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I think this is the kind where you fold the bag over and slide the clip on:

OldWaysTea wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 24, 2018 3:20 pm

I think this is the kind where you fold the bag over and slide the clip on:

I just figured it out. I thought you had to pull out the yellow part. Thank you for the video tho.

Thanks for the video! I include these with all bags of tea at present, but I've recently realized not everyone knows what they're for or can figure it out. I'll link people to this video if they ask!

I forgot about this thread when I just posted a question about these handy sealing clips. I found those gripstic bag sealers in 3 small sizes, 8cm, 12cm, 18cm

GRIPSTIC® 12PK (Small)


ICRI-SHOP 10 Pcs Small size 8cm Anylock Refrigeration tools and equipment Food bag sealing clip Fresh lock stick

I think those things do not seal as tightly as I’d wish, plus being of plastic and thus going to be around for a thousand years, I’d rather opt for metal clips. Look nicer as well.

Just did a Gripstic bag sealer water leak test. Looks to be water tight, so should be air tight as well. Will let bag hang overnight to see if it leaks and report back .

Crappy Ikea ones that are not air tight, they tend to bulge in the middle.

Binder clips for me all the way:


Fold the bag, clip, airtight.

With the right technique a simple rubber band is also very efficient. Just in Asian it is too humid so they corrode too fast and break or get sticky.

I figure it is my obligation to use the tea before a binder clip over a several times folded bag is an inadequate seal, or I must dispense/seal into other containers (see prior discussion of vacuum sealers etc).

I use both binder clips and the slide on sealers. I can't speak to if one keeps tea fresher, but it seems just based on design and how tight some of the slide on one's fit, that they would be more air tight. I prefer the large binder clips over small ones as they seal off more of the bag.

I came across these binder clips. Pricey, but seem like the proper width for a 100g bag of tea. They appear to be a bit cheaper at office supply stores. I haven't used one like this, but the smaller binder clips are indestructible and don't warp.

@nasalfrog nice find although yeah pretty pricy per bag solution .

And my America’s Test Tea Kitchen results are in.
I ran two parallel experiments; one with an aluminum mylar bag folded over once, the other with the bag folded over twice. Both bags had the same amount of water and sealed with the same tubular clip. The clips are not made by Gripstic@, so don’t know if the quality of the ones I used is less.

#1 bag folded over once. Started to leak within the first hour after hanging upside down. Overnight all the water had drained out.
#2 bag folded over twice. Folded twice to add thickness and creat a tighter seal inside clip tube. Leaked a minimal amount of water overnight.

So neither provide an absolutely airtight seal. But then again neither do even very fine tea caddies. For an absolute seal an impulse or vacuum seal would be the way to go.


#1 #2