Canisters especially for greens

[britt]

I know most of this has been said, but just to summarize:

The caddies I purchased are 100% cherry bark, which is not the same as cherry wood. They were also handmade in Japan, which means a higher price.

The descripition of the first Teavana link says this caddy is cherry wood, not bark, and I'm guessing it may be made in China.

The second Teavana link describes that caddy as bark over metal, meaning the bark can't let moisture out because the metal holds it in. This is probably fine if you don't live in a hot, humid climate.

About 10 years ago I think the yen was as weak as 120 to the dollar. Recently it has been as strong as 83 yen per dollar. At a cost of 5000 yen, the difference in price between the two rates is about $18 ($42 vs. $60).

Edit: I've also noticed that as the economy tanks, many kilns and individual craftsmen are raising their prices not because they're offering a better product, but because they wish to continue making the same amount of money as in a good economy, or because they want to make the same per item as better known craftsmen make. I think both reasons are poorly thought out and result in less business, more price increases, less business, etc.

I was told by the owner of one business that so-and-so and some other guy want to get the same amount of money for their work that others get. Their prices increased several times and it appears, for the most part, that customers disagree that these items are worth the extra money or that the reasons for the increases are justified. These artist's are now asking very close to what Tenmoku master craftsman Koji Kamada gets for his works. My answer was that I will not support these artists who wish to get what Mr. Kamada gets because quite frankly, their work isn't worth it. I'll spend a little more and by Mr. Kamada's works instead. I have stuck to that policy.

[Tead Off]

Thanks for the explanation. After more careful reading of Teavana's caddies, I see the difference. I would also think the bark would be best of all.

[sebpassion]

You are going to have a lot of oxidized tea on your hands if you do this. I would recommend that you try three at a time...drinking one more than the others....as you consume all of the one....bring one of the unopened bags into the mix. Consume one of the older ones more and repeat until you've tried all of them. You will still get a good perspective overall.

yeah, thats what i'm doing at the moment.
and i love all 3 of em

[Chip]

You are going to have a lot of oxidized tea on your hands if you do this. I would recommend that you try three at a time...drinking one more than the others....as you consume all of the one....bring one of the unopened bags into the mix. Consume one of the older ones more and repeat until you've tried all of them. You will still get a good perspective overall.

yeah, thats what i'm doing at the moment.
and i love all 3 of em

Most wise decision!

[sebpassion]

Most wise decision!

ym in my cup at the moment
no more words needed

[Mrs. Chip]

Mmmmmmmmmmmm, YM ala O-Cha is my absolute FAVE!

[Ambrose]

So it just hit me last night while having tea and talking to a friend.

HELLO!!! What about a silica pack with the tea in a metal tea tin !!!

I remember dens tea ships with silica packs, but I think that was the only vendor that Ive seen do this.

Then you would get the long tern storage of a metal tin with moisture absorbing properties.

[Mr. Usaji]

I have gotten silica packets with both greens and oolongs. I don't know if they can be re-used forever, because they must get saturated with water at some point, but I don't know how fast that happens. Maybe someone who knows chemistry will comment.

On the other hand, you could just tie a red ribbon around your canister and you wouldn't need to worry about chemistry.

[Ambrose]

You would need to replace it from time to time. I dont know how long they last either but I do know they are not expensive

[Tead Off]

Many vendors ship with silica packs. I use them in all containers as it is very humid here. One can reuse a pack by baking them to extract the moisture accumulated. Just remember not too high on the heat and not too long in the oven.

[teaisme]

for your storage/preservation/sealing needs

http://www.sorbentsystems.com/

sorry no canisters here but a lot of useful stuff

[solitude]

what do you think about the air tight glass jars covered with something non transparent or kept in a dark place? it should fulfill all the requirements: airtight, neutral material, dark and also cheap.

[exquisite]

Now for some budget friendly solutions :

after a lot of time spent in searching some reliable medium sized canisters for green teas, I accidentally found a set of 2 for the ridiculous price of 6 euro in the kitchen department of the local ikea store. Bought them just because of the clean looks, but I have to say I am really suprised of the functionality. They immediately became my storing jars for gyokuro and high grade sencha.

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/60112660


These things are incredibly airtight, double silicone ring on the lid, they seem even a little difficult to close (push down the lid at max). They are made of (cheap) ceramic and and the lid seems like acacia wood.

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In the same budget friendly range I also have a T&G Scimitar Tea Jar for oolong, not so airtight but decent
just ceramic/rubber/wood. The size is double than the ikea jars.

http://www.tg-woodware.com/products/scimitar-tea-jar


If anyone interested I can post detailed pics of the rubber/silicone ring on the lid.

[Uji]

Cherry bark canisters are nice and expensive. I keep tea in them for not more than two weeks at a time. For one month I use a ZeroJapan ceramic canister. For more than one month I put only vacuum sealed bags in the freezer. Before using them from the freezer i let them stand for 24 hours without opening them to prevent condensation.

Here is a place that has a very nice cherry bark canister selection:

http://www.ldt.co.jp/kaba/cha/

and here:

http://kabazaiku.ocnk.net/product-list/6

There are a lot of "cherry bark" canisters that are metal with veneer, mostly from China like Chip already stated. Better of getting ceramic unless you just like to look. The desirable properties of the cherry bark are negated by the metal.

[solitude]

what do you think about the air tight glass jars covered with something non transparent or kept in a dark place? it should fulfill all the requirements: airtight, neutral material, dark and also cheap.

so nobody has nothing to comment about this?