Everybody knows storing tea is not rocket science. But just because it’s such an easy task does not mean that it is not an important one. To secure the delicious flavors and aromas that spring from brewing a perfect a cup of tea, requires you store your tea in the right places and the right temperatures. If improperly stored, tea tends to go stale or attract impurities which can alter and destroy the flavor along with harmful consequences to your body. Here are some tips to help you keep your tea fresh and intact with those wonderful flavors.
Light
Light and UV rays reduces the quality of your tea rapidly, it should be stored in dark places and away from sunlight, if you are storing your loose tea in clear plastic or glass jars make sure to store them in a cabinet that does not allow sunlight in, sunlight bleaches your tea. Storing it away from sunlight lets your tea stay fresh and doesn’t lose its flavors and beautiful colors when brewed.
Heat
Heat degrades the quality of your tea, it removes the flavors and the aroma, avoid storing your tea near sources of heat like stoves, ovens or any other warm places.
Moisture
Tea has a long shelf life because it is dry, but it has a high tenancy to absorb moisture from air and once it has absorbed moisture it ruins your tea within minutes, all its flavors and aromas. So it is important to have your tea stored in places where there is less humid. Keep it far away as possible from moisture until you are ready to brew a cup, as the moisture will cause your tea to mold, cake and other not so pleasant results. So keep in mind moisture is not a friend of tea.
Keeping away from moisture means having your tea stored in airtight packages, its absolutely imperative to store tea in airtight jars, and also to avoid excess air filled bags.
Odors
Tea is prone to absorb odors instantly, this feature comes in handy when creating flavor infused teas, the fragrances are absorbed quickly. However this feature can also be a disadvantage when storing tea is concerned, as tea absorbs odors that are close to them, it is absolutely important to keep tea away from places that contain any kind of odor, such places include spice cabinets, trashcans and any other odor filled places.
How to Store Your Tea Bags
The above conditions also apply when storing your tea bags, whether the bags come in small paper envelopes or just packed in the box, it is safe to store them in air tight containers, away from light and heat. If the box they come in is one that can avoid the tea bags from getting destroyed leave it in them, otherwise its a wise choice to store them in an airtight container, but make sure to store different flavored tea bags are stored separately if not the flavors can mix and mingle.
These are some minute but very important details when it comes to storing your tea. These steps can increase the lifespan of your tea, and lets you enjoy your tea fresh and without any alteration to the flavors and aromas.
