Preserving Your Tea Leaves

Tea leaves should be kept properly and correctly to retain their original color, aroma, flavor and shape. They should be kept dry airtight and not contaminated by other odors. In order to preserve tea in the best condition, the following methods are recommended:

Tea leaves should not be exposed to air. As such exposure would lead to oxidization which may affect the quality.

Use pottery jars, pewter or metal cans as canisters with airtight lids.

Avoid exposing leaves to moisture in large canisters, transfer small amount of tea leaves to small canister for daily use. Exposure to moisture would cause the tea leaves to lose the flavor and aroma of the tea.

Do not use canisters which have previously stored other food ingredients. Never store tea leaves together with other food ingredients and avoid hand contact with tea leaves once your hand is in contact with another food. Clean your hand first.

Best way to keep tea leaves is to pack in foil bags and sealed before they are kept in canisters.

Avoid exposure of tea leaves to sunlight since a rapid change in temperature may affect their quality. Tea canisters should be kept in cool, shady and airy places or shelves.