It’s something that some of us tea addicts don’t even have to consider – there’s usually a pretty rapid turnover of tea consumption versus teabag supplies so storage might not even be an issue.

That said, some of us tea hoarders lovers keep buying more and more until we eventually end up with a small stockpile of the stuff, ready for all circumstances: nuclear holocaust, global economic disaster, unexpected guests… the list goes on.

In that case, storing your tea properly matters. Especially for teas that were prevented from oxidation during production – i.e. green teas and herbal teas – because there’s greater risk of deterioration.

And deterioration is something you want to avoid – with it, comes a decrease in the amount of beneficial antioxidants and even worse: stale tea.

So how do you prevent your teas from this sad fate? Here’s how to store tea, in 6 easy steps.

Keep your tea well away from light

You always want to be storing your tea leaves and bags in as dark a place as possible. This not only means putting the darker kitchen cupboard or pantry to good use, but also means that you want to think about your type of container, too.

Generally, you shouldn’t be keeping your tea supplies in anything that’s transparent or clear, as sunlight can very quickly begin to deteriorate the tea, even if it’s only ever exposed intermittently.

Failing to keep your supplies as far away from light as possible might lead to some of the blandest tea you’ve ever tasted, so we reckon this step is of the highest importance!

Keep it airtight and breathless

Yep, you know the drill by this point (hopefully); oxygen and the ambient air in your house play a huge role over the condition your tea.

To retain the original packet freshness of your teabags you want to immediately store them in an airtight, sealed container (remember to make sure it isn’t transparent!).

That being said, unless you suck all of the air out and create a vacuum – and who’s really going to go to that length? – there will still be an element of oxygen trapped within your container.

So, although you’ve kept your supply starved of any air, the little that did get in when you were restocking or pulling out a fresh teabag for your morning cuppa will slowly degrade your tea.

It’s a great solution for short spaces of time, especially if you’re an avid tea drinker – but not an ideal long term solution.

Keep your tea cool!

Like most things in the natural world, heat can act as a catalyst and speed up the process of your tea’s deterioration (especially when combined with the little pockets of oxygen that are already caught in there).

Now, there are some methods of using heat to your advantage, when it comes to retaining freshness, such as roasting the leaves. This process is, again, dependent on the age and type of tea in question, however, and has many variables which can intrude or aid the process along.

Generally speaking, heat is something you want to be avoiding. Again, keep your supply away from any sunlight, but also make sure to choose a storage space which is far away from any ambient heat from an oven, radiator or cooker. Even slight fluctuations in the warmth can begin to work its evil on your tea leaves.

Indeed, some people even advocate storing your tea in a fridge or freezer to keep temperature as low as possible – this is sound, in theory, but must be done with some care. For example, any air trapped in the container or bag which you place in the freezer or fridge may then cause condensation on the inside; and moisture is bad for the leaves’ condition (more on that in just a second).

To reduce the risk of this, try divvying up your supply into smaller packets and containers and then squeezing all of the air out before storing it in your fridge/freezer. Doing this will reduce the amount of air that could get trapped, and make it much easier for you when you want to use the tea, if it’s stored in smaller amounts.

If you choose to freeze your tea, a hugely important tip is to remember not to warm up or brew the leaves too soon. Leave them out to thaw until room temperature – if you get impatient and add heat to the frozen clump, you can easily add moisture to the mix.

Speaking of moisture…

Moisture can completely ruin your tea in a very short amount of time. Remember that the reason you’re able to store your leaves and bags for so long (months at a time) is precisely because they’re already dried out.

However, this also means that your tea will suck up any ambient or direct moisture like the Sahara desert.

This isn’t such a huge worry if you’re intending to use the tea soon (i.e. that day); but leaving your tea in a moist environment can quickly see mould take hold, and a nasty fermenting process which’ll turn your tea into something horrific.

God help you if moisture occurs in combination with heat.

Keep those strong odors at bay!

Dried teas are basically hugely susceptible to their entire environment, which of course includes ambient smells. Think of the dried leaves of your tea as a blank canvas with regard to tastes and scents; anything that might have a chance of painting its flavour across your leaves will do so in spades.

Some interesting strains and flavors of tea take great advantage of this vulnerability to odors, such as jasmine flavored teas which are intentionally stored next to jasmine flowers so as to infuse the leaves with the scent and taste.

This is fantastic news for tea producers, but less so the common tea-drinker who wants to keep their next cup fresh and uncontaminated. Keep this smell issue in mind when finding a location for your tea – far away from spice racks, garbage cans, sinks, your pungent shoe collection or strong cooking smells.

But, and many people forget this, it’s equally important to consider your container.

Let’s run the list: your container should be dark, shielded from outside light, airtight and heat/moisture proof – but it also has to be sterile and scentless.

If it was previously used for storing something else, then you have a problem on your hands, as there will be a residual, lingering scent.
Either thoroughly clean out any old container, before using it for your tea, or buy something completely new (and devoid of smell).

Pack it full to bursting

Whether you’ve chosen a sealed bag or a Tupperware container for your tea, it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you fill that sucker till it’s nearly bursting outwards.

Doing so will make sure that the optimum amount of space is being taken up by nothing but tea – ergo, less space for oxygen or moisture to take hold. Now this might seem to be contradictory to the advice regarding storing tea in the fridge or freezer, but it retains the same principle.

In the freezer, smaller packets might make it easier for you to defrost and use your tea without having huge amounts left over; but you still want that smaller container to be almost overflowing with the stuff, and giving no space for air or water crystals to form.

Additionally, the more tightly packed, the less chance of a contamination with regard to smells and tastes – teabags stored cheek to elbow with yet more teabags are going to come out smelling of… teabags.

Keep a tea diary (Optional)

This one’s for the real enthusiasts – the people who can tell an oolong from a green tea from 200 yards.

If you have a large collection of different tea flavors or ages, then it’s a stellar idea to keep a meticulous diary. Purchase dates, storage dates, length of time since you packed them away etc.

This all helps to create a clearer picture for you and should, theoretically, give a pretty solid indication of how your hidden, airtight (or otherwise) tea is faring inside its container.

Follow the above tips and never drink stale tea again!