Tea molds mostly because the leaves absorb damp during storage — so when keeping tea, we must pay close attention to the humidity of the storage environment.
According to the specific tea type, we can adopt the storage method its keeping requires. On one hand we can rely on storage bags, cartons, tin cans and the like (ps: take green tea as an example — to lock in its freshness for longer, you can even store it in the refrigerator); on the other hand, storage must be combined with the local climate, dehumidifying and ventilating as appropriate, or using storage bags with moisture-proofing.
A tea storage cabinet
In choosing where to keep tea, avoid relatively damp spots and strong sources of odor, and store the tea off the floor with the help of tea racks and storage cabinets.
All in all, keeping tea is never a once-and-for-all matter. Even a professional tea warehouse runs continuous monitoring of the tea it holds. For ordinary tea lovers like us it is all the more true: as we store tea, use instruments to track temperature and humidity in real time, check the tea’s condition from time to time, and adjust storage methods promptly in light of how the tea actually tastes.
An instrument that measures temperature and humidity
For instance, when the plum-rain season brings high humidity, slip the tea into a moisture-proof bag in advance, or swap breathable pottery (purple clay or purple ceramic) jars for porcelain jars, to keep damp away; when the weather turns dry, open the windows now and then for ventilation, letting some of the tea’s moisture escape naturally.
Storing ripe tea in a white porcelain jar
Such is the small store of personal experience I have gathered from keeping tea. Do you fellow tea lovers see it differently? Comments and exchanges are welcome.
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Author: Lam Sam (LamSam), the Old Tea Head
ZENTEA MANOR
Alliance Supply Chain Services Limited
Unit 902-3, 9/F, Mini Cube, 10 Sam Chuk Street, San Po Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
www.zentea-shop.com Email:info@zentea-shop.com
