Tea is consumed in a lot of different ways around the world. Some people like to have black tea, which is simply brewed in water without any sugar or milk. In India, most people like to have tea with milk and sugar. This is called chai. However, chai, just various tea recipes, also have many regional interpretations in India. Some people like to add a spice mixture in their chai whereas others like to add condiments like cardamom and ginger. Whatever the interpretation and the recipe might be, one thing that is common among all tea drinkers is the ecstasy and elation that they experience after drinking tea.
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Tea is not just any drink in India, but an emotion of a different kind. Even though tea has a good shelf life, not storing it properly makes it fit for consumption, even before its shelf life has to be concluded. Here are some tips and tricks to store tea properly at home.
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* Keep It Away From Sunlight
A person should always make sure that they keep the tea away from sunlight or avoid any kind of exposure to highly bright and potent light. Exposure to light for a considerable amount of time is going to deplete the quality of the tea and its taste is going to change slowly. Hence, keeping the tea in some dark areas is always the right choice.
* Airtight Container
The tea should always be kept in an airtight container that helps avoid any direct contact with the moisture present in the air. This step is specifically important for people who use dry tea buds to make their tea as exposure to the outer air can dampen the tea. It will not only affect the texture of the tea but also impact its flavour as well as its aroma.
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* Use Glass Or Ceramic Containers
Another important point to remember when storing tea at home is to make sure that tea is stored in airtight containers made from glass or ceramic material. People should avoid using plastic containers as storing tea in plastic containers is not really a great idea. Even though plastic containers are quite inexpensive and lock the tea properly to prevent contact with moisture, these containers are not good for your health. In such a case, a great substitute can be glass or ceramic containers. If the jar is opaque, then it is even better as it is going to prevent direct interaction of tea with the sunlight.
* Avoid Keeping Spice
Tea leaves are very susceptible to receiving odour from nearby spices or any other potent aroma that might be present in the kitchen. So it is always better to keep tea away from any kind of strong spices. It helps in keeping the natural aroma and the flavours of the tea intact and not getting it affected by masalas. If one mixes tea at home by using teabags then there is certainly no harm in keeping these tea bags near regular spices and other ingredients present in the pantry.
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* Give The Tea Jar A Fixed Space
A very common habit among frequent tea makers is to leave their tea boxes on the kitchen slab itself. Since the teacher is used frequently during the day, most people find it comfortable to keep it near the gas stove so that it's reachable easily. However, this is not the right way to store the tea as it should be kept away from any source of heat, exposure to air and sunlight. One should always fix a proper place for the tea jat that is away from direct sources of heat, and sunlight, and is comparatively cooler and darker than other places in the kitchen.
* Don't Keep Tea In Refrigerator
Many people think that since tea requires a cooler and darker place to be stored, keeping it in the refrigerator is going to extend its shelf life. One can certainly store brewed tea in the refrigerator for some time. However, storing tea bags or dry tea in the refrigerator is going to promote bacterial growth because of the moisture present in the refrigerator. Also, the tea will become more susceptible to receiving the potent smell of different vegetables and other condiments stored in the refrigerator. This is going to weaken the flavour of tea and even make it bitter. So storing tea in the refrigerator should be avoided at any cost.