Nothing can be worse than taking the time to brew your favorite tea, taking a sip, and being utterly disappointed. You know you love that particular tea, but it does not taste quite as good as you remembered for some reason. Why did this happen?
Like any other dried good, tea loses flavor over time. Tea has a long shelf life and can remain “fresh” for quite a long time. There are three important things to remember when storing tea to keep it fresh and taste its best as long as possible.
Stored tea needs to be:
- Airtight – A lot of air circulation will cause the tea to dry out and lose flavor.
- Dry – Moisture will cause the tea to decompose and, in extreme conditions, grow mold (yuck!).
- Dark – This is debatable among the tea nerds like me, but UV rays in the light tend to reduce the tea flavor.
Some people recommend storing your tea in the refrigerator. Although the science behind this is correct, there is one major problem. Tea can absorb flavors from other foods stored in the refrigerator. Studies have been done with a dedicated refrigerator just for tea. The tea can absorb these flavors and, as you can guess, this is not a good thing.
The next time a tea tastes a little flat or bitter compared to the last time you’ve prepared it, there is a good chance it has become stale.
If this keeps happening to you, ensure you are keeping your tea in an airtight container in a dark and dry environment.
Continue to enjoy the simple pleasure of your tea experience!
Happy Sipping!
Leslie