Teavana tea tin containers

[Pentox]

hmm pressures,
but how does it explain migration of fumes(of earl grey for example)

What migration of fumes? migration out of the container or into the actual container?

[Chip]

Thinking back to my chem classes, I remember something called osmosis where air tends to equalize based on air borne chemicals and components. So, if air inside the tin is different than air outside the tin, it will try to equalize.

I would think that whatever makes the air inside the tin aromatic what cause some type of osmotic effect. Osmosis is a powerful force as I recall.

But I am not a chemist, I am just a country doctor.

[silverneedles]

ah diffusion ! particles excited to get out of the crowd...
(osmosis es para el agua)
lemme tell ya earl grey really wants to equalize, make sure everything else smells like it too.

[Pentox]

Thinking back to my chem classes, I remember something called osmosis where air tends to equalize based on air borne chemicals and components. So, if air inside the tin is different than air outside the tin, it will try to equalize.

I would think that whatever makes the air inside the tin aromatic what cause some type of osmotic effect. Osmosis is a powerful force as I recall.

But I am not a chemist, I am just a country doctor.

Um osmosis isn't quite the mechanism at work here. It's more just general mixing of the air. (Assuming we're still talking about odors through the seams in a tin) That's just more air circulation. Albeit small amounts. Osmosis technically needs a semi permeable membrane.

[Chip]

True. And I am done pretending I have a clue what goes on.

Still, won't air will tend towards equalization between two adjoining but different "chambers" given an opening? Think how quickly cooking food aromas can travel through out an entire house.

Is there a chemist in the house?

[silverneedles]

or a physicist

[Pentox]

True. And I am done pretending I have a clue what goes on.

Still, won't air will tend towards equalization between two adjoining but different "chambers" given an opening? Think how quickly cooking food aromas can travel through out an entire house.

Is there a chemist in the house?

Yeah, thems some fun aspects of fluid dynamics. The speed at which large aromatic particles can traverse through a large body of volume like a room at the speed they do is hard to wrap the mind around. It's not like the air is moving that rapidly.

But yes, with the difference in partial concentrations of a given substance in the gas they will move toward a steady state situation. Gotta love entropy, gonna kill us all if the universe has the right mass.

[britt]

I am trying to find a good way to store my teas and I thought they were safe in the Teavana tins I bought from them. They said that the tins are the best way to store tea because they are air tight. ...

What is a good cheep way of storing teas? I thought of spay painting black on the outside of tuberware containers. How do you guys store your teas? Do you have any suggestions?

Some teas apparently do not require airtight containers. I've seen Taiwanese tea storage containers that have a hole in the lid, which can be left open or blocked depending on the type of tea to be stored.

The best tea tin I own isn't tin and it doesn't appear to be air tight. It is claimed to regulate humidity by removing excessive moisture. I tried it because my apartment gets very hot and humid in the summer, as I am away for about 12 hours each day 5 days per week. Last summer I ruined some sencha Midori I kept in an airtight container in the kitchen. It lost much of its flavor and fresh smell. This summer I didn't have this problem when I used the new container.

This container is 100% cherry bark, not cherry bark over tin. Neither the inner or outer lid feels like it's airtight. Sencha kept in this container has retained it's fresh scent and flavor no matter how hot and humid it may have gotten over the summer.

The cherry bark container is not cheap at about $65, but the tea I store in it isn't cheap either. For quality Japanese tea, I recommend one of these.

For Chinese tea storage I've had very good luck with the Taiwanese double-lidded tins you can purchase tea in from local Asian markets. I buy the cheapest variety of tea that comes in this tin, give the tea away in a zip-lock bag, and keep the tin for storing better teas that I buy online. These tins seem to be very airtight. You can feel the pressure as you put the outer lid on.

[wyardley]

I like ceramic canisters, either the "Bee House" brand style ones (Target has some cheap ones that you can get a multi-pack of different sizes of, though they're of inferior quality to the Bee House ones), or the Chinese ones with the foil / padding lids to help create a kind of seal. The latter may not have a perfect seal, so I try to use them with teas I'm drinking quickly or with teas that are more roasted. Also, I live in a really dry climate, so as long as the tea is roasted / oxidized enough, I don't mind having a little airflow. I've got a ton of metal ones too, mostly metal lidded, but somehow I find that tea doesn't seem to taste as good after prolonged contact with metal (compared to ceramic).

One other thing to keep in mind is that it's best to not have too much empty space in the canister.

Some people put bamboo charcoal, parchment, or desiccants at the the bottom of the canister to further help with odors, metallic taste, or moisture (respectively).


Few other things that are probably common knowledge, but in case they help...

1) Make sure the tea canister is dry and odorless when you put the tea in. If you need to wash it, let it dry for at least a few days.
2) I find that leaving it out (open) for a few days will help get any odors out. Maybe some time in sunlight will help. Of course make sure that not too much dust or dirt gets in during that time.
3) You can shake some of the tea leaf you're going to store in the canister around in it for a few minutes to further soak up any off odors.