How to store tea — a few essential rules
When it comes to tea, brewing is often treated as the most important step. Focusing only on that overlooks something equally valuable: proper storage. Every tea needs suitable conditions, otherwise it can lose its precious flavour and aroma. You would not want that, would you? Here are a few tips to help prevent it.
What should you store tea in?
A ceramic container with a tight-fitting lid is a good choice: it can provide a dark, dry environment free from unwanted smells. Metal tins and glass jars are alternatives. If you choose glass, keep it in a dark place away from sunlight.
Whatever you use, make sure the container is clean and odour-free. Wash it thoroughly with warm water and a little washing-up liquid, rinse well and allow it to dry completely before adding the leaves. Residual moisture can encourage mould.
Where should you keep tea?
Store tea leaves somewhere cool, shaded and away from sunlight. A kitchen counter beside a window is not ideal. Exposure to sun can reduce quality and lead to unpleasant changes in flavour, sometimes described as metallic.
Keep tea away from products with strong smells. Coffee, spices and other aromatic foods are poor neighbours because tea readily picks up surrounding odours. Unless you want a brew that tastes of herbes de Provence, marjoram or garlic granules, keep them apart.
Loose-leaf tea is hygroscopic, meaning it readily absorbs moisture. It also absorbs smells, so excess humidity and aromatic surroundings can affect the flavour. Keep it away from steam around the cooker and avoid storing it in the fridge, where condensation can be a problem.
In short, give tea a separate cupboard or another suitable storage space, and you will have solved much of the problem.
How long can you store tea at home?
Does tea have an expiry date? As a food product, it normally carries a date, but this is usually “best before” rather than a strict use-by deadline. That indicates the period during which its quality is expected to be at its best.
Properly stored dry tea may remain usable after that date, although its characteristic flavour, aroma and other qualities can fade. Do not consume tea that is damp, mouldy, infested or otherwise spoiled. Oxidation and time gradually change the leaves, so storage life is not unlimited.
The type of tea matters. Delicate green and white teas are often best enjoyed within around one to one and a half years, depending on the product and storage conditions.
Black tea can keep longer under suitable conditions, sometimes for several years and in some cases up to five, though freshness and flavour will vary. Follow the producer's guidance rather than treating that as a guarantee.
Red tea, particularly pu-erh intended for ageing, is a separate case. Appropriate ageing can develop its flavour, but that does not mean every tea improves simply by being left in a cupboard.
Tea storage in everyday life
Tea accompanies many of us almost every day, sometimes even more often than coffee. We drink it with breakfast, lunch and dinner, and often make a cup while preparing food.
Remember that cooking fills the kitchen with strong aromas. Fried meat, smoked fish, freshly chopped onion or garlic and simmering spinach all have noticeable smells. Try not to leave your tea open while these foods are being prepared.
If that is difficult to make into a habit, consider somewhere other than the kitchen cupboard. Is there a pantry or storage room nearby? A suitable spot there might be the better home for your tea.