Japanese tea caddies

thetealetter
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Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:04 pm

Victoria wrote:
Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:00 pm

When you place open macha packs back in refridgerator, are you waiting 24hrs after taking out of refridgerator to prevent condensation from ruining the tea? I operate under the assumption that if a pack is open it should never be put back in refridgerator, even if clipped and zip locked, because all tea has a certain amount of moisture which added to the oxigen from a previously open pack will degenerate the green tea very quickly.
I have not been waiting, no. I generally take out, use, and put back in a very short amount of time. I had the same concerns about condensation in the packaging but a few people I've talked to about this have not expressed any concerns.

You usually take your tea out and let it rest 24 hours before returning it to refrigerator storage?
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Victoria
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Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:13 pm

thetealetter wrote:
Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:04 pm
Victoria wrote:
Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:00 pm

When you place open macha packs back in refridgerator, are you waiting 24hrs after taking out of refridgerator to prevent condensation from ruining the tea? I operate under the assumption that if a pack is open it should never be put back in refridgerator, even if clipped and zip locked, because all tea has a certain amount of moisture which added to the oxigen from a previously open pack will degenerate the green tea very quickly.
I have not been waiting, no. I generally take out, use, and put back in a very short amount of time. I had the same concerns about condensation in the packaging but a few people I've talked to about this have not expressed any concerns.

You usually take your tea out and let it rest 24 hours before returning it to refrigerator storage?
I never place opened bags back in the refridgerator. If I had a way to remove air and or nitrogen flush and reseal I would. After taking sealed tea bags out of refridgerator I always wait 24hr for pack to reach room temperature to avoid moisture from condensation degenerating tea leaves. Curious how long/how many times have you been putting in and taking out of refridgerator matcha?
thetealetter
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Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:19 pm

It takes me roughly a 4-6 weeks of daily consumption to go through a 40g canister, so once a day every day pretty much.
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Victoria
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Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:25 pm

thetealetter wrote:
Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:19 pm
It takes me roughly a 4-6 weeks of daily consumption to go through a 40g canister, so once a day every day pretty much.
Interesting. Next time you get a new sealed matcha container you might try an experiment; 1/2 matcha in airtight caddy in cupboard, 1/2 matcha in airtight caddy in refridgerator, using each every other day, or side by side, to see if you notice any difference. Now I’m wondering if matcha might have less moisture than unground green tea leaves, as I’m seeing a few Japanese sites recommending refrigeration after opening, although they do say to let it rest to room temp before opening.
thetealetter
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Thu Oct 11, 2018 5:12 pm

Great idea! I have some new matcha to crack open soon so I'll give that a shot. :)
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debunix
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Thu Oct 11, 2018 9:36 pm

I only put unopened teas in the refrigerator, or teas that have been opened, divided into smaller quantities, and each one sealed--e.g., a large bag of a delicate tea that I won't finish before it starts to degrade.

My thoughts with the Sakura Bark caddies are to have one for the Japanese green that I'm currently working on, so it would be for a couple of weeks at a time. But probably not going to put the tea directly in it, especially after this discussion.
Henk
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Fri Oct 12, 2018 10:00 am

If you don't mind dropping a significant amount of pennies, you could take a look at pewter caddies. The workshop here in Malaysia makes air tight ones (I've seen them in the shop. They're too pricey for me) and they come in a variety of classical and artistic designs. https://my.royalselangor.com/coffee-tea ... ddies.html

(I have no affiliation with them)
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Baisao
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Mon Oct 15, 2018 1:23 am

The caddy question has been answered. Since we’ve moved on to general storage...

Some oolongs absolutely open up, for lack of a better phrase, in ceramic containers. These have been mid-oxidized or aged oolongs, in my experience. Two weeks in a jar can often do wonders for tea that is under-performing.

This is my storage system:
* I vacuum seal non-fragile teas that I don’t want to age.
* I place fragile teas I don’t want to age in amber glass, cloaked in inert gas.
* I place loose teas I want to age in clay kimchi pots, amber glass, or original paper packaging.

I have an embarrassing amount of tea for personal consumption so I have to be frugal with my storage solutions. I can’t afford 50+ large handmade ceramic tea jars. Kimchi pots and amber jars look nice enough and are inexpensive. I use inert gas and vacuum sealing for other things so they get dual usage. I’ve been using inert gases and vacuum sealing for over a decade with good results.

Cheers!
thetealetter
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Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:21 am

I found these glass jars on a matcha vendor's website yesterday (no affiliation). This particular jar holds up to 150 grams of matcha, which is an obscene amount of open air considering I never buy any single matcha in quantities greater than 40g at a time.

That said, the jars themselves are designed to block all UV light but unclear as to how air-tight they are. My guess is not especially (given they just look like regular screw top lids with no gasket or anything).

Anyone seen/used anything like this?

@Baisao:

What are these "amber glasses" you're referring to? Also how are you vacuum sealing your tea with inert gas?
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Baisao
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Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:58 am

thetealetter wrote:
Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:21 am
Baisao:

What are these "amber glasses" you're referring to? Also how are you vacuum sealing your tea with inert gas?
I get large, wide-mouth amber glass jars from U-LINE.

I don't use inert gas and vacuum sealing in combination since a vacuum defeats the point of an inert gas.

I forgot to mention oxy-sorb packets. I might through in an oxy-sorb pack into vacuum sealed tea if I am putting it away for months, otherwise I omit it. I use Inert gas for jars only and throw in an oxy-sorb packet as well to capture residual oxygen for teas that I do not want to age.
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Victoria
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Mon Oct 15, 2018 3:40 pm

Baisao wrote:
Mon Oct 15, 2018 1:23 am
.......
This is my storage system:
* I vacuum seal non-fragile teas that I don’t want to age.
* I place fragile teas I don’t want to age in amber glass, cloaked in inert gas.
......
Can you share your vacuum seal and inert gas solution/devices? I’d like to start doing this as well. Thanks.
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Baisao
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Tue Oct 16, 2018 12:50 am

Victoria wrote:
Mon Oct 15, 2018 3:40 pm
Baisao wrote:
Mon Oct 15, 2018 1:23 am
.......
This is my storage system:
* I vacuum seal non-fragile teas that I don’t want to age.
* I place fragile teas I don’t want to age in amber glass, cloaked in inert gas.
......
Can you share your vacuum seal and inert gas solution/devices? I’d like to start doing this as well. Thanks.
I am using a FoodSaver for a vacuum sealer. The zip-lok resealable bags leak so avoid those. For inert gas I use Private Preserve wine preserver. The bottles always feel empty but is completely filled. Cheers!
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debunix
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Tue Oct 16, 2018 10:35 am

This is the Food-saver jar sealing attachment for the vacuum-seal device:

(wide mouth)
https://www.foodsaver.com/accessories-a ... 3-01P.html

(regular mouth)
https://www.foodsaver.com/accessories-a ... 6-02P.html

and you also need something like this this to drive the attachment

https://www.foodsaver.com/vacuum-sealer ... 4-P00.html

Then you can vacuum-seal balled or compressed teas in bags, and vacuum seal more delicate flat, curled, twisted, etc teas in canning jars. Put the jars/bags in a dark cabinet, or closed refrigerator, and you're done. I've done this a few times but not consistently because the time and effort to do a good job on many little packets of tea is not entirely trivial, and I've found it easier to learn to order less at a time and drink the delicate teas faster once I've opened them.
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debunix
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Tue Oct 16, 2018 10:50 am

Re: Sakura-bark caddies, one of my questions--solutions for better-sealed storage inside them--was answered, with lots of suggestions for other types of canisters etc, but no ideas for using specifically a Sakura-bark caddy better than storing the original bag/pouch clipped closed inside the bark caddy.

I do want to get one or two for my tea table, being more aesthetically pleasing than metal canisters and clipped pouches, for the 'sencha/gyokuro' of the week, and whether I put pouches inside or put tea directly in them, I'd like them to be reasonably tight sealed fir what they are--natural wood products. Since I'm not likely heading back to Japan to feel the seals myself anytime soon, does anyone have suggestions for sources for well-made examples of genuine Sakua bark caddies?
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