So you decided you want a better tea than the one in the teabag and bought a good quality, loose leaf black tea. Now, what’s the best way to store it so you get the best out of this new tea?
The enemies of your tea will be moisture, heat, direct light and the tendency of tea to absorb odors and tastes from the environment around it.
Where you store the tea should address all four of these issues. One rule of thumb I encountered was: store your tea in the same place you would store your cereal. A kitchen cabinet or drawer should remove it from moisture and direct light. It should also keep the heat factor in check. Being aware of the other items in the vicinity of the tea should address the absorption issue.
What you store the tea in should address the moisture, direct light and absorption issues. Selecting an opaque or solid colored container addresses the direct light and moisture problem. Ideally the container is airtight to prevent any undesired odors and tastes being absorbed into your tea. (Plus that first whiff of the tea when you open the container is heavenly!)
But what about storing it in the refrigerator or freezer to extend the life of the tea? This isn’t recommended. While these are both cool places out of direct light, they are environments that introduce the tea to moisture and lots of smells and tastes you don’t want in your tea. And the book is out on extending the life of your tea by doing this.
How long can you expect your tea to last if your properly store it? About 1 year for a green tea, several years for a black tea. But with a really good tea do you expect to have it around that long?
Until next time – happy steeping.
Tags: Black Tea, Green Tea, tea containers, tea storage tips
March 11th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Just wanted to let you know that your post is not showing up properly on the BlackBerry Browser. Anyway, I’m now on the RSS feed on my laptop, so it shows!