I had gotten one of these tea caddies from EnjoyingTea some time ago. It seemed perfect - double lid, airtight, nice and large, decorative; what a mistake. I filled it nearly all the way with some Xing Yang Mao Jian from Serenity Art, and not only did the tea go stale, it almost entirely replaced the aroma with an overwhelming metallic smell and taste. Drinking the tea was a bit like sucking on a coin. Luckily the tea didn't cost me much.
It looks nice but if you're ever thinking about getting one to keep tea in, STAY AWAY!!
3 comments:
Interesting, how come? How long did it take the tea to go stale?
What kind of metal is it?
Would it have helped if you washed it or rinsed it with hot water, or some such?
It wasn't very long. I don't recall exactly, but somewhere in the range of 4-6 weeks. That it went stale wasn't nearly as striking as the metallic odor and taste that it picked up.
It's supposed to be stainless steel, but I have to wonder if it isn't the same stainless steel as the cheapy steak knives I got that rusted in the dishwasher.
This definitely seemed like oxidation. When I look just inside the lid it had been sanded down, a bit, to give texture, probably to increase surface area, but there seemed to be a little of that at the very top of the inner lid as well. This part developed a thin layer of white powder, which I assume is what's giving the smell. After leaving the outer lid off for a while (probably a couple weeks), the metallic smell is nowhere near as strong, but the tea has definitely lost a lot of aroma.
I had rinsed it out very quickly when I got it, although I was careful to dry it out completely before using it. Looking at it now, I really think that it's the inside of the outer lid oxidizing (which I didn't rinse), as the inner lid isn't all that tight compared to the other double lid containers I have. The inside walls of the container are still quite polished looking.
I suppose I should probably add some of these details to the actual blog entry...
I usually try to rinse any new tea canister out with hot water, dry it, let it dry, and then let it sit open for a couple of days. Then I make sure it's totally dry and doