Questions about Storing Tea in Refrigerator

Vanenbw
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Mon Dec 23, 2019 5:19 pm

The thread's a little old, but I'm curious to hear some thoughts on the effect of high temperature on tea leaves. Ever since I started drinking loose leaf green tea years ago, I stored unopened and opened tea bags in the freezer. This was what my girlfriend at the time did (she was from Japan and this is how she learned to store tea leaves). So of course I never questioned it, and I continued doing it until a few months ago when I learned that unopened bags should be stored in the refrigerator, and once opened they should be stored in a cool, dry area, within an airtight container. During the colder months that would not be an issue for me. But in the summer, when I'm at work and the air conditioner is not running, the temperature can reach as high as 96 degrees Fahrenheit in my apartment. Could such high tea be damaged to the tea leaves? Should I be storing open tea bags in the refrigerator in the summer months?
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Victoria
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Mon Dec 23, 2019 5:38 pm

Vanenbw wrote:
Mon Dec 23, 2019 5:19 pm
The thread's a little old, but I'm curious to hear some thoughts on the effect of high temperature on tea leaves. Ever since I started drinking loose leaf green tea years ago, I stored unopened and opened tea bags in the freezer. This was what my girlfriend at the time did (she was from Japan and this is how she learned to store tea leaves). So of course I never questioned it, and I continued doing it until a few months ago when I learned that unopened bags should be stored in the refrigerator, and once opened they should be stored in a cool, dry area, within an airtight container. During the colder months that would not be an issue for me. But in the summer, when I'm at work and the air conditioner is not running, the temperature can reach as high as 96 degrees Fahrenheit in my apartment. Could such high tea be damaged to the tea leaves? Should I be storing open tea bags in the refrigerator in the summer months?
Interesting question. I was also told by a Japanese tea drinker that she stores open and unopened bags in the freezer. I was very surprised to hear this. I don’t know about the quality of teas she enjoys, other than they are Japanese greens. The problem is moisture turning into condensation if the bag is not fully sealed (air water tight), and if the bag is not allowed to rest >24-48hrs after removing from freezer or refrigerador. I store sealed unopened bags in a dedicated area of the refrigerador, inside air and water proof bags.
Vanenbw
Posts: 176
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2019 10:14 pm
Location: NJ, USA

Mon Dec 23, 2019 6:51 pm

Thank you for the feedback, @Victoria. What about high temperatures? If I open a sealed bag that was stored in the refrigerator, and I keep the tea in an airtight container in a cabinet, should I be concerned if the temperature in my apartment is sometimes over 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer months?
DailyTX
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Tue Dec 24, 2019 2:53 am

Storing fresh green tea in the freezer is also a practice with Anxi TieGuanYin. I first learned about it when I was sampling tea at a local tea shop. I noticed a white freezer that market used to store ice creams. I asked the owner what they sell in the freezer. The owner pulled out a giant Mylar bag, and showed me their prize TieGuanYin. They told me that they only keep the good stuff in the freezer, low to medium grade will be displayed on the shelf. Since then, I separated my TieGuanYin into two categories. Highly roasted stay on the shelf with room temperature. Lightly roasted new TieGuanYin stay in the freezer
Vanenbw
Posts: 176
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2019 10:14 pm
Location: NJ, USA

Tue Dec 24, 2019 9:10 am

Interesting. There are definitely some different schools of thought when it comes to storing loose-leaf teas. All I can say is that for all the years I have stored green tea in the freezer, I never noticed any degradation of the tea leaves. I'm not sure how valuable that statement is seeing as I didn't store it at room temperature either, so I had nothing to compare it to. Now I store it in the refrigerator, a switch I only made a few months ago. For the new tea that I'm having shipped to me, I will store it in the refrigerator until it's opened, and then store it at room temperature and see if I notice a difference.
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