Information

2013.05.11

The Method to Store Green Tea and Maintain Best Quality before Expiration Date

Green tea is a sensitive product. It can easily change when exposed to oxygen in the air, humidity, high temperature, sunlight or normal light. It can also absorb the smell of the surrounding efficiently. Large tea manufacturers will store tea leaves which have been cut in a cold room at the temperature of -20 degrees Celsius. After the tea leaves are steamed and go through various processes until they become green tea leaves that we consume, they will be kept in a cold room at the temperature of -5 degrees Celsius. This way, the green tea leaves will remain fresh and aromatic.

How to Maintain Green Tea’s Quality

  1. Put the amount of green tea that will be used in about 10 days into a jar with an air-tight lid. Put the rest of tea in a plastic bag or a sealed container and put it in the fridge.
  2. Do not leave the tea jar next to the hot teapot since the heat from the teapot will make the tea leaves turn brown. Then, the aroma will become weaker and the quality will drop quickly.
  3. Do not store too much tea. Some people may want to store good-quality green tea for future consumption. However, tea which has been kept for a long time will have lower quality.
  4. When buying tea from a store, try to notice whether that store pays attention to tea storage or not. Is the store hot and stuffy? This is because the quality of tea might have already decreased at the store.

 

＊ The label which shows the date behind or in front of a green tea package (賞味期限: Shomikigen) indicates the “best before” date which means that the product quality will continue to drop from the specified date (It can still be consumed but the quality will not be as good as before the specified date). Products which have the “best before” label include canned food, tea, coffee, cheese, milk, oil, snacks, etc.

＊ As for fresh products of which quality will rapidly drop within 5 days after the specified date on the label (消費期限: Shohikigen) or expiration date, they are products which must be consumed within 5 days after the specified date. It also depends on the storage condition. If the products are not kept in a fridge or a cool space, they may not last as long as 5 days. If consumed afterwards, they may be harmful for health. Products in this group include fresh meat, fish, cake, bread, etc.