Tea, whether in bags or loose leaf tea, can stay for extended periods without going bad, though the latter is at a higher risk of going stale and losing flavor. To keep enjoying your fresh and flavorful loose tea, however, you should consider storing it properly. Doing so is not supposed to be tough as all you need is an airtight container which you should then store in a place that is dark, cool, and dry.
Storing loose leaf tea to be aged
We don’t always store tea to prevent it from losing flavor. In some cases, you store loose tea for a special reason. The reason, in this case, is similar to that of storing some wine brands – to allow the tea to change with time, increasing its palatability. How your tea will age highly depends on how you store it.
Hermetic seal aging
Storing tea in an airtight vessel can allow it to oxidize gradually using the ambient oxygen that will be left in the container. Wulong teas are a good example of teas that usually are stored in a tightly sealed container and left to age.
Non-Hermetic seal aging
Some types of teas need not be shielded from moisture during the aging process. These teas require a controlled level of humidity to enhance the aging process. For such cases, the tea leaves undergo fermentation and oxidation, which is why non-hermetic sealed containers are used.
Storing all other teas
You might be asking yourself what you need to do if your goal is not to age the tea, rather preserve it so that it stays fresh and doesn’t lose flavor.
Related Article: How and When Can You Reuse Loose Leaf Tea?
How to store loose leaf tea to make it last longer
If your concern is to store loose tea to preserve the taste, here are some of the most important tips to consider:
1. Keep tea away from oxygen
Tea leaves oxidize when exposed to oxygen over a long period, which is why the flavor is bound to change. Keep in consideration that simply storing loose leaf tea in a container does not mean that all the air has been expelled.
For this reason, you should consider using things like vacuum-sealed bags for strong leaves (delicate ones will get crushed), flushing packages with nitrogen as you seal the bags (for delicate leaves), as well as using oxygen-absorbing packets.
These methods are, however, only useful when storing tea over extended periods. Opening and closing the containers will reduce effectiveness.
2. Keep tea away from heat
Low-level heat allows oxidation while high levels of heat eliminate any chances of oxidation. Some of the delicate yellow and green teas should preferably be stored in a freezer or refrigerator. That’s because the cold temperature will significantly slow down oxidation reactions. You should, however, store them carefully to avoid condensation.
You can as well re-package loose leaf tea into smaller packets and use each of these packets separately to allow the tea to stay fresher for longer. Before putting the packages in the freezer, get out as much air as you can, since the air that remains is more likely to condense, allowing moisture to develop on the leaf surface. Most importantly, do not open a package before it has reached room temperature after getting it from the freezer, to avoid condensation.
3. Keep tea away from light
It has been established that light has some major effect on dry tea leaves, even though this topic has not been seriously studied. There, however, is some information claiming that light-induced damage is more likely to give your tea a metallic flavor.
There is also another claim that the light-induced damage mostly occurs due to photodegradation, which eventually leads to a reduction in the quality of tea. Before the mystery is solved, however, it would be best to protect your loose leaf tea from light.
4. Loose leaf tea should be kept away from strong odors
Another major factor to consider when storing loose leaf tea is the surroundings and odors that are in the places where you store your tea. This is in consideration that tea leaves have this tendency of absorbing scents from the surroundings.
You should be cautious, especially with scented teas like jasmine and others to keep them from losing flavor. Do not only consider the surroundings, but also the container in which you are storing the leaves, as that too, should not have any strong odors.
5. Keep tea away from moisture
It’s a quite obvious that leaves eventually lose their flavor if exposed to moisture. For this reason, you really should keep your loose leaf tea from “steeping” until you are ready to steep it for drinking. Keeping tea away from moisture does not only entail preventing it from coming into contact with visible liquids. That’s in consideration that tea is hygroscopic, meaning that it absorbs moisture from the air. That’s why you should consider using an airtight container to keep the moisture out, and the tea leaves in.
6. Tea is best when stored in bulk
This is a combination of some of the rules stated above but is still worth mentioning. A near empty container that is full of tea will deteriorate slower when compared to a similar container that has just a small amount of tea at the bottom. To ensure that your loose leaf tea stays fresh at all times, it would be better to use smaller containers so that they stay fuller. Besides, more tea means lesser oxygen in the container, which is a good thing as oxygen is not good for tea.
Best containers to store tea
When storing loose leaf tea, you should prefer using the following containers. Ensure, however, that they are airtight, odor free, and are completely dry.
- Stainless steel tins: These are designed to block sunlight, keep the odors out, and are also durable.
- Colored glass: Dark-colored glass is a good tea storage container as it easily blocks sunlight, is easy to clean, and doesn’t absorb odors.
Teas containers to avoid
The following are the containers you have to avoid when storing loose leaf tea:
- Plastic: Plastic containers would have been good tea storage containers, were it not for the fact that they easily absorb odors. If you have to use them, consider using a different container for each tea flavor.
- Leaky containers: There is not much to say about leaky containers, considering that they allow air which leads to oxidization of the tea.
- Clear glass: You can use clear glass to store tea, but you will have to keep the container at a dark place since it doesn’t block sunlight.
- Paper bags: Paper bags are not the best to store loose leaf tea unless they are sealed. If air gets in, the tea will most likely get oxidized and lose flavor.
Where to store loose leaf tea
Loose leaf tea absorbs humidity, and if it gets damp, it will start to mold and decay. For this reason, you should consider storing your tea in a cool and dry place.
A kitchen cupboard should be perfect for storage of loose leaf tea, compared to a freezer or refrigerator. Moisture from condensation when the tea is stored in a freezer will eventually ruin the flavor.
Remember that loose leaf tea is “fond” of absorbing odors too, so avoid storing it near spices and the likes. The storage place should also be away from direct or indirect sunlight so that the tea won’t be robbed of its flavor.
How long will your tea last?
This is something that most people keep wondering, and for good reasons – the reasons aren’t even important in this case. The important thing to note is that perfectly stored tea should last up to a year, and probably even longer. You should, however, consider using up the supply you have within 3 months for a perfect taste.
Related Article: Does Loose Leaf Tea Expire?
Final words,
Now that you know what you needed to about storing loose leaf tea, you would have only yourself to blame if your tea lost its flavor. Be sure to remember what you have learned in this article, as it will go a long way in maintaining the freshness and flavor of tea for long.
