea? Using an air-tight vessel would be the best. Our coffee storage solutions are also ideal as tea storage! Try our AirScape Coffee Storage Container which makes it easy to push out that extra air. Or try our Friis Coffee Vault which also has the capability of removing extra air. Both containers are stainless steel with BPA free seals which will not impart any flavor to the tea.

Keeping your tea stored properly, in an air-tight container away from heat, light, moisture, and odors will ensure your next cup of tea is as delicious as your first.