Best Tea Canisters to Store Tea Properly

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The best tea canisters are airtight and opaque. Here are my picks that do the job beautifully. Plus, get my tips on how to store tea properly.

How to store tea properly

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Tea Canisters

Tea canisters can organize your tea and keep it stored properly, making your tea last longer, fresher.

Tea Sommelier’s Tip: Purchase tea in small quantities to ensure freshness.

What to Look for When Buying a Tea Canister

  • Airtight
    You want to keep moisture, odor, and air away from your tea to keep it fresher longer.
  • Opaque
    To keep light away, the tea canister should be dark or opaque. Avoid clear glass for this reason.
  • Wide opening
    Don’t struggle getting little tea leaves out of a small opening. You want enough room to easily spoon out tea from the canister.
  • Size
    Don’t get a huge tea canister since you don’t want a lot of air in the container with the tea. Plus, when the container is too big, it becomes hard to handle.

My Pick for Best Tea Canister:

Small White Canister

Photo Credit: cb2.com

Perfect for tea since it’s airtight with its silicone gasket lid, opaque, and has a wide opening. I LOVE how it looks! Get a whole bunch for your tea pantry.
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Ceramic Jar with Bamboo Lid

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Highly rated on Amazon, this ceramic canister has a silicone ring to create an airtight seal.
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Ceramic Canister with Curved Bottom

Photo Credit: amazon.com

A little bit more sleeker looking than the canister above with a curved bottom. Also has an airtight lid with a silicone seal ring.
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Tin Tea Canister

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Light and airtight, this tea tin canister has airtight double lids.
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How to Store Tea Properly

To store loose tea properly, a tea canister should be airtight so that it can be kept away from:

  • Moisture
    Since tea is dry, any type of moisture can ruin it which is why it’s best to store tea in an airtight container.
  • Heat
    Keep tea away from heat which can degrade your tea. Don’t keep your tea near a window or a stove. It’s best when kept at room temperature.
  • Odor
    Tea can absorb odor easily from the air around it, so store it away from anything with too strong of a smell like spices or coffee.
  • Air
    You’ll notice some tea sellers will vacuum seal the tea bags , to keep out any air and gives tea a longer shelf life. Squeeze the air out of zip bags first before sealing them to remove as much air as possible.
  • Light
    Keep tea away from light since it can deteriorate your tea. This is why it’s not recommended to store tea in clear glass jars unless it’s kept in a dark place.

Shelf Life of Teas

  • White tea, green tea, and herbals will last about a year if stored properly.
  • Dark teas like oolong and black tea will last up to two years.
  • Puerh tea is the exception to the rule since it’s meant to be aged and can be stored indefinitely.

Tea Storage Tips

  • White tea and green tea don’t have as long a shelf life as oolong tea and black tea since they are less oxidized.
  • Don’t store tea in plastic containers unless you’re using the same one to store the same tea each time — the plastic absorbs and releases odors.
  • It’s a good idea to write down the date of the tea purchase on the package — you’ll never have to guess if it’s old or really, really, really old.
  • If your tea comes in a paper bag, store it in a proper airtight container.
  • Label your tea canisters so you don’t have to open them up each time to see what’s inside.

About Jee Choe

Welcome! I'm a certified Tea Sommelier and a self-proclaimed bubble tea and iced tea master. I'm all about making tea EASY and DELICIOUS.

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