Artp said

Loose leaf storage/organizing ideas?

Hi all,

I’ve been looking for some tips on how to keep loose leaf organized. I switched from teabags to loose leaf in august, and at first had a cupboard where my few selections fit. However, I went crazy and now have 8 DavidsTea tins, about 10 Harney & Sons zip bags, and a few other assorted containers.

I’m moving into a pretty small apartment in May, so organization and space-saving are a must- any ideas?

21 Replies
Fiddling said

I also am looking for storage solutions for my tea. I have several tins from DAVIDsTEA, and saw this on their Facebook yesterday:
http://studiomox.com/howto/modular-tea-display/

I just wish that I had the budget for it!

T.C. said

Awesome idea! Thanks for the share.

Artp said

The stackable wine racks are about $20 each, which DOES make it pricey. But Amazon has other wine racks that would probably work with this “bridge” technique used. Maybe something to consider?

I love that! Just don’t think my husband would appreciate me adding to his honey-do list!
It’s pretty long already!

Dustin said

I like the idea and the way it looks, but I’m not crazy about the execution. There is too much dead space in there for me which could be filled with more tins if the holes were closer together.

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I’m one of those crazy people who has well over 100 tins of tea (mostly the silver DAVIDs tins, but I have a few larger/different shaped ones from other companies), so most of your typical storage options are a no-go for me.

I have a LARGE bookcase (about 4’ wide by 6.5’ tall) with two columns of 6 shelves, so 12 in total, with space on the top between the top of the case and the ceiling making essentially 2 extra shelves (one for each column). 10 of those shelves are tea (and JUST tea, not counting my teaware here). I’m in dire need of reorganizing because my collection has spilled over onto the neighboring dresser, my computer desk on the other side of the room, and the ledge around the corner where my bed is against. My teaware is randomly strewn around the room wherever I can find space for it, but I think I’m going to take the knicknacks off the top of the bookcase, put them somewhere else (no clue where yet) and use the top of the bookcase to store and display my teaware…

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I think I’m going to start putting my looseleaf teas into half pint Ball canning jars. Seems more organized than my current “dump everything into a drawer still in its bag” technique.

Artp said

Are you not concerned with light affecting the tea? I’ve considered this because it’s cheaper, but I’ve heard so many people talk about how UV changes teas

Dustin said

Someone else was doing that and they painted the outside of the jars black. Can’t remember if they were using chalkboard paint or not.

Lala said

If you keep it in a drawer or cupboard, it doesn’t matter if it is glass. But if it is kept on the counter, and therefore in light, it would be affected.

Em said

I use Anchor Hocking Emma jars from Walmart http://www.walmart.com/ip/Anchor-Hocking-4-oz-Emma-Mini-Jar-Set-4pk/21995901. They they come in a bunch of different sizes. Like Lala Two Blue Eyes, I keep it in a cupboard, so light shouldn’t affect it much. They are affordable and cute :)

I bet that looks so appealing in the glass jars! A friend of mine put magnet on the back of small stainless steel cannisters. They are similar to the spice ones but twice as large. Then she sticks them to the back of a steel backsplash. Looks really good!

cuppaT said

I use glass canning jars painted with two coats of black art gesso (used for priming canvas), which seems to be a bit sturdier than latex paint. Oil paint would work, but it would take a long time not only to dry but also to make sure the odor had dissipated. Dark-colored exterior latex house paint might be a good choice as well.

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Erin said

These narrow plastic storage drawers are incredibly handy- for tea and a lot of other things (just nothing really heavy). The size allows you to tuck them into small spots. When my husband bought our first set my first thought was that they were too small to hold anything. But when I took a good look around our house, I saw just how many small spaces they could be tucked in, making empty spaces useful for storage.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-3-Drawer-Narrow-Cart-Set-of-3/15940596

Artp said

This is a terrific idea! Thank you

Fiddling said

I use one of those for bathroom storage. It really does hold a surprising amount of stuff.

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yssah said

for the small samples in ziplocks, you can use a small box w lid like a makeshift tea chest and stand it vertically like a book.

oh, i read your question properly this time. if you are handy and can install shelves for teas, you can set those up across the room kinda like decor

it serves the double purpose of being more accessible/seen and not forgotten :D

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Uniquity said

I have most of my tea in tins or foil bags – what we did was buy two smallish DIY shelves and then stacked them as full of tea as we could. The disadvantage is that there are 4 rows of tins so finding a specific tea is tricky but it maximized space which was our requirement. On the top of them we have teapots, baskets of samples and tea accessories. Not all of them, but enough! :)

Artp said

This is probably what I’m looking at doing. I was concerned about the trickiness of finding tins, but I only have 18 right now, and refuse to get more until I use what I have

Uniquity said

I reuse tins sometimes once they’re empty and de-smelled. All tea comes in something at least. Small baskets on the shelves help to collect small tins/bags.

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sandra said

I store my tea in plastic containers that i get from a nearby store. it will hold 1 zipbag ad 50/100gr.
stickers to tell what is inside. have one side in my cupboard for green teas (my fave) and anoter side for all my black teas.
keep my comp. grade gyokuru and senchas in special containers.

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