Airtight?

Post Reply
century
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 10:51 am
Location: Toronto

Thu Dec 14, 2017 11:05 am

Hello,

Im very new to Chinese teas and want to store tham properly.
I get how to store Pu'er (as a cigar guy, it makes sense to me), but I see that people mention "airtight" container for black/oolongs/whites, etc.

What are we considering "airtight"? What are the best jars/bags/containers to use for this?

Thanks

Emil
User avatar
Bok
Vendor
Posts: 5782
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:11 pm

It seems that the consensus for fresh, greener oolongs (Taiwan) is to keep them in the vacuum packs they come in. Before opening store in the fridge. After opening, use a clip or other suitable things, tightly fold/roll it to make sure only a minimum of air is left. For good measure put that pack into a double lidded container.

Roasted or black oolongs can do with a bit more air. I store my opened oolongs (for near future consumption) in porcelain or wood-fired jars, only lightly sealed with a sheet of calligraphy paper. Needs to be consumed in a reasonable time though. Porcelain seems to have some properties that make some teas better.

Aging oolong is a more complicated topic, search the teamsters blog, it has a lot of posts about that topic.
User avatar
Bok
Vendor
Posts: 5782
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:12 pm

If in doubt, you can never go wrong with the original packaging, no matter the tea!
User avatar
Brent D
Posts: 288
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2017 1:33 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Thu Dec 14, 2017 10:41 pm

All my teas stay in the package I get them in. I just fold and put a clip on them. I’ve thought about trying some sort of jars, but I’ve never gotten around to trying it
User avatar
Victoria
Admin
Posts: 3043
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:33 pm
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Contact:

Fri Dec 15, 2017 10:58 am

Bok wrote:
Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:11 pm
It seems that the consensus for fresh, greener oolongs (Taiwan) is to keep them in the vacuum packs they come in. Before opening store in the fridge. After opening, use a clip or other suitable things, tightly fold/roll it to make sure only a minimum of air is left. For good measure put that pack into a double lidded container.
Curious, which teas are you storing in refrigerator? I put Sencha and Gyokuro in there but have not yet put any oolongs in refrigerator. Maybe because I finish them up within the 1st year of getting them :)
User avatar
Bok
Vendor
Posts: 5782
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Fri Dec 15, 2017 8:15 pm

Victoria wrote:
Fri Dec 15, 2017 10:58 am
Bok wrote:
Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:11 pm
It seems that the consensus for fresh, greener oolongs (Taiwan) is to keep them in the vacuum packs they come in. Before opening store in the fridge. After opening, use a clip or other suitable things, tightly fold/roll it to make sure only a minimum of air is left. For good measure put that pack into a double lidded container.
Curious, which teas are you storing in refrigerator? I put Sencha and Gyokuro in there but have not yet put any oolongs in refrigerator. Maybe because I finish them up within the 1st year of getting them :)
Any high mountain greenish Oolong goes into the fridge. More oxidised roasted and blacks stay outside.
Better to finish the greener ones in one year anyway they won’t get any better.

Some people here insist on quickly finishing the fresh high mountain teas when they come in, sort of like a seasonal delicacy. I personally found the decline not that apparent to have to rush through them...
User avatar
Tillerman
Vendor
Posts: 446
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:58 pm
Location: Napa, CA
Contact:

Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:49 am

Bok wrote:
Fri Dec 15, 2017 8:15 pm
Victoria wrote:
Fri Dec 15, 2017 10:58 am
Bok wrote:
Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:11 pm
It seems that the consensus for fresh, greener oolongs (Taiwan) is to keep them in the vacuum packs they come in. Before opening store in the fridge. After opening, use a clip or other suitable things, tightly fold/roll it to make sure only a minimum of air is left. For good measure put that pack into a double lidded container.
Curious, which teas are you storing in refrigerator? I put Sencha and Gyokuro in there but have not yet put any oolongs in refrigerator. Maybe because I finish them up within the 1st year of getting them :)
Any high mountain greenish Oolong goes into the fridge. More oxidised roasted and blacks stay outside.
Better to finish the greener ones in one year anyway they won’t get any better.

Some people here insist on quickly finishing the fresh high mountain teas when they come in, sort of like a seasonal delicacy. I personally found the decline not that apparent to have to rush through them...
Victoria and Bok, do you have a refrigerator dedicated to tea or do you put teas into your regular fridge? Have you ever frozen your teas? A stroll through Ma Lian Dao in Beijing will show you MANY vendors - especially of green teas - keeping them in a freezer (not that I'd recommend buying at MLD without an experienced local guide - that's a recipe for disaster.)
User avatar
Victoria
Admin
Posts: 3043
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:33 pm
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Contact:

Sat Dec 16, 2017 6:25 am

Tillerman wrote:
Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:49 am
Bok wrote:
Fri Dec 15, 2017 8:15 pm
Victoria wrote:
Fri Dec 15, 2017 10:58 am

Curious, which teas are you storing in refrigerator? I put Sencha and Gyokuro in there but have not yet put any oolongs in refrigerator. Maybe because I finish them up within the 1st year of getting them :)
Any high mountain greenish Oolong goes into the fridge. More oxidised roasted and blacks stay outside.
Better to finish the greener ones in one year anyway they won’t get any better.

Some people here insist on quickly finishing the fresh high mountain teas when they come in, sort of like a seasonal delicacy. I personally found the decline not that apparent to have to rush through them...
Victoria and Bok, do you have a refrigerator dedicated to tea or do you put teas into your regular fridge? Have you ever frozen your teas? A stroll through Ma Lian Dao in Beijing will show you MANY vendors - especially of green teas - keeping them in a freezer (not that I'd recommend buying at MLD without an experienced local guide - that's a recipe for disaster.)
I use a bottom drawer in my regular refridgerator for tea. I have found using Loksak's Opsak bear proof camping zip lock bags very good at keeping all odors and moisture out. I then place the zip locked bags inside mylar bags to keep light out. As an experiment I put a cheap sencha in the freezer but haven’t tried it yet.
User avatar
Bok
Vendor
Posts: 5782
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:07 am

Tillerman wrote:
Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:49 am
Victoria and Bok, do you have a refrigerator dedicated to tea or do you put teas into your regular fridge? Have you ever frozen your teas? A stroll through Ma Lian Dao in Beijing will show you MANY vendors - especially of green teas - keeping them in a freezer (not that I'd recommend buying at MLD without an experienced local guide - that's a recipe for disaster.)
Similar to Victoria, I keep them in an odour free part of the fridge. I used freezer before, but had an unfortunate incident with the neighbouring ice cube department.

Where I buy tea, they keep them in a sort of wine fridge for the shop tasting use and in a controlled temp storage room.
User avatar
tealifehk
Vendor
Posts: 485
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:58 am
Location: Hong Kong
Contact:

Sun Dec 17, 2017 5:31 am

Recently I've been vacuum sealing most of my tea for storage and with green TGY I've been refrigerating it too!
User avatar
teabone
New user
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:12 pm

Sat Jan 13, 2018 7:03 am

Hojo advocates storing (and aging) puerhs in airtight aluminium packs in zero oxygen condition (with the help of oxygen absorbers).

Recently I had the privilege to sample their vintage 2008 Bai Ying Shan raw puerh. The tea wasn’t “decanted”, brewed straight out of pack. It tasted clean and floral with lingering aftertaste. A side by side comparison with 2017 Bai Ying Shan would be telling.

What is your take on this type of tea aging?
Post Reply