How to store tea: what spoils it, where to keep it, which tin to choose

How to store tea: the simple habits that are enough

To store tea well, protect it from five things: air, light, moisture, heat and odours. In practice, this comes down to four habits: an opaque tin that closes properly, a dry cupboard away from the cooker and the spices, a spoon that is always dry, and a tin sized to the tea that remains.

• An opaque, closed tin: metal by preference, with a lid that closes without any play.
• A dry, temperate cupboard: not above the hob, not next to the sink, not on a windowsill.
• Away from odours: spices, coffee and household products stored elsewhere.
• A dry spoon, a tin closed quickly: every opening lets air in.

What spoils tea?

Tea is spoiled above all by air, moisture and heat, which alter the dry leaf and fade its fragrance; light and odours do the rest. A Chinese study published in 2022 on a green tea measured the effect of temperature, air humidity and the amount of oxygen in the packaging: the most stable conditions for flavour combined a moderate room temperature, low-humidity air and very little oxygen.

Another study, carried out on commercial green teas, measured a gradual decline in their characteristic compounds over a few months of storage at room temperature. The lesson for the home is simple: a tea keeps, but it does not improve, with some exceptions.

Odours are less visible but quickly tasted: a dry leaf takes on the scent of whatever surrounds it. That is why our guides repeat the same advice for teas and herbal infusions alike: an opaque, airtight tin, away from kitchen spices.

Where should you keep tea at home?

The right place to keep tea is a closed, dry cupboard at room temperature, away from sources of heat and steam. In a kitchen, that rules out the top of the cooker hood, the cupboard next to the oven, the one under the sink and the spice shelf.

For leaf tea, a cupboard is enough: the refrigerator is not necessary. Matcha is the exception: once the tin is opened, our matcha guide recommends keeping it in the refrigerator, tightly closed, and waiting a few minutes before opening it to avoid condensation.

Which tin should you use to store tea?

The right tea tin is opaque, closes properly and is sized to the quantity to be kept. Metal is the simplest choice: indeed, this is how Mariage Frères sells some of its teas, such as Marco Polo in a 100 g tea tin, alongside the same tea in a loose leaf bag to decant at home. You will find our full selection in the tea tins section.

Esprit Céladon washi and illustrated tins

The tins in the Esprit Céladon range have a tinplate body and a double lid, and are decorated by hand in France. The Boîte Washi Papier · 100 g and the Boîte Washi Papier · 150 g are covered in washi paper; the Boîte Illustrée · 100 g bears a lacquered design. All three come in many patterns.

The house black tins

The Boîte Noire Vide 50 g suits a tea you are tasting in a small quantity, or the remainder of a packet: the less air around the leaves, the better they keep. The large Boîte Noire Vide 2 kg is designed to keep the leaves out of the light, day to day.

The wooden box for tea bags

The Boîte à Thé Bois · 12 Compartiments is for sorting tea bags and blends: each in its own compartment, lid closed. For loose leaf tea, we recommend instead one closed metal tin per tea, so that the fragrances do not mingle.

Green tea, flavoured tea, Pu-erh, matcha: each has its own precautions

Most teas are stored in the same way, but four cases call for particular care. The table summarises what our guides and the studies cited as sources say.

For the details, each type has its own guide: storing and ageing cakes in our Pu-erh guide, storing first flushes in our Darjeeling guide, and storing loose plants in the guide to single-plant herbal infusions.

Does tea go off? Reading the date on the packet

Tea does not carry a use-by date, but a date of minimum durability, indicated by the words “best before”. According to the official information sheets on food dates cited as sources, a foodstuff past this date may have lost some of its qualities without presenting any risk, as long as its packaging is not damaged. For a tea kept dry, this mainly means a more subdued fragrance.

Only the use-by date, “use by”, requires a product to be thrown away, and it applies to highly perishable foodstuffs, not to dry tea. A tea past its date is therefore judged by the nose and in the cup: if it smells mouldy or shows traces of moisture, it should no longer be drunk; if it is merely more subdued, it remains drinkable.

Giving tea that is already well stored

Giving a tin together with the tea that goes in it means giving a tea that will keep. A Boîte Washi Papier · 100 g by Esprit Céladon holds a 100 g bag of loose leaf tea, such as Marco Polo; the Boîte Illustrée · 100 g plays the same role with a lacquered design.

For several teas, the bespoke gift set brings together 4, 6, 9 or 12 closed metal tins, each filled with 50 g of loose leaf tea weighed to order. Our guide to putting together a tea gift set helps you choose the teas.