If you are anything like us and love your teas, you probably value keeping them as nicely preserved as possible. Whether it is a selection of tea bags or a pouch of loose tea, storing your tea the right way is crucial to its quality, flavor, and shelf life.

For most types of green and white teas, as soon as the leaves are picked off their plant, the tea starts to deteriorate due to oxidation.

Fortunately, the art of storing your tea is pretty simple and straightforward. As a common practice, it is recommended to store tea in a cool, dark, and dry place in an airtight container that is free from aromas and odors. Let’s have a brief look.

1. Store it in a Dry Place

A moist environment can spell disaster for your tea leaves. It makes the leaves vulnerable to mold, rendering them unusable.

Keeping your tea leaves dry means storing them away from:

· Stoves, where pots boil

· in the area under the sink

· in the fridge

· near the dishwasher

· on a counter near the sink

2. Store Your Tea at an Appropriate Temperature

Extremes of temperature can deteriorate the quality and flavor of your tea.

It is best to keep the leaves away from direct and intense sunlight as the heat can damage tea. Moreover, tea leaves should also be kept at a distance from stoves and ovens.

The same applies to excessively cold environments, such as the refrigerator, as that can often be too moist.

This is why it is recommended to store your tea in a cool and dark area – such as a drawer or a spice rack – where it is not exposed to extremes of temperature and light.

3. Store the Tea Separately

Tea leaves not only absorb moisture but are also very good absorbers of the smells in the air around them.

Smell is a major factor that can affect the quality and taste of your blends. Avoid keeping the tea leaves at a place with fragrant spices and coffee nearby. You should also never store it near laundry items, such as detergents and other cleaning agents that can be toxic.

4. Store in an Airtight Seal

To keep your leaves from catching on to moisture, aroma, or any type of oxidation, it is imperative to store them in an airtight container. This is especially important for teas that retain their quality due to little oxidative exposure – aka green and white teas. These teas also have a shorter shelf life of about 6 to 8 weeks, making it all the more important to undertake proper storage steps.

If you are a lover of black tea, however, you can store the tea for longer. The shelf life of black tea is usually over 2 years. Moreover, it is already oxidized to a certain extent and there is less potential for further oxidation to occur. Even if it does continue to oxidize, the change is much harder to notice in a cup of tea.

Storage can make a huge difference in how long you are able to enjoy your tea at its optimal taste. Hopefully, the tips mentioned in this article painted a clear yet simple picture for you in understanding how to go about storing your favorite tea blends.