Tea Storage?

[Shadowfall]

First off, I hope I'm even posting this in the right place. If not, let me know where to move it and I'll head that way.

Now on to my question! XD
Being relatively new to tea, I'm pretty clueless about alot of it. The thing I'm wondering the most at the moment is how to store tea?
Right now I've been keeping it in the bags (black plastic or foil-lined brown paper) they came in, and for the teas I've gotten from my Mom I've been storing in my cabinet in small metal tins that came off a magnetic spice rack.

As much as I like using the little spice tins, they have flimsy clear tops and aren't very airtight, so I'm worried about the tea inside getting stale quicker than I'll be able to drink it.
So I started looking for better ways to store loose tea that won't kill my wallet. The containers I've seen most often are the washi paper covered tea containers, which are very far out of my budget, no matter how pretty they are.
I've also seen the tins that Adagio carries, which at this point seem like my best bet since they have good reviews and are pretty cost effective.

So I was wondering what people here store their loose tea in? Does anyone use the Adagio tins and are they worth it?

And just 'cause I'm nosey, where's the best place to store tea?

Thanks!

[debunix]

I mostly keep it in the bags it came in, because I can cram more of those into my tea drawers/tea boxes/tea shelves.

[spinmail]

I'm not sure how much tea you have, or how quickly you use it. I know I keep a variety of tea, and keeping it fresh can be a challenge. I use mason jars, and put them in a cabinet to keep them cool and away from the light. But for most people, keeping it sealed in its original package is sound advice.

[JRS22]

You may need a few tea tins for tea that comes from your Mom, or otherwise arrives not packed in a proper resealable bag. I find that the Adagio tins that I have store tea better than expected, although I keep my most delicate teas in double lidded canisters. $9 for 3 tins is an excellent price, and the shipping is low. Plus, you can add to your sample collection without paying additional shipping.

[needaTEAcher]

Another small piece of advise: try not to keep them in the kitchen, or near spices/other foods. The temperature fluctuations in the kitchen from cooking, and all the smells flying around, can degrade the quality of your teas.

Outside of puerh, which I prefer to keep in unglazed clay urns when possible (or cardboard, or ceramic jars), I like to keep my tea in airtight tins, is a dark, reasonably cool place. I keep a section of my closet dedicated to tea. Happy sipping!