Making a teapot of loose leaf tea is a daily, weekly, or occasional treat many tea lovers look forward to throughout their day. The experience of infusing your teapot or mug with delicious tea leaves and enjoying the aroma of the leaves steeping should be a relaxing and pleasant experience - but it all depends on your loose leaf tea.
It can be a struggle to keep all of your loose leaf tea organized and stored properly, making it hard to know what tea you have or even if it’s still fresh when it comes time to treat yourself to a cuppa. To simplify your tea making routine, learn all about the best loose tea storage solutions and how to use them to make sure your tea stays fresh and accessible.
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SHOP BEST LOOSE LEAF TEA
Discover the best loose leaf teas as rated by Sips by's 600,000 tea-loving Members. Across all tea types, from black tea to green tea to herbal tea and more, these are the best loose leaf teas from different tea brands around the world. Find your favorite loose leaf tea - no matter the type or flavor of loose leaf tea you're searching for, Sips by has options you'll love. Discover your new favorite loose leaf tea, as well as disposable tea bag kits to make brewing loose leaf tea easy.
HOW TO STORE LOOSE LEAF TEA
Buying loose leaf tea is only half the fun - once you have your carefully curated collection of tasty teas, choosing your loose leaf tea storage is the next important step. It might be easy to overlook, but keeping your high quality tea stored and organized properly is essential to maintain your tea’s freshness and ensure it doesn’t go bad before you get a chance to enjoy every drop!
CERAMIC CANISTERS
Ceramic canisters are a beautiful kitchen decoration and functional loose tea storage solution, but they do have a few downsides. You must choose ceramic canisters that are safe to store food and dry goods safely. Their wide mouths are perfect to store large amounts of loose tea in, but there’s a chance that the lids might not be airtight.
While ceramic jars are perfect for storing large quantities of a few types of tea that you use often, we recommend putting your loose leaf tea in a food-safe sealable bag first and then storing it in the jar for extra protection. Your loose tea remains easily accessible while the longevity of your leaves are preserved.
WOOD TEA BOX
Wood tea boxes and chests are a popular option for storing and organizing tea bags, but they can also be used for loose leaf teas under the right conditions. Wood tea boxes, often made out of bamboo or acacia, are great for storing and organizing small quantities of loose leaf tea. Because these boxes and chests are so easily accessible, they’re optimal for the loose leaf tea you reach for most often.
Wood tea boxes are perfect for keeping out the light, but it is possible that the wood can have a lingering scent that might seep into your tea. Similar to a ceramic jar, it’s important to make sure your loose leaf tea is either contained in its original package, a small tin, or a sealed bag before it’s organized and displayed in your wood tea box.
GLASS JARS
Glass jars are the ultimate DIY do-it-all container, and they have many uses when it comes to tea. For instance, they’re perfect for cold brewing tea in the fridge or making sun tea outside during the summer. But did you know that you can also store loose leaf tea in them year-round?
The screw-on lids help give the jars an airtight seal, which is perfect for preserving loose leaf tea. You can also add cute labels or stickers to decorate the jars and differentiate your teas. However, the only downside to glass jars is that they are clear which means light shining through may deteriorate the quality of your leaves over time. But there is a way to still use your glass jars for loose tea and keep them safe! Simply take extra care to store your jars full of loose tea in dark places like a cabinet or shelf on your pantry - if it’s hidden from natural light your loose tea will stay fresh.
TEA TINS
Tea tins are the ultimate tea storage solution. They cover all of the most important features for loose tea storage. Tea tins are opaque which keeps your loose tea safe from light damage, they have airtight lids that seal shut for maximum freshness, and they don’t allow your tea to absorb the scent and flavors of other teas, food, or spices stored nearby. Plus, they come in various sizes and shapes to suit whichever type of loose leaf tea you have and some tea tins are even printed or decorative for stylish storage!
If you’re not in the market to just buy tea tins at the moment, always pay attention to how the tea you buy comes packaged. Some high quality tea brands package some of their products in tea tins to begin with, which can be reused after you have finished the tea.
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Interested in trying these teas and others? Subscribers receive 4 teas chosen just for them in every box. Learn more about our tea subscription box or explore the loose leaf tea shop.
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About Sips by: We’re a female-founded and led startup that makes discovering tea fun, personalized, and affordable. The Sips by Box is the only multi-brand, personalized tea subscription box. Each month, we match tea drinkers across the U.S. with delicious teas from over 150 global tea brands that we’re sure they’ll love. Based out of Austin, Texas, we are adept at savoring a hot mug even when it’s seasonally inappropriate.
