Vacuum Sealers?

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Bok
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Tue Oct 31, 2017 1:01 am

Dear everyone,

I am looking for suggestions for a home vacuum sealing solution. Can be handy sometimes for sending friends a sample of tea. Anyone used the Foodsaver?

Thanks for any input!
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CWarren
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Tue Oct 31, 2017 5:32 am

Bok wrote:
Tue Oct 31, 2017 1:01 am
Dear everyone,

I am looking for suggestions for a home vacuum sealing solution. Can be handy sometimes for sending friends a sample of tea. Anyone used the Foodsaver?

Thanks for any input!
I have a FoodSaver Vertical Flip 3-speed Vacuum Sealer but I’ve yet to use it for tea. I imagine it would work quite well though given how well it works with food. I use aluminum foil ziplock bags for sharing tea.
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Bok
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Wed Nov 01, 2017 12:21 am

Thanks for that, I’ll try both!
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Victoria
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Wed Nov 01, 2017 12:34 am

I also just use aluminum ziplock bags for sharing tea. Plus I’m nostalgic so save all my tea bags from vendors or friends and the ziplock ones are especially good to share tea with as they can be reused over again many many times. I think almost all of my Chip OTTI ziplock Adagio sample bags from 2012 are now with LA Tea Club members.
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Wed Nov 01, 2017 7:13 am

One can squeeze pouches and packets at the top of the tea and clip the sides tight (paper clips work). There will be more air inside than a vacuum pack would have in it, but not too much air for most purposes. When I get tea to someone, I like to think it will be tried soon, not stored away, possibly to be forgotten. I like looking at notes I have written on re-used pouches, such as "Mystery black from John b".
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Thu Nov 02, 2017 9:47 pm

i generally just use a plain old impulse sealer for tea instead of a vac sealer.

a lot of teas (particularly non-ball-rolled ones) get crushed by the atmosphere when you vac seal, and the actual seal you get is often not as good as on dedicated impulse sealers.

also, you lose the benefit of using aluminized mylar bags if you're using something like a foodsaver which relies on special bags with those grooved channels. there are probe-style vac sealers that let you use any bags you like, but IME they are pretty inferior in quality.

chamber sealers are often pretty good, but they're expensive...
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CWarren
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Fri Nov 03, 2017 5:27 am

pedant wrote:
Thu Nov 02, 2017 9:47 pm
i generally just use a plain old impulse sealer for tea instead of a vac sealer.

a lot of teas (particularly non-ball-rolled ones) get crushed by the atmosphere when you vac seal, and the actual seal you get is often not as good as on dedicated impulse sealers.

also, you lose the benefit of using aluminized mylar bags if you're using something like a foodsaver which relies on special bags with those grooved channels. there are probe-style vac sealers that let you use any bags you like, but IME they are pretty inferior in quality.

chamber sealers are often pretty good, but they're expensive...
That’s what I like about my food saver model. You can use it without vacuuming and just use the heat sealer or you can use the pulse function which regulates how much air you want removed allowing you to keep from crushing delicate items. The heat sealer works great on Mylar pouches too, (the kind you have to tear lengthwise from the top once they are sealed like the tea vendors use). Like I said previously I’ve yet to use it for tea but it would work great I’d think because of the model options available.
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tealifehk
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Sat Nov 04, 2017 10:24 am

I vacuum seal all the tea I ship; it allows me to adjust pressure or even seal without any air movement at all. I use aluminum mylar bags and seal twice for good measure. I also send those sealing rods along with all oolongs and greens so they can be resealed (kind of).

The zip top bags aren't airtight, so if you have a delicate tea and are going somewhere with harsh conditions (it's super humid here for much of the year, so oolong in zip top is not a good idea), that's something to consider.
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Sat Nov 04, 2017 3:06 pm

tealifehk wrote:
Sat Nov 04, 2017 10:24 am
I vacuum seal all the tea I ship; it allows me to adjust pressure or even seal without any air movement at all. I use aluminum mylar bags and seal twice for good measure. I also send those sealing rods along with all oolongs and greens so they can be resealed (kind of).

The zip top bags aren't airtight, so if you have a delicate tea and are going somewhere with harsh conditions (it's super humid here for much of the year, so oolong in zip top is not a good idea), that's something to consider.
So are you using double lidded canisters for your everyday oolongs greens? Since you don’t like zip lock. Or those sealing clips?
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Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:11 pm

Double lidded canisters for many of my oolongs, or even Chinese single lidded canisters that do a great job at keeping tea dry! I also use glass jars (Bormioli). Smaller amounts in bags get the sealing rod treatment or if it's something special I know I won't get to for a while, I go ahead and heat seal the bag. I have an impulse sealer as well but prefer an airtight seal. Sometimes I use the impulse sealer and then test it with the vacuum sealer to make sure the seal is good.
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Mon Nov 06, 2017 8:53 pm

tealifehk wrote:
Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:11 pm
Double lidded canisters for many of my oolongs, or even Chinese single lidded canisters that do a great job at keeping tea dry! I also use glass jars (Bormioli). Smaller amounts in bags get the sealing rod treatment or if it's something special I know I won't get to for a while, I go ahead and heat seal the bag. I have an impulse sealer as well but prefer an airtight seal. Sometimes I use the impulse sealer and then test it with the vacuum sealer to make sure the seal is good.
Double lidded for green Oolong as well? That would seem risky to me, unless you use antique lead containers which are as close as you can get to airtight as far as canisters go.
Even if I keep an opened oolong in its original pack and tightly seal it, I need to finish it in 2 weeks max before the goodness fades away.

Roasted oolongs or black are ok, I keep those in clay or porcelain jars with only a sheet of calligraphy paper in between to seal it. Does keep well for a long time.
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Tue Nov 07, 2017 1:38 am

Bok wrote:
Mon Nov 06, 2017 8:53 pm
tealifehk wrote:
Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:11 pm
Double lidded canisters for many of my oolongs, or even Chinese single lidded canisters that do a great job at keeping tea dry! I also use glass jars (Bormioli). Smaller amounts in bags get the sealing rod treatment or if it's something special I know I won't get to for a while, I go ahead and heat seal the bag. I have an impulse sealer as well but prefer an airtight seal. Sometimes I use the impulse sealer and then test it with the vacuum sealer to make sure the seal is good.
Double lidded for green Oolong as well? That would seem risky to me, unless you use antique lead containers which are as close as you can get to airtight as far as canisters go.
Even if I keep an opened oolong in its original pack and tightly seal it, I need to finish it in 2 weeks max before the goodness fades away.

Roasted oolongs or black are ok, I keep those in clay or porcelain jars with only a sheet of calligraphy paper in between to seal it. Does keep well for a long time.
Please do not use lead caddies, the lead accumulates in your system and can cause serious issues. And they are often nowhere near as good as modern containers as far as quality of seal! How are you tightly sealing your original packs? With tape?

I'd wager that the quality of your tea is falling off due to humidity getting into the tea. Yes, you wanna keep green teas as airtight as possible. Nitrogen flushing is best, but vacuum sealing is about as good as it gets for home storage.
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Bok
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Tue Nov 07, 2017 3:54 am

tealifehk wrote:
Tue Nov 07, 2017 1:38 am

Please do not use lead caddies, the lead accumulates in your system and can cause serious issues. And they are often nowhere near as good as modern containers as far as quality of seal! How are you tightly sealing your original packs? With tape?

I'd wager that the quality of your tea is falling off due to humidity getting into the tea. Yes, you wanna keep green teas as airtight as possible. Nitrogen flushing is best, but vacuum sealing is about as good as it gets for home storage.
I have a folding technique which keeps the air out as much as possible, then close with a binder clip. Only for teas I intend to use up quickly, I do not properly reseal bags. That would only be if I wanted to send a sample to someone.

If I compare it with climate in Europe, tea falls off even faster in dry climate. Taste is less good as well, which seems to have to do with how we sense taste and smell, long story short: Nose dry, tea becomes less tasty, nose well humidified, taste increases. Kyarazen wrote an article about it on his blog some time ago.

I thought those antique lead canisters where safe to use!? Lots of ”tea people” recommend them. Guess it makes sense though to avoid them. Better for the budget as well, as they come pretty expensive!
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Tue Nov 07, 2017 5:03 am

Bok wrote:
Tue Nov 07, 2017 3:54 am
tealifehk wrote:
Tue Nov 07, 2017 1:38 am

Please do not use lead caddies, the lead accumulates in your system and can cause serious issues. And they are often nowhere near as good as modern containers as far as quality of seal! How are you tightly sealing your original packs? With tape?

I'd wager that the quality of your tea is falling off due to humidity getting into the tea. Yes, you wanna keep green teas as airtight as possible. Nitrogen flushing is best, but vacuum sealing is about as good as it gets for home storage.
I have a folding technique which keeps the air out as much as possible, then close with a binder clip. Only for teas I intend to use up quickly, I do not properly reseal bags. That would only be if I wanted to send a sample to someone.

If I compare it with climate in Europe, tea falls off even faster in dry climate. Taste is less good as well, which seems to have to do with how we sense taste and smell, long story short: Nose dry, tea becomes less tasty, nose well humidified, taste increases. Kyarazen wrote an article about it on his blog some time ago.

I thought those antique lead canisters where safe to use!? Lots of ”tea people” recommend them. Guess it makes sense though to avoid them. Better for the budget as well, as they come pretty expensive!
The canisters are pewter; MarshalN once wrote that if the pewter is dark and dusty, avoid (lead). If it isn't dark, there is no lead. There are lots of lead-free ones on the market! I have two. One vintage HK-made one and one Royal Selangor. The Royal Selangor one was a lucky score as I got it for much less than retail.

For TW teas I often roll the bag down, clip, then place in a single or double lidded canister.
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Tue Nov 07, 2017 7:06 pm

tealifehk wrote:
Tue Nov 07, 2017 5:03 am
The canisters are pewter; MarshalN once wrote that if the pewter is dark and dusty, avoid (lead). If it isn't dark, there is no lead. There are lots of lead-free ones on the market! I have two. One vintage HK-made one and one Royal Selangor. The Royal Selangor one was a lucky score as I got it for much less than retail.

For TW teas I often roll the bag down, clip, then place in a single or double lidded canister.
Yes, pewter that was it!
I do the same like, double lidded canister for the clipped pack. Makes the tea shelf less messy with some nice canisters instead of myriad of differen vacuum packs.
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