What factors affect the quality of tea during storage
Humidity. Tea should be stored in a room with a humidity of 40-60%. At humidity over 65%, tea spoils and becomes moldy faster.
Foreign odors. To store tea, it is worth to get a separate cupboard. You should also separate shelves where different varieties will be. These measures are necessary, since dry tea leaves easily absorb odors.
Oxygen and light. Tea is preferably stored in a dark place without direct sunlight. With prolonged contact of leaves with oxygen, most of the polyphenols are destroyed - tea loses its antioxidant properties. And when exposed to light, oxidative processes are accelerated. This changes the color and taste of the drink.
Temperature. It is optimal to store tea at 17–20 °C.
Storage in large quantities. If possible, tea should be stored in large quantities in one container. This will reduce the amount of oxygen in it and prevent foreign odors from being absorbed.
Shelf life. Different tea types have different shelf life. Green tea is stored up to 12–18 months; black – up to 18-20 months. Oolong and white tea can be stored for up to 2 years. Aged varieties of white tea and pu-erh can lie up to 5-10 years.
How to store tea depending on its variety
Lightly roasted and fermented tea. This group includes light oolongs, green and white teas. It is important to store them at humidity not higher than 60% and protect them from temperature extremes. Airtight porcelain jars are best suited for storage. The optimum temperature is up to 20 °C.
Teas of medium or high degree of fermentation or roasting. This group includes: red teas; lightly fermented but heavily roasted teas; Taiwanese oolongs and others. This group is more resistant to environmental influences. Storage requires strong, not necessarily airtight packaging. For storage of these varieties at home, the same conditions are suitable as for a group of lightly roasted and fermented teas.
Post-fermented teas are pu-erh. Although the taste of pu-erh may improve over time, it is important to avoid foreign odors, excessive moisture and its fluctuations during storage.
Any kind of tea should not be stored in refrigerator if you plan to brew the drink every day.
Sense Asia's tea collection
Sense Asia presents the collection of Vietnamese loose-leaf teas. It includes different black, green, herbal, fusion, and premium teas. All teas are hermetically packed with minimum delay after receiving from the farms in Vietnam. We use 100% natural ingredients and only whole leaves to maintain all the natural health benefits.
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