8 Things
You Need to
Know Before Buying Tea
You’ve made the positive choice of investing in yourself and your health, and now you’re supporting your body even more with powerful detox and wellness teas. Make sure you’re storing your tea the correct way to ensure optimal freshness and longevity.
But first, let’s talk about packaging...
Purposeful Packaging for Transfer
NUMBER 1: Spirit Healing Tea is dedicated to sourcing only the highest quality loose leaves, herbs, fruits, flowers, and sea greens with your health and well being in mind. We put just as much thought and care into our packaging. We purposely place our teas in a dark, airtight, heat-sealed, windowless, non-transparent mylar bags to not only preserve freshness, but more importantly, to protect it from outside contaminants during transfer. We want our teas to stay safe and secure until it reaches your hands.
NUMBER 2: There are a number of toxins and pollutants that parcels come into contact with during transportation, such as bad air quality, exhaust fumes, off-gassing from other products or their packaging materials, chemicals, and more. In a closed space, the concentrations can grow to hazardous levels. If your shipment happens to sit next to another box that had recently been inside a shipping container, these contaminants can be even more severe. The ever-evolving flow of packages from around the world means there’s an increasing chance your package is exposed.
Because of this, the last thing you want is to do is purchase tea, or any edible product for that matter, that isn’t sealed in an air tight container.
Teas that are packaged in paper bags or cardboard boxes are very susceptible to toxin permeation as well as water, humidity, or pests. Even plastic bags can breath a small amount, potentially letting in contaminants.
Storing Your
Tea at Home
We put a lot of thought and consideration into protecting your tea during the shipping process, however, we do recommend you transfer your tea to an airtight opaque container upon receipt. Although you can certainly choose to keep your tea in its original packaging, simply put, the best, safest material for storing tea is an opaque, sealed vessel.
While tea does not have an expiration date, it can start to lose freshness over time, especially if not kept properly. Storing your tea doesn’t need to be complicated, though. If you follow the storing tips as outlined below, you will likely consume your tea long before you begin to notice any breakdown in aroma or taste.
NUMBER 6: Teas should be kept away from strong odors. Tea leaves easily absorb the scent of their surroundings, which can be detrimental if they come into contact with undesirable smells, such as a spice cabinet, trashcan, or other source of odor. Store your tea in airtight vessels away from anything with disagreeable aromas.
NUMBER 7: Teas should be kept free of moisture. A tea’s shelf life is only stable when it is dry, so don’t steep your tea until you’re ready to steep your tea. Keep it in an airtight storage container to block out all moisture, including humid areas such as above the dishwasher vent or in a refrigerator. Don’t expose your tea to liquid until you’re ready to brew.
NUMBER 8: Teas stay prime when stored in bulk. An almost empty, airtight vessel with a small amount of tea in the bottom will actually deteriorate faster than an airtight vessel entirely filled to capacity. Keep your tea fresher by filling your storage vessel as often as possible, shaking to let the tea settle, then adding more tea: the more tea, the less oxygen, and the less ability to absorb any other odors.
Avoid these Tea Killers
Number 3: Teas should be kept in an oxygen-free zone. Tea leaves oxidize over time with exposure to oxygen. Even when stored in an airtight vessel, some ambient air remains between the top of the container and the tea leaves. Luckily, though, our teas are so delightful that this won’t be a problem.
Number 4: Teas should be kept free from heat. Heat accelerates the oxidation process, so make sure you store your tea vessels in a location that stays a relatively even temperature — not too close to your oven or dishwasher!
Number 5: Teas should be kept light-free. Light-induced changes in teas can occur through photodegradation, which can degrade the quality of your tea. This damage can also change the flavor of your teas, so it's best to keep them in a dark container or dark cupboard.
To re-cap, we recommend storing your tea in a dry, cool, dark space.
Tea needs to be kept away from heat, light, air, odors, and moisture to ensure its freshness. Do not store your teas in the freezer or refrigerator.
TEA STORAGE RECOMMENDATIONS
Use opaque, airtight canisters
Make sure to use food safe vessels
Glazed ceramics, non-reactive metals, and opaque, non-etching plastics will work
Wood vessels can work, but be mindful that many wood containers have odors that can influence your teas flavor
Tight sealing lids are key; if the vessel can holder water, it can protect your tea.
