The Proper Storage of Black Tea

To preserve your black teas for the best flavor and longest shelf life, it is important to store your black tea properly.  Black tea will provide you with a much fuller flavor for a much longer time if you store them in the right way, which means avoiding the five things which will degrade a good black tea:  heat, light, air, moisture and odor.

When storing your black teas, it is very important to keep them in a cool, dark and dry place where they can't absorb odors in the air.   Black teas are best stored in an opaque container away from hot or moist areas in your home.  

Never store black teas in an area where they will be overheated, such as on a stove or near a furnace vent.   Heat will degrade dry tea rapidly, even if it is not exposed to direct sunlight.   You should never expose your stored black teas to direct sunlight because the light and heat will remove color, flavor and aroma from the teas.

Also be sure to keep your stored black teas away from moisture.  If any moisture gets into your stored black teas, it can create mold, mildew, rotting and the tea should be discarded immediately.  For this reason keep your black teas which are stored away from moisture sources such as dishwasher vents, humidifiers and dryer vents.

Odors can also cause your stored black tea to degrade because all teas can absorb odors, especially strong odors such as garlic, spices and other unwanted smells.  When properly storing your black teas, you should keep strongly scented black teas such as Lapsang Souchong, black Chai teas, and other spiced, smoked or strongly flavored black teas away from your other teas, or they might absorb the odors of the more strongly scented and flavored black teas.

The container you store your black teas in should not be able to absorb odor or moisture either.  Ideally, use a metal, ceramic or plastic container, making sure that if you use a plastic container that the plastic is not the type which can absorb odors of the tea stored inside it.  The container should have a double lid, most common in metal tea tins, or a lid with a seal on it for ceramic or plastic containers to keep light, heat, moisture, air and odors out of the tea.  

Direct exposure to air will very quickly degrade your black teas, so limit their exposure to air.  When brewing your black tea, remove the tea you will use to brew your tea and immediately return the unused portion of black tea remaining to a proper storage container and use the hints in this article to store your black tea properly.   Never leave your tea leaves out where they are exposed to airflow, as it will degrade the tea leaves quickly.

When properly stored, black teas can have a much longer shelf life, retaining their flavor and aroma for up to two or three years.  Unless the black tea is a Pu-erh tea, which actually improves over time and can be stored for many decades, you should discard your stored black teas after 2 years of storage or sooner if you notice a visible decline in flavor, aroma or appearance, or if the brewed tea starts to become bitter or astringent or takes on an undesirable flavor.

Purchasing the highest quality black teas, and with proper storage can last much longer for your sipping pleasure.  Storing your teas in a cool, dry place away from the heat and sun, where they can't absorb other odors will keep your tea at the highest quality possible.