Storing your Tea

The Best Way to Store Loose Tea

Just like coffee, tea has an expiration date that many people aren't aware of. Depending on how store your tea, it can last up to a month under the right conditions. This gives you the opportunity to buy tea economically in bulk and save a few bucks on the drink you love. Tea can get pricey, so it's important to use the correct storing procedure to preserve its flavor. Spending a little money to go the extra mile will be well worth your time.
Paper Bags
Tea bags are suitable up to two weeks
Whether you have loose leaf tea or tea bags, paper bags can be used to store it around the kitchen for frequent use. If you purchase loose leaf tea, the vendor will most likely serve it to you in a sealed paper bag that keeps the tea fresh for up to two weeks. For longer shelf life, paper bags aren't ideal, but they will keep the tea in good condition until you can find it a new container. If you have an ounce or less of tea, a bag should be suitable enough until the next time you run out. Just keep note of the expiration date, as marked on the box or bag that you purchased. For even better results, store your bag in a cool, shaded area of your kitchen (ex: pantry, cabinet).
Tin Cans
Tea tins are decorative and efficient
Many tea experts will tell you that the next best thing to a sealed bag is a tin can. Tea tins can be found at specialty shops, shops that sell kitchenware, and of course, cafes that sell a variety of tea. Typically, vendors will sell a range of sizes in tin cans as well to cater to different amounts of tea. They are ideal because they keep the tea tightly sealed without trapping heat or allowing moisture. Tins can also be decorative accent pieces on your kitchen counter, depending on where you shop for them. For an extensive amount of options, browse tea specialty websites such as Teavana.com or SpecialtyBottle.com.
Air-Tight Containers
Air-tight jars are great at keeping out moisture
If you're looking to use something you already have around your kitchen, consider one of the air-tight containers you use for flour or sugar . These are perfect for both bagged tea or loose tea, and will keep it fresh for up to a month. Ceramic containers are ideal, as oppose to glass, because they keep the tea from exposure to light. However, if you keep the container in a shaded area of the kitchen, you won't lose any value. These can be purchased at most kitchenware retailers for less than $20. Prices vary in according to size.
Proper tea storage is essential to maintain freshness and flavour in loose leaf tea. Purchasing a large amount of loose tea can be quite an investment, and you obviously do not want it to immediately begin to lose its essential flavours right after purchase, but that is exactly what will happen if you do not store tea properly. Loose tea has four enemies; these are moisture, light, heat, and odours, and it is necessary to consider all of these when storing tea.
Though it may be tempting to store your newly purchased tea leaves in a beautiful glass container on the counter, this is a very bad idea. Exposure to light can fade tea of its colour, and it can begin to break down and lose its flavour. Instead, tea should be kept in a dark location, such as a cool cupboard. In addition, it is necessary to store tea in a proper airtight container.
Many stores sell tea tins specially designed for this purpose. In addition, ceramic containers with rubber seals that are able to latch closed are another great way to store tea. Both of these give tea protection from light and air; the oxygen in air is able to alter the molecules of the tea, again potentially changing the subtle flavours.
When tea is placed inside a sealed container, that container should then be kept in a cupboard away from heat and strong odours. The cupboard should remain a relatively steady temperature all the time; room temperature is best. This means the cupboard should not be located near the oven or toaster, and it should not also be used to house spices or other strongly flavoured items which could potentially impart their flavours to the tea. In addition, the heat and steam from the stove could potentially create moisture in the tea storage container, which could cause mould to grow, ruining the tea.
It is not possible to store tea in the freezer or refrigerator. If you have purchased tea in bulk, it may be a good idea to store most of the tea in a large container, and transfer smaller amounts to another container for everyday use. This will limit exposing all of the tea to light and air every time the container is opened. When you store tea properly, it can last from six months up to more than a year, retaining all of its original freshness and subtle flavours, and protecting your investment for later enjoyment. 

