Reading the Tea Leaves

I recently (11/6/08) came across tea as the topic under Times Topics in the New York Times, opening with the statement, “Tea is soothing, a quality to be craved in these stressful days.”  No argument here.  A little further down, I read: “In the proper container tea can last up to six months.  But it should never be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.”

Then at home I noticed the the same warning for tea printed on a coffee bag.

This is quite startling for someone who has always made room in the refrigerator for teas, and for a person who once worked in a company where much expense went into the installation and maintenance of a walk-in cooler for premium teas.

I also think back to large coolers I saw in China’s tea factories, some looking a little worn, while others were enormous, state-of-the-art structures.  And I think back to casual comments or off-hand references in conversations and emails with suppliers about such and such a tea having been properly stored in a cooler.  Often the point was not about the low temperature; we were probably discussing something else, but it was always noted in a matter-of-fact way that the Green teas were in a cooler.  This tone confirms the taken-for-granted approach about storage, a basic and presumed widely known directive.

1000 islands Green (after 5 months in the fridge)

Towards the end of a visit to the Tea Department at Sichuan Agricultural University, our group’s questions turned to ongoing research topics of the staff.  Finally someone asked if elements such as polyphenols naturally found in tea leaves would dissipate over time.  Professor Shi, the Department Chair, replied that with refrigeration, the loss would amount to less than 5%, whereas without refrigeration, the loss of polyphenols and other nutrients in the leaf may be between 35-50%.  He continued to say that a tea that has been finished with under 4% moisture can last up to a year or more without significant deterioration if refrigerated.  He saw less need to refrigerate Black teas, but added that it wouldn’t be a bad idea.

The same 1000 Islands Green in the cup.

In another post I wrote about my surprise in finding certain Oolong teas kept in freezers in the Iron Goddess of Mercy area in Fujian.  Now this was a new sight to behold.  WE later learned the reasoning behind this, but in this context, I think the lesson is to keep slightly oxidized Oolongs in the refrigerator as well.  These glorious teas may be classified as Oolongs, but the leaves’ color, the brew color, and taste profile nudge them closer to the unoxidized Green group.

From years of seeing tea samples I can vouch for the difference refrigeration makes, especially for Green teas.  Prized or important samples were kept in the walk-in cooler I mentioned earlier, whereas other more mundane samples might simply have been relegated to a general storage area.  In the case of Green teas, for the same tea and the same tea grade, a sample taken from the cooler and placed alongside the tea from storage — both dating from around the same time — look quite different.  The alteration in the latter is obvious.

It strikes me as curious that many people take a good deal of trouble learning about and trying to achieve the proper water temperatures for brewing tea at home.  I find this very admirable as I tend to be more lackadaisical at home.  In preparing Green tea I do let let the water rest a moment after it has come to a boil, but I am hardly preoccupied with the precise temperature for White tea as opposed to an Oolong or a Black tea.  Of course, more care was taken with water at work.

I think correct storage may matter more in the long run for getting a good tasting cup of tea than the exact water temperature.  If the tea kept in your kitchen pantry has deteriorated, the correct water temperature will not redeem it.

Learning to tell when a tea is old and has faded is a good thing, but if you have spent money on a moderately high or premium tea, attention must be paid to keeping it at its best.

I have always sympathized with our retailer-customers who sought advice about how to display and store their teas.  They face the dilemma of wanting people to see and appreciate the appearance of loose leaf teas, and rightly so – the sheer variety of colors and shapes is a good selling point.  But they also know the strictures about keeping teas away from coffee and spices (many places sell all three) and, more challenging a requirement to fulfill, about keeping teas away from light.

One chain of Asian supermarkets in California introduced a line of loose leaf teas packed in glass jars, the type used to hold jelly beans.  The line proved popular, but according to the people who stock the shelves, most of the customers were more interested in getting the glass container and the tea seemd almost an after-thought.  They would have had to use up the tea quickly.

Custom designs are one solution.  I have seen large cabinets with small windows showing the tea leaves with storage bins underneath.  Here somene must remember to freshen the viewing samples from time to time.  I have also seen a plexi wall unit with small round apertures for viewing the leaves, with canisters holding the teas that are to be sold.

I have seen shops with good foot traffic and tea stored in small glass jars.  If turnover is quick, the issue of deterioration may not be as serious.

It doesn’t help that some Green teas start out in a shade of dark green or grey-green.  It’s easy to spot an old, past-its-prime Dragonwell – the green will have lost its brightness and luster.  The freshness of other Greens may not be so readily gauged just by peering at the color in a jar.  A special grade Gunpowder is darker (and greyer) than a fifth grade Gunpowder Green.

With the added consideration of refrigeration, especially for Green teas, there is yet another complication in this display/storage connundrum with which retailers must wrestle.  The consumer has an easier solution – just remember to put your Green tea purchases in the refrigerator when you get home.