How do you keep all of these tea organized????

[futurebird]

With pu, you just stack'em, maybe put some of what you like best in a little clay jar. Done. No worries about it being air-tight etc.

I have a bunch of 30-100g oolong samples, and they tend to come in non-resealable bags

So, short of starting to look like drug dealer with a bunch of plastic baggies all over the place... what can I do?

Are there any inexpensive smaller tins that ya'll could recomened?

I assume clay isn't ideal for oolong, more like tin, pewter, or just air tight bags... right?

[Devoted135]

This is my favorite tin for blacks and oolongs. Just an fyi, they don't stack stably.

http://www.enjoyingtea.com/endolidtinca.html

[debunix]

I use binder clips to give them a fairly tight closure, and try to keep few of the quick-fading greens open at once.

[tenuki]

I use binder clips to give them a fairly tight closure, and try to keep few of the quick-fading greens open at once.

This.

I also have one of these - best investment ever...

[ABx]

This is my favorite tin for blacks and oolongs. Just an fyi, they don't stack stably.

http://www.enjoyingtea.com/endolidtinca.html

They also have 1.5oz tins that are great for samples.

Sorbent Systems have small zip-seal foil bags that are great for samples, too. Like debunix, though, I usually just use a binder clip to close the sample bags and keep them in boxes (mostly with the top cut off). It's not really ideal, but it works; samples can start to stack up quickly, and they're generally not worth spending a lot of time on.

[BioHorn]

I use binder clips to give them a fairly tight closure, and try to keep few of the quick-fading greens open at once.

This.

I also have one of these - best investment ever...

Tenuki. Thanks for the link! Any chance you have a link for your preferred bags? I would appreciate it.

[teaisme]

http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... oduct=2090

would not re use more then twice-- unless you are very gentle and don't bend the bottom flaps at all after opening the base to stand up.

eventually these things will chip little pieces of mylar into your tea if your not careful and reuse them too much

[tenuki]

I use binder clips to give them a fairly tight closure, and try to keep few of the quick-fading greens open at once.

This.

I also have one of these - best investment ever...

Tenuki. Thanks for the link! Any chance you have a link for your preferred bags? I would appreciate it.

Looks like ABx came to the same conclusion - mylar bags from:
http://www.sorbentsystems.com

I also use their oxygen absorbers.

[futurebird]

what about vacuum sealing?I was thinking of getting one of those anyway for food. (I pack bentos for my husband and like to have a lot of pre-cooked goodies on hand)

I order this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Light-Blue-Porc ... 43b253ac73

and one other slightly larger, but similar to keep what I'm drinking now.

the sealer sound good for the rest. I have about 15 open samples now, and I won't get through them before they go stale-- for now they are in a ziplock with binder clips.

[brandon]

Consumer food vacuum sealers don't have enough power to seal mylar tea bags. You need a commercial model if that is what you are after.

[victoria3]

I also use binder clips with the foil lined bags that my teas comes in. Recently, for longer term refrigerator storage, I purchased water/air tight and odor proof zip bags, OPSAK by Loksak. http://www.loksak.com/purchase/opsak-3.html

Does anyone else use Evernote app to file and organize tea tasting notes, parameters, reviews? I find this app really useful because it automatically syncs between computers, phone and ipad.

[David R.]

Got myself a Foodsaver vacuum machine a couple of years ago. I can confirm that it does not work with every mylar bags, but some do work. Of course, you can repack the tea with the plastic bags that works with the machine.

It is a wonderful machine for food too, even if I bought it for tea. You can also use it to cook for making "bain-marie" or other things. I am making half-cooked foie gras using it and a steam cooking machine...

[ABx]

I have about 15 open samples now, and I won't get through them before they go stale-- for now they are in a ziplock with binder clips.

Keep in mind that wulong with any amount of roast will be good for quite a while. It might lose some of the fragrant freshness, but the roast will settle and the tea will actually be better after about a year in a bag or tin (particularly tins with a good seal, as you want *some* air).

Also, if you don't drink the mid- to high-fire/roast before it goes stale, you can hold on to it for a few more years and you'll get aged wulong. Again, you just want it to be air-tight, but with *some* air -- just not too much humidity. I have a 2004 light-mid roast that went stale; I threw in some desiccant packs, put it in the back of the closet, and it is turning/has turned into a lovely aged wulong

I was also going through my sample collection this week, and tried some samples of greener stuff (like a Jin Xuan) that had been heat sealed in the plastic covered mylar pouch, and they were still very good after several (4?) years. I even have some teas in plain ziplock baggies that have held up pretty well (surprisingly).

I guess my point is that wulong isn't as hard to store as you might think; they hold up a lot better than green teas. The main thing you have to watch out for is humidity and light.

[ABx]

Looks like ABx came to the same conclusion - mylar bags from:
http://www.sorbentsystems.com

I also use their oxygen absorbers.

Sorbent Systems is awesome Their website kind of sucks, though; it's easier to find your way around with Google -- search "site:sorbentsystems.com <your search term>"