Are you aware of the small tricks for storing tea? Many households keep tea for daily consumption or for entertaining guests. When there is an abundance of tea that won’t be consumed in a short period, storage becomes an issue. Today, let’s discuss how to store tea at home. Why does tea spoil? The environmental conditions that mainly affect tea spoilage are temperature, moisture, oxygen, and light exposure.
What should be avoided when storing tea? Due to its strong adsorption properties, tea easily absorbs odors from its surroundings, so it is crucial to avoid storing tea near items with strong smells, such as soap, mothballs, cosmetics, fruits, and seafood. Tea should not be stored with food items that have high moisture content to prevent it from absorbing moisture and spoiling. Tea can be preserved for a longer time if kept away from light and heat. How to store newly purchased tea? It is best to store newly bought tea in a tea tin as soon as possible, but first, you must remove any odors from the tin. You can do this by placing a small amount of tea in the tin and shaking it, or by baking the tin in a fire. When placing tea in the tin, it is best to include the packaging bag that came with the tea. How to store tea at home? Small packaged teas, whether in composite film bags or tins, must be kept in a dry place. Alternatively, they can be sealed and stored in the refrigerator, where they can remain essentially unchanged for at least half a year. In summary, the conditions for preserving tea are: dryness and ideally low temperatures (around 5 degrees Celsius). How to store tea in larger quantities? When storing larger quantities of tea, you can use the following methods: 1. Place the tea in a cloth bag, then put it in a plastic bag to increase its moisture resistance. High-quality tea can be placed in a plywood box lined with aluminum foil, used for export, and seal the box tightly. 2. Store the packaged tea in a tea-specific warehouse that must be highly dry, clean, and odor-free. A dehumidifier can be used to remove moisture from the air to aid in drying, and it is strictly forbidden to store toxic, harmful, or odoriferous items in the warehouse. Storage times for different types of tea? Green tea: Unfermented tea, requires refrigeration, lasts up to 18 months. Black tea: Fully fermented tea, stored at room temperature, well-ventilated, and dry, lasts up to 36 months. Oolong tea: Semi-fermented tea (Tieguanyin requires refrigeration), stored at room temperature, well-ventilated, and dry, lasts up to 36 months. Yellow tea: Lightly fermented tea, requires refrigeration, lasts up to 18 months. Flower tea: Stored at room temperature, well-ventilated, and dry, lasts up to 18 months. White tea: Lightly fermented tea, stored at room temperature, well-ventilated, and dry, can be stored for a long time. Dark tea: Post-fermented tea, stored at room temperature, well-ventilated, and dry, can be stored for a long time.
