Question about tea storage
hey guys I’m relatively new to Steepster and I have a question that I was not able to find an answer to. I store my tea, properly in tins, in a cupboard.it is touching an outside Wall and in this extreme winter cold I realized that the cupboard is pretty cold inside.the tea tins are also a little cold. Will this hurt my tea?
The only thing that I have heard that you might want to consider is if there is a very big difference between the stored temperature and the temperature in the house there can be some condensation. If that is the case it is sometimes better to wait till the packet warms up a little before opening it.
Tins are really not the ideal way to store tea – very common, but not ideal unless they are made of a non-reactive metal and have an airtight seal and seams (most do not). The main issue is that they are rarely airtight. Throw a cold cupboard into the mix and you’ve got a formula for moisture-related damage. You can prove it to yourself by checking the leaves after a couple of months. They will likely lose some of their crispness, which means they are taking on moisture and degrading in quality.
The #1 enemy of tea is moisture, and the #1 way moisture gets to the tea is through a non-airtight container.
If the tins are airtight, then you shouldn’t really have any problems. If they are not, then your tea will not last nearly as long as it could.
Actually, if one is going to store tea in non-airtight tins, it is best to do so in a dry part of the house away from odors (i.e. climate-controlled and away from the kitchen and bathroom).
The advice to keep tea in a cool place is really not important. The important consideration is to keep it away from high temperatures. Beyond that, keeping it cool doesn’t provide much benefit. It is MUCH more important to keep it in an airtight container away from UV light.
Cheers.
“Tins are really not the ideal way to store tea”
Can you recommend a better, more reliably airtight container that should be used?
I know airtight is the way to go, but I’ve never heard that tins aren’t the ideal way to store tea before. It would seem especially odd to me if this is true ‘cause so many companies sell tins for tea to be stored in.
I know either way, I’ll probably still store mine in tins as I have a ton of them. Every time my dad was near a Davidstea, he got me 100g of a tea which always come with a free tin. Plus, they store so nicely in my cupboard. haha
“Can you recommend a better, more reliably airtight container that should be used?”
Airtight ceramic jars are probably the best. We use glass jars and just keep them away from sunlight.
“… so many companies sell tins for tea to be stored in”
Well, tea companies sell tins because they are popular, inexpensive, and easy to brand. They are popular, I suppose, because they are convenient, relatively inexpensive, space conservative, and tend to be attractive. I actually have a collection of vintage tins because I like them. I just don’t store my tea in them.
The ideal container is airtight, stored out of sunlight. The enemies are air, moisture, odor, light, and heat. The first three items on that list are mitigated by using an airtight container (assuming the container itself does not impart an odor).
Keep in mind, I’m not saying there is anything inherently wrong with tea tins. The only problem with tins is that most are not really airtight. They are fine. Your tea will just not last as long as it would in a fully airtight container. That’s a fact. If the tin is airtight (some are), then the only consideration is that it is not made out of a reactive metal (most aren’t).
My opinion is that it is better to use durable containers such as jars, which have been repurposed for tea, and which could be re-repurposed for something other than tea. We prefer this solution to buying a separate container for tea – one that is not as good as a jelly jar (for example) which would otherwise be destined for the recycling bin.
Cheers.
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