Ever wonder why your tea always tastes the best when you first bought it, but gradually loses its flavour over time?
If stored properly, tea can last up to 2-3 years. Treat it with contempt, and it will start turning bad within weeks of opening.
Listed below are 5 enemies of tea to watch out for, and ways to store your tea for optimal freshness and flavour.
Five Enemies of Tea
HUMIDITY ~ OXYGEN ~ TEMPERATURE ~ LIGHT ~ ODOUR
Humidity
It is the No 1 cause of quality loss.
A properly-made green tea is dried to 2% to 3% moisture level.
A high grade Dragon Well tea, for example, should be so dry that if you were to rub it between your fingers, it turned into powder. It is not easy to remain that dry forever. Air moisture is always lurking around.
A Chinese study found that it takes just 2 months to increase moisture level from 3% to 7% at normal storage. When moisture reaches 6% and higher, tea polyphenols and chlorophyll start to oxidise quickly, resulting in rapid quality loss.
Recommendation: Store in an airtight container.
Oxygen
Tea compounds react with oxygen in the air and cause tea liquor to deteriorate in colour.
Storage oxidation proceeds more slowly than enzymatic oxidation that occurs during the making of oolong or black tea. But it can be significant. Polyphenols such as catechins (which include powerful antioxidant EGCG) theanine and Vitamin C are especially vulnerable.
Oxygen plays a key role. A Chinese study found that high temperature storage at oxygen-less environment causes external browning (probably due to the breakdown of chlorophyll), but with no loss in taste.
Recommendation: Store in an airtight container.
Temperature
Higher temperature speeds up chemical process. A Chinese study found that for every 10 degree Celsius rise in temperature, the aging process quickens by 3 to 5 times.
Recommendation: Store in a cool place, away from heat (oven, stove).
Light
Light is a form of energy. Ultra-violet rays, especially, can generate heat and cause chemical changes. A Chinese study found that storing tea in transparent glass container for 10 days reduces Vitamin C by 10% to 20%.
Strong indoor lightings and direct sunlight are the worst offenders. High grade green tea is especially sensitive to light, which turns tea yellowish brown, dissipates its aroma and darkens its liquor colour.
Recommendation: Store in an opaque container in a dark cupboard.
Odour
Tea leaves are very good at absorbing smells from surrounding objects.
Recommendation: Store away from other teas and smelly foods.
STORAGE
Clear Plastic Bags
When knotted, these bags can be water tight, but not air-tight. They often contain pin-holes - very small holes that allow air through, but not water.
Ziplocs Bags
Another popular choice, even among vendors, as these zipper storage bags are re-sealable.
But they are not airtight. It has been found that air can seep through the ends of the grip seal.
Plastic Containers
Convenient, however most plastic containers and not airtight and allow light to pass through and slowly spoil your tea. Many containers have a distinct smell which will be absorbed by your tea.
Tea Storage Tin
Tins are a convenient way of storing tea, however the type and size can make be the difference between fresh, flavoursome and stale tea. Tins are most effective for short-term storage. Only use small tins with a good airtight seal, no clear windows and refill often.
Polyfoil Laminate
Heat sealed polyfoil laminate is an excellent form of long term storage and widely recognised as the best amongst tea experts. Buy tea in multiple small foil laminate pouches (50 grams each or less), so that you can open them one at a time.



Tea Bag Storage
If you believe your pre-packaged tea tastes stale after two months, I advise you to buy in very small quantities and stop reading right now. For most of us the short time span is irrelevant unless you live next door to a tea plantation. Think about it, after the tea is picked and processed it is put into a warehouse. Later it is loaded on a truck that takes it to a harbor. There it is loaded on a ship, which makes a long voyage across the ocean. It is then unloaded at another harbor and trucked to the tea company’s warehouse. The company will then further process and blend it according to their standards. After packaging it is sent by truck to a distribution centre and finally it arrives at your local store where it sits on the shelf for some time before you buy it.
How long does all this take? For most of us, it takes more than two months, but that is OK. The little secret here is that pre-packaged tea remains pretty stable for quite some time if you take care of it. If the tea company tells you their product is good for three years, it will probably be good for a little while longer. They are not likely to chance turning you off to their tea by selling it to you stale.
I just recently discovered some Bigelow tea in the back of my cupboard that I had forgotten about. It had expired long ago according to the date on the box. The teabags were sealed in individual foil wrappers so I thought I would brew it and see how badly it had deteriorated. To my surprise it tasted just like I remembered. It had been kept in a dry airtight environment all that time and survived very well. I am not suggesting this is good practice; just stating tea is more resilient than is often stated.
So how should you store your teabags? I usually leave them in the original box. The majority of the boxes I buy come with the bags sealed in individual foil wrappers. Some come in a re-closeable bag. One brand I use has the bags packed in a zip-lock bag. The rest come with the bags either in paper envelopes or loose in the box.
The last category (paper envelopes or loose in box) are the most likely pre-packaged teas to go stale once the shrink-wrap is removed from the box. Even then, unless you have too many boxes open at once, you may not have problems if you keep the box closed to minimize the air circulating around the bags. If you have destroyed the lid or have more bags than you can comfortably use in a reasonable amount of time put them in a zip-lock bag, canister, or tea chest. This should increase their useful lifespan. However, note that if you store various unsealed teabags together in the same bag or chest the flavours may mingle.
Loose Leaf
I have so far been discussing bag teas the average person can find at their local retailer but I am not wholly convinced there is a real lifespan difference with the loose-leaf blends. True the expensive stuff may start out with a better grade of leaf, still the physics of the tea should be the same. Maybe you can tell the difference between one-month-old off the shelf tea and one-year-old tea, I cannot if it is stored properly.
Where the lifespan really is as short as two months it is most likely due to inadequate packaging or improper storage and too much exposure to air. Every time you open the container you expose the entire batch to air and light. Buying in bulk can be a lot less expensive. Buying in smaller quantities is less likely to result in stale tea. What to do? One thought is to buy in bulk and divide the tea into smaller more manageable amounts that are kept sealed in separate containers.
Many brands of loose-leaf tea come in a metal can. Many claim this is perfect and recommend you keep the empty tin for future use. Some teas come in a bag. Keep it sealed as best you can. It will probably start to break down or tear at some point before you have emptied it so you might consider putting it in something else to start with. Besides the tea tins previously mentioned ceramic, glass, and metal canisters will work if you have a good sealing lid. If glass is used it should not be clear. Green or brown glass work well to prevent UV rays from breaking down the tea. I use a stainless steel canister from Wal-mart for my loose-leaf tea.
Avoid plastic unless you are sure it is odour-proof. I’ve read of a good test for this is to seal up the container and leave it a few days. Now open it and smell the insides. If it has an odour don’t use it unless you want your tea tasting like that smell. Some people use zip-lock bags to hold their tea. For short-term storage, I have placed teabags in zip-lock bags without incident. A friend stores his loose leaf Jasmine tea this way without complaint. Others have said that the bags are not odour proof so be aware.