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I asked a friend in Tokyo to get me some tea and I may have gone a bit overboard... I ended up asking him to buy me about 2kg of various green teas (700g gyokuro, 1kg sencha, 300g hojicha) in 100g packages... It's set to arrive sometime in the next two weeks.
I did some searching on storage and a lot of people are recommending refrigeration. Does refrigeration do much in terms of preserving the tea's quality/freshness? Is it something I should strongly consider or no? I live in California so while it's fairly dry, it does get very hot in the summer. A mini fridge for my room would cost $160, or about half of my tea shipment...

If you don’t immediately drink it, which is a fair assumption in this case - a fridge storage would be advisable, but while you’re on it, don’t forget the odour free sealed ziplock bags!

Bok wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 10, 2020 9:48 am

If you don’t immediately drink it, which is a fair assumption in this case - a fridge storage would be advisable, but while you’re on it, don’t forget the odour free sealed ziplock bags!

Do you know what range of temperature would be ideal for storing the tea? I think the fridge I'm looking at is set for 33-35F.
I read that refrigeration is only recommended if the tea is nitrogen flushed. Is there any way to tell if my tea is nitrogen flushed or not? From what my friend says, some are vacuum packed (tight) while other packages are not...
Do you know happen to know if refrigerating Taiwan high mountain oolongs is recommended or not?

I just put it into my normal fridge, no idea how cold it is. Same goes for my Taiwanese high mountain teas. Stay fresh like that for well over a year.

Bok wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 10, 2020 10:39 am

I just put it into my normal fridge, no idea how cold it is. Same goes for my Taiwanese high mountain teas. Stay fresh like that for well over a year.

Only for unopened teas right? How do you "prep" the tea before getting ready to open it (to prevent condensation, etc)? A bit of googling tells me to bring it out anywhere from 1 week to 1 month before I want to open it...

I freeze my fresh tea (like shihua green tea, etc.) and refrigerate all matcha (opened, in sealed can). My teacher advice freezing unopened matcha if not going to be consumed soon. I never refrigerate my sencha and gyokuro just because, but sounds like a fine idea. I'm not sure about hojicha though.

twta500 wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 10, 2020 11:36 am

Only for unopened teas right? How do you "prep" the tea before getting ready to open it (to prevent condensation, etc)? A bit of googling tells me to bring it out anywhere from 1 week to 1 month before I want to open it...

If you just take out the amount you're brewing and put the remaining back to the fridge, there shouldn't be any condensation issue I think

I also know a few Japanese matcha drinkers who freeze their matcha, taking out what they need, and putting canister back into freezer. I haven’t tried this though with matcha or any other tea.

I have though been refrigerating Shincha, Sencha and Gyokuro for over a decade and have done a few experiments comparing refrigerator vs fresh with varying results. If I will not open a pack in the next month or so, I will refrigerate the unopened pack to keep it fresh. When taking a pack out, I’ll wait 24hrs to get it to room temperature, open, seal, wait another 12hrs for leaves to open a bit. Most Japanese greens refrigerate well within the first three years, after that it hit or miss with Shincha and Sencha, Gyokuro does better. Most important when refrigerating is that an odor proof and moisture proof bag or container is used. I’ve had great success with Lopsak Opsak hunting bags. I only store unopened bags and haven’t experimented with freezing yet which maybe I should. This morning I was sipping on a Shincha refrigerated six years, it’s pretty good still, but not as good as fresh. Last week, I enjoyed a Gyokuro that had been refrigerated three years, excellent, and a Sencha that was refrigerated six years that was also excellent. So some Japanese greens do better than others with long term storage it seems.

Victoria wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 15, 2018 4:49 pm

If they are not opened, they keep really well refrigerated for several years. I store them inside odor and moisture proof Loksak Opsak camping ziplock bags, then inside a mylar bag to seal out light. I don’t have a dedicated tea refrigerator, so odors are a concern and this works very well. I did a side by side comparison and posted about it here; Refrigerating Sincha for a Few Years: 2013 vs 2016 Results

In case you missed this thread aging Japanese teas is discussed, Japanese Green Tea: Aged, Roasted, Fermented.

I trust the bags they are in when still sealed/unopened to be fridge-odor-proof. I refrigerate and remove at least 8 if not 24 hour before opening, and only open what I will use next, one sencha or gyokuro at a time. When I made an exception for our recent gyokuro tasting, I put the remainder of each tea in a canning jar, still in their no-longer-sealed pouches, and vacuum-sealed the jar and refrigerated that, removing the one I wanted to drink next and then resealed and refrigerated the others. Worked pretty well so far.

debunix wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 10, 2020 4:14 pm

I trust the bags they are in when still sealed/unopened to be fridge-odor-proof. I refrigerate and remove at least 8 if not 24 hour before opening, and only open what I will use next, one sencha or gyokuro at a time. When I made an exception for our recent gyokuro tasting, I put the remainder of each tea in a canning jar, still in their no-longer-sealed pouches, and vacuum-sealed the jar and refrigerated that, removing the one I wanted to drink next and then resealed and refrigerated the others. Worked pretty well so far.

Using a vacuum-sealed jar is a great way to go for opened packs. Thanks for reminder to do this.

A while ago, I kept a few empty bags and tested them on a vacuum sealer, without any content, just to see if they would seal. They are thicker than the bags typically used for vacuum sealing, and it took longer for a good seal to be achieved, but it was otherwise successful.

