Tea storage temperature

Tea is a drink unique to the Chinese nation. There are many varieties of tea, such as Longjing tea, Pu'er tea, Tieguanyin and so on. For experienced tea lovers, they always prepare a lot of tea at home to deal with different occasions, and they also soak the tea themselves in daily life. Therefore, the preservation of tea is an important problem. Many people waste tea excessively because they cannot preserve it. So, what should be the storage temperature of tea?

Tea has strong hygroscopic and odor-absorbing properties and can easily absorb moisture and odors from the air. If stored improperly, it will lose its flavor in a short period of time. Furthermore, the more precious and fragrant the tea is, the more difficult it is to preserve. Usually after tea has been stored for a period of time, its aroma, taste and color will change; the original new tea leaves will disappear and the old taste will gradually emerge. The main factors that cause tea to deteriorate are temperature and humidity.

The content of chlorophyll in young buds and leaves is very high, and they easily lose their green color and turn brown under the conditions of light and heat. Tea polyphenols are easily oxidized during storage, causing the color to turn brown. Vitamin C is an important nutritional component of tea, and its content is closely related to the quality of tea. Vitamin C is also a substance that is easily oxidized and difficult to preserve. Once vitamin C is oxidized, it not only reduces the nutritional value of tea, but also makes the tea turn brown and lose its fresh taste.

When the water content in tea is too low, the tea is prone to aging and deterioration. When the water content of tea is about 3%, the tea is easy to preserve. When the water content of tea exceeds 6%, or the air humidity is above 60%, the color of the tea turns brown and darker, and the quality of the tea deteriorates. The moisture content of the finished tea should be controlled at 3%-6%. If it exceeds 6%, it should be re-fired and dried.

The higher the temperature, the faster the tea ages. During the storage process of tea, the browning rate will increase by 3-5 times for every 1°C increase in temperature. Storing tea below 10°C can inhibit the browning of tea. Refrigeration at 20°C can almost always prevent tea from aging and spoiling.