What are the methods for preserving tea

Drinking tea has a very good effect on lowering the "three highs" and preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases, and it even has anti-cancer and cancer prevention effects. It is indispensable in people's daily life. However, if tea is not stored properly, it will become moldy and affect its use. Therefore, how to preserve tea has become a topic of concern to us. Here we introduce the preservation methods of tea.

Storage method of plastic bags and aluminum foil bags: It is best to choose plastic bags with seals for food. The materials should be of high quality and high density. Do not use plastic bags with smell or recycled ones. After filling the bag with tea, the air in the bag should be squeezed out as much as possible. It would be better if a second plastic bag could be used to cover it in reverse. Tea in a transparent plastic bag is not easily exposed to sunlight. The principle of packaging tea in aluminum foil bags is similar to that of packaging tea in plastic bags. In addition, pack the purchased tea into bags, seal them and place them in the refrigerator, then brew them in batches to reduce the chance of the tea coming into contact with air after opening, thus delaying the deterioration of quality.

Metal can storage method: You can choose iron cans, stainless steel cans or dense tin cans. If it is a newly bought can, or a can that has been used to store other items and has retained odor, you can first put a little tea powder in the can, cover it with a lid, shake it up and down and left and right, gently rub the wall of the can, and then discard it to remove the odor. There are stainless steel tea cans with double lids on the market, which are simple and practical. It would be even better if you could put the tea in a clean and odorless plastic bag, put it in the can, cover it with a lid, and seal the lid with tape. Metal cans containing tea leaves should be placed in a cool place, away from direct sunlight, odorous, humid or heat-generating places. This will prevent the cans from rusting easily and can also slow down the aging and deterioration of the tea leaves. In addition, the tin can material is dense, and it is very effective in preventing moisture, oxidation, light and odor.

Low-temperature storage method: Keep the storage environment of tea below 5 degrees Celsius, that is, use a refrigerator or freezer to store tea. When using this method, you should pay attention to the following: For storage periods within six months, it is most economical and effective to maintain a refrigerated temperature of 0 to 5 degrees Celsius; for storage periods exceeding half a year, freezing (-10 to -18 degrees Celsius) is better. It is best to store it in a dedicated refrigerator (freezer). If the tea must be refrigerated (frozen) together with other foods, the tea should be properly packaged and completely sealed to prevent it from absorbing odors. The air circulation in the cold storage (freezer) is good, and the cooling effect has been achieved. When buying a large amount of tea at one time, it should be divided into small bags (cans) and then placed in the cold storage (freezer). Take out the required brewing amount each time. It is not advisable to freeze and thaw the same bag of tea repeatedly. When taking out tea leaves from a cold (freezer) storage, you should first let the temperature of the tea leaves in the tea can return to room temperature before taking out the tea leaves. Otherwise, if you open the tea can suddenly, the tea leaves will easily condense water vapor and increase the water content, causing the unbrewed tea leaves to deteriorate faster.

Long-term storage and processing methods of tea: The moisture content of tea must be controlled at 3-5% to be preserved for a long time. The degree of roasting and drying has a very important relationship with the storage period of tea. Generally speaking, tea with heavier roasting and lower moisture content can be stored longer.

When the optimal storage period of tea leaves expires, they should be taken out and roasted again. You can wash the rice cooker until it is free of odor, wipe it dry and pour the tea leaves on a porcelain plate or tin foil and place it in the rice cooker. Switch the switch to the [Keep Warm] position, half-close the lid, and turn it over from time to time. After about half a day, the tea leaves will change from stale smell to fresh and cooked fragrance, and will break into pieces when pinched with your thumb. After cooling down, you can package and store them again.

Some people use microwave ovens to dry and bake tea leaves, but the heating time is short, and the oven door is loosely closed, or it is difficult to control at the end, which often leads to carbonization on the surface of the tea leaves or the failure to dissipate the stale smell. These shortcomings still need to be overcome technically.

The safest way is to ask a familiar tea master or tea farmer to roast the tea you have collected.

The above is the answer to the question of what are the preservation methods of tea. Tea is an important commodity of our ancient Silk Road. Now, under the grand strategy of "One Belt, One Road", this "magical oriental leaf" is bound to walk on the road of history again in a thousand years and become an important item in our country's export commodities.