What are the methods for preserving tea? Teach you how to store tea correctly so it does not spoil

Tea preservation should be based on the characteristics of the tea and the type of tea, as well as specific conditions in various respects, using the corresponding preservation method.

There are usually the following five:

1. The ash storage method: use the strong moisture-absorbing property of quicklime to absorb excess moisture in the tea, keeping the tea fully dry and delaying aging. This method is suitable for green tea. For special teas such as Longjing, Qiqiang, Biluochun, and high-mountain cloud-and-mist tea, when stored for more than one year, they still maintain their emerald green color and excellent aroma. According to our many years of practical testing, for special green tea produced in sandy soil, especially white sand soil, preserved by the same ash storage method and stored for one or two years or more, the color, aroma, and taste are still ideal. However, the quality of special tea produced in yellow and red soil changes relatively quickly, and some loses the characteristics of new tea in less than half a year.

The lime should be high-quality lump lime, placed in a small cloth bag (commonly called a lime bag), loosely wrapped on the outside with kraft paper, and loosely tied with hemp rope to prevent the lime powder after dissolving from mixing into the tea and affecting quality.

2. The charcoal storage method: use dry charcoal instead of lump lime; the method is roughly the same as the ash storage method. However, after storing for a period of time, the moisture-absorbing charcoal should also be taken out, promptly dried again in the sun or dried by heat, and then put back into the container to continue storing the tea, in order to help preserve quality. This method is generally suitable for black tea and oolong tea, and black tea is also preferably preserved by this method.

3. The vacuum method: just like canned food, the air is extracted to form a vacuum, which gives good preservation performance, but the cost is relatively high. It is generally used for small packaging of instant tea or famous and high-grade green tea (tin can packaging or bottle packaging).

4. The air extraction and nitrogen filling method: seal the tea packaging, extract the air, and fill it with nitrogen. Nitrogen is an inert gas and will not cause changes in tea quality, so the preservation effect is good. At the same time, after filling with nitrogen, the pressure resistance of the packaging can be enhanced, the requirements for packaging materials are lower, and large packaging can also be used, which helps reduce packaging costs.

5. The cold storage method: tea does not have high requirements for cold storage; generally around 0°C is enough. It can both preserve quality and be relatively economical.

Some combine the fourth and fifth preservation methods (commonly called the oxygen extraction, nitrogen filling, and light-proof cold storage method). The tea moisture is dried in advance to 4--5%, put into a light-proof, air-impermeable container, sealed after oxygen extraction and nitrogen filling, and stored in a special tea cold storage warehouse (-5°C). Because the tea is under conditions of no oxygen, dryness, no light, and low temperature, after 3--5 years it can still maintain its original color, aroma, and taste style. China has begun to adopt this new preservation technology for preserving high-grade green tea.