I wonder how vacuum sealing would compare to nitro flushing for refrigerated storage.

Has anyone tried this before?

Victoria wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 10, 2020 3:27 pm

I also know a few Japanese matcha drinkers who freeze their matcha, taking out what they need, and putting canister back into freezer. I haven’t tried this though with matcha or any other tea.

I have though been refrigerating Shincha, Sencha and Gyokuro for over a decade and have done a few experiments comparing refrigerator vs fresh with varying results. If I will not open a pack in the next month or so, I will refrigerate the unopened pack to keep it fresh. When taking a pack out, I’ll wait 24hrs to get it to room temperature, open, seal, wait another 12hrs for leaves to open a bit. Most Japanese greens refrigerate well within the first three years, after that it hit or miss with Shincha and Sencha, Gyokuro does better. Most important when refrigerating is that an odor proof and moisture proof bag or container is used. I’ve had great success with Lopsak Opsak hunting bags. I only store unopened bags and haven’t experimented with freezing yet which maybe I should. This morning I was sipping on a Shincha refrigerated six years, it’s pretty good still, but not as good as fresh. Last week, I enjoyed a Gyokuro that had been refrigerated three years, excellent, and a Sencha that was refrigerated six years that was also excellent. So some Japanese greens do better than others with long term storage it seems.

This is very interesting.
My friend bought me these teas over the past month and will be shipping them to me sometime in the next 2 weeks. In the meantime, they are all sitting somewhere in his (air conditioned) room. Do you think
purchase from store-> 1 or 2 months of room temperature storage -> refrigerator long term storage (3+ months to 1 year)
would be an issue?
i.e. would the 1 or 2 months of room temp storage negate the benefits of refrigerator storage as it was not immediately put into the fridge?

twta500 wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 11, 2020 9:42 am

Victoria wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 10, 2020 3:27 pm

I also know a few Japanese matcha drinkers who freeze their matcha, taking out what they need, and putting canister back into freezer. I haven’t tried this though with matcha or any other tea.

I have though been refrigerating Shincha, Sencha and Gyokuro for over a decade and have done a few experiments comparing refrigerator vs fresh with varying results. If I will not open a pack in the next month or so, I will refrigerate the unopened pack to keep it fresh. When taking a pack out, I’ll wait 24hrs to get it to room temperature, open, seal, wait another 12hrs for leaves to open a bit. Most Japanese greens refrigerate well within the first three years, after that it hit or miss with Shincha and Sencha, Gyokuro does better. Most important when refrigerating is that an odor proof and moisture proof bag or container is used. I’ve had great success with Lopsak Opsak hunting bags. I only store unopened bags and haven’t experimented with freezing yet which maybe I should. This morning I was sipping on a Shincha refrigerated six years, it’s pretty good still, but not as good as fresh. Last week, I enjoyed a Gyokuro that had been refrigerated three years, excellent, and a Sencha that was refrigerated six years that was also excellent. So some Japanese greens do better than others with long term storage it seems.

This is very interesting.
My friend bought me these teas over the past month and will be shipping them to me sometime in the next 2 weeks. In the meantime, they are all sitting somewhere in his (air conditioned) room. Do you think
purchase from store-> 1 or 2 months of room temperature storage -> refrigerator long term storage (3+ months to 1 year)
would be an issue?
i.e. would the 1 or 2 months of room temp storage negate the benefits of refrigerator storage as it was not immediately put into the fridge?

I’ve refrigerated a few Shincha and Sencha after they sat around for a few months unopened. Yes, probably not being kept cold the whole time isn’t ideal, but refrigeration (and freezing) will slow down any further degradation. I’m sipping on one of those now, a Shincha that wasn’t refrigerated for maybe 4 months, and then refrigerated six years. It’s sweet and warming but has lost it’s super fresh green character, enjoyable, but it is a transformed version of what it was. Now, if I have a few open packs, new arrivals go straight into the refrigerator.

I think overall three years or less is probably generally the best time frame for optimal refrigeration, although with a few six years has been just fine. I just over-bought, then switched to oolong, and found myself with this long term storage situation. Has led to interesting revelations and results.

Victoria wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 11, 2020 12:49 pm

I think overall three years or less is probably generally the best time frame for optimal refrigeration, although with a few six years has been just fine. I just over-bought, then switched to oolong, and found myself with this long term storage situation. Has led to interesting revelations and results.

Do you think "investing" in a separate minifridge solely for tea would be worth it if I'm able to finish it all within a year?

twta500 wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 11, 2020 3:14 pm

Victoria wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 11, 2020 12:49 pm

I think overall three years or less is probably generally the best time frame for optimal refrigeration, although with a few six years has been just fine. I just over-bought, then switched to oolong, and found myself with this long term storage situation. Has led to interesting revelations and results.

Do you think "investing" in a separate minifridge solely for tea would be worth it if I'm able to finish it all within a year?

Many people do this. If you have the room, I’d recommend doing that, even if you probably won’t use it all for tea. Those 100gram packs don’t take up much room. Less likelihood of garlic and fish aromas mingling with your teas. I like cooking and so there are interesting scents milling around in there. That’s why I use those odor moisture proof hunting bags, just in case there would be any transference. Currently, I use a lower fruit bin for teas, more than enough room.