How long do blacks from Adagio stay fresh

[Katmandu]

Hi! I have so many different blacks for my morning tea -its wonderfully overkill but I'm wondering how long these blacks will stay fresh in their original Adagio canisters(not the samples) Is it similar for whites? I seem to buy those more in bulk sizes than I do my oolongs and greens... any thoughts?

[Victoria]

Blacks will stay the freshest longest. Definitely up to a year, I've had some black for two years and see barely a difference.

Oolongs will pale faster. Still drinkable, but they will no longer be "lively".
No more than a year for those - best within 3-6 max.

Try them, if they are off, throw them out.

[Herb_Master]

The 5 enemies of Tea are Oxygen, Time, Light, Heat and Odours!

If you store in cool, dark place that is odour free you only have to battle against Oxygen and Time. If you can restrict the amount of Oxygen then the Time factor will be extended as much as possible. You state "In the Adagio Container", but when this is only half full you should consider transferring it to a smaller, airtight container.

The Purple Cane website lists 4 of these factors

http://www.purplecane.com.my/purplecane ... e/c34.html

Four Reasons Why Tea Leaves Go Off

Temperature
Storing tea leaves under 10°C effectively stops them from discoloring and going off. New tea leaves age 3~5 times faster for every increase of 10°C.

Humidity
When the water content in tea leaves exceeds 6%, chlorophyll degradates rapidly and tea polyphenol automatically oxidizes, resulting in tea leaves going off even faster.

Oxygen
Hydrolysis and oxidation of lipoid in tea leaves gives out unpleasant smell and makes the tea liquor darker.

Lighting
Light promotes oxidation of plant pigments or lipoid, which in turn expedites the process of various chemical reactions. The quality of tea leaves will inevitably be affected.

The LongQuan Tea Shop says something similar

http://tealqs.com/eng/wenhua/cha3.shtml

How to store tea


Knowing how to select and make tea is not enough, and it is also necessary for a tea lover to know how to store it.

The key of storing tea is sealed to avoid compressing, humid, light and odor, and the following is the details.

First, put leaves in a pot in case of being crushed. Any kind of teapot is suitable only if it can be sealed to keep tea fresh. But the pot should not be too large, and the best practice is that the teapot is full of leaves. Note: such way is definitely better than a half filled pot.

The worst teapot is made of iron and paper pot, then comes to stainless and chinaware, and the best one is tin teapot. The transparent volume can't keep tea fresh for a long time, for it receives light. Hence, transparent one is suggested to short terms store.

The way of storing tea is one of the most difficult problems. There is no good way for long terms store. Even with good way of store tea, different types have various fresh periods. Green tea, white tea and scented tea are hard to keep, for they are not fermented or half fermented. Generally three months is the fresh period for them.

Compressed tea is half fermented, so it could be fresh after 6 months.
Black tea can be kept longer, for it is fully fermented.

Oolong tea is late fermented and made by special skills. The higher quality it is, the longer it can be kept. Therefore, it is named " Tea antique" and "Black glod".

All tea has a shelf life. Proper storage is necessary to prolong freshness.
Store tea in opaque containers to avoid contact with light. Use a container with a tight-sealing lid to guard against moisture and preserve flavor. Store in a cool place. When put tea in refrigerator, it is needed to avoid odor, for tea is easy to absorb strange odor.

lower than 10 degrees should be fine for Black Tea, Greens and Greener Oolongs benefit from even cooler storage conditions [refrigerator]

[Katmandu]

Oh I was under the impression that Adagio's containers would suffice...hmmm...where can I buy some good bigger airtight ones? Any suggestions?
Do all you guys switch the teas from the adagios containers? When i get tea from other vendors in lil sealed bags I often put them in the empty Adagio containers...thinking this was good...am I mistaken?

[Herb_Master]

I am not familiar with the Adagio canisters, if they have a good seal they should be OK for a few months.

If not then large canisters are an option, but several smaller containers are a superior purchase. Transfer the tea to 2 or 3 containers and only open 1 of them until it is empty, then move on to the next, this way (if you fill to the brim) there is little or no oxygen inside the canister, until eventually you start using it.

There are numerous options for Tea Canisters in all sorts of price ranges.

[Intuit]

If you have many small tins, do as suggested, don't open them all at once. Maybe open a few at a time.

I don't see why the tins supplied wouldn't suffice - for small qualities, its whats best.

When purchasing larger quantities, the bulk package should be opened once to remove a small amount, put in a large air-tight cannister with a seal that is opaque, and put away in a cool cupboard away from light - meaning a cupboard that isn't opened regularly.

You might try vacuum pack sealing subdivided quantities of more perishable teas, say in 1/4 pound aliquots from a 1-lb purchase, and putting these in your large cannister. It sounds like a lot of tea, but one tea drinker can easily go through a pound in just a few months if its your daily drinking tea.

From the bulk package, a small amount (2-4 oz) is kept in a smaller tin for ready use on the tea shelf.

[kymidwife]

Oh I was under the impression that Adagio's containers would suffice...hmmm...where can I buy some good bigger airtight ones? Any suggestions?
Do all you guys switch the teas from the adagios containers? When i get tea from other vendors in lil sealed bags I often put them in the empty Adagio containers...thinking this was good...am I mistaken?

I'm 10 months in on some of my Adagio black teas using just their cannisters, and they seem to be as fresh and tasty as they were in May of last year. I think they work just fine.

Sarah

[Herb_Master]

I'm 10 months in on some of my Adagio black teas using just their cannisters, and they seem to be as fresh and tasty as they were in May of last year. I think they work just fine.

Sarah

I was thinking more about the White Teas that she says she buys in Bulk.

[Chip]

Some blacks can last several years and may even improve with age imho, especially Chinese blacks.

[silvermage2000]

I would say a year mabe more.

[shardy53]

My teas were so fresh, they pinched my butt every time I walk by them. After about a year, that stopped completely.

Steve