Living and Dining Room
Cutlery
- Sales
- Novelties
- Last chance
Bathroom and wellness
Bathroom furniture and mirrors
- Novelties
Kitchen
Collections
ProfessionalsShowrooms & Dealers
Tea Storage
Besides coffee, tea is one of the most popular drinks in the UK and worldwide.Be it hot or cold, as black tea, green tea, loose leaf or in a bag, with aromas or completely natural: tea provides a smorgasbord of flavours and aromas beyond compare. It can have an invigorating as well as calming effect and is the go-to drink for some me time, for relaxing and unwinding.
We have put together a few important tips and advice on how to store tea properly in order to preserve and protect the different aromas in the best possible way. Moreover, you will find out how long and where different teas can be stored, what kind of containers are best suited for storage and how each tea has different requirements – so you can have the perfect tea experience and enjoy every cuppa.
The proper storage place
Tea should be stored away from direct sunlight and other heat sources such as radiators and electrical appliances. It is best to keep it at room temperature, at about 19 °C.
How long can you store tea?
Every tea tastes different and has a different shelf life. If the original packaging is still sealed, black tea will usually last for up to 3 years, and just as long if stored properly after it has been opened, i.e. air-tight and in a dark place.
How to store fruit and herbal tea
Strictly speaking, fruit and herbal teas are not really tea (which is produced from the leaves of the tea plant), but infusions. This is why these hot drinks do not contain any invigorating caffeine or theine, which makes herbal and fruit teas also the perfect thirst quencher for children. Moreover, fruit teas have a wide spectrum of various aromas, depending on which fruit and other ingredients it contains.
Herbal teas from e.g. camomile, peppermint or sage are traditionally drank to combat symptoms of specific diseases as their essential oils have a febrifugal, expectorant or calming effect, depending on the herb. However, there is also an increasing number of herbal tea lovers who drink the infusions because they like the taste and also use other medicinal herbs.
Regardless of whether fruit or herbal tea: these teas should be stored just like “proper” tea, i.e. air-tight, in a dry and cool place so that the aromas and health-promoting substances can be preserved for as long as possible.
Pu-erh tea and white tea have to breathe and should, therefore, not be stored in an air-tight container like other teas. However, fruit tea and flavoured teas should be stored in an air-tight container, yet they usually do not last for longer than two years.
Watch out for moths in fruit tea
Pantry moths are not only a nuisance, but can breed uncontrollably once they have settled in the kitchen or larder. Because humans provide them with the ideal conditions, especially as they are not very fussy about their food. Although pantry moths cannot actually live on tea (neither black, green or white), fruit tea – especially tea that contains pieces of real fruit, fresh or dried – is nutritional and attractive for moths. This is why you should always use caddies or glass jars that close firmly to store fruit tea and only leave them open in the kitchen for a very short amount of time. This makes it much more difficult for pantry moths to settle, and you can enjoy your delicious fruit tea blends for longer.