Tea Storage
This is what my desk looks like currently, home to 16 different teas:
(Golden Fleece, Ginseng Oolong, Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong Smoked Wuyi Black, Zhu Rong Yunnan Black, Huang Zhi Xiang Phoenix Mountain Dancong, Milk Oolong, more Golden Fleece [because DELICIOUS], Wild Black Yunnan, Torch Festival, Yunnan White Jasmine, Imperial Dark, Yellow Buds, Wild Arbor Buds, White Peony, Hand Picked Early Spring Tieguanyin, & Laoshan Black)
I also have a drawer filled with various 1oz bags of tea, and my home collection is another beast entirely. I’ve ordered tins in the past, but didn’t even bother using them as they smelled very tin-like even after giving them a thorough clean. I’ve found random sites with random tins, but nothing seems to have “THE” tea storage container I’m looking for. I generally buy only 1oz at a time, so size isn’t much of an issue, but I do not want something that will stink up my tea, and finding something affordable would be great considering I’ll need to order a pallet of them (exaggerating [slightly]). There MUST be a perfect tea storage solution out there, so I turn to you for help, Steepsters!
And if nothing else, does anyone know of a creative way to organize all these bags?
EDIT: This one looked great, but it says it’s unavailable, and upon emailing them I learned that it’s been discontinued. Of course. http://www.mightyleaf.com/product/japanese-loose-tea-storage-tin/
I use these
https://www.harney.com/black-empty-tea-tin-4-oz.html
I also get the 8 oz size for things I keep a lot of (Special Dark yo). I haven’t ever noticed a tinny taste and I’m a borderline supertaster but your mileage may vary.
I want that tree!!! I couldn’t get past it to look at the tea ;)
It’s been a while, but I believe this was the guy who made it!
http://www.ebay.com/sch/willsauce/m.html?nkw=&armrs=1&ipg=&from=
I’ve ordered tins from Specialty bottle, they don’t smell bad. They have smaller sizes which would work great for your 1oz.
BTW, just ordered a bonsai!!! Thx!
I use the coloured bins from the dollar store and label them: pu’erh,black, oolong, green, white & herbal. I use my labeller to put the labels on. My green one is usually overflowing! I’ve found these are perfect little bins for storing the bags in.
I prefer original packaging if it is resealable, but also use tins from DAVIDsTea: http://www.davidstea.com/tins-and-spoons
I’ve had no issues with them affecting taste or smell.
I keep everything in a dedicated China cabinet which is organized by company using fabric bins I got at Kohls: http://m.kohls.com/kohlsopenapi/productmobile.html?productID=1709970
I’ve been keeping mine in the original resealable packaging, or original tins. However I’ve been thinking of getting those airtight glass jars from the dollar store instead – just did a quick google search and looks like someone else has already done it to her whole collection http://good-morning-monster.blogspot.ca/2012/11/im-such-teas.
The downside to this though is transferring the tea info especially the ingredients. But for the names alone, it would be a good excuse to invest in a labelmaker now :P
I mostly keep stuff in its original packaging, unless the packaging is poor quality, in which case, I transfer it to a resealable foil-lined bag. I buy them in 50 or 100 quantities off eBay, in sample sizes and bags that fit 25-100g.
Right now I have stuff in plastic bins from Dollarama. They fit pretty perfectly onto the shelves in my cupboards: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/32135369/tea_cupboard.jpg
This system has broken down a little bit, as I’ve bought far more tea than I can actually fit into four bins. It has now taken over several additional bins, a couple of boxes and a grocery bag under my dining room table. But this is more an issue with my self restraint that with the system itself :P
I’d like to get an IKEA Kallax cube shelf for tea, though I won’t be buying any more furniture for a while yet.
I like the idea of tins or jars, but they’re not really practical for a large tea collection, both cost and bulkiness.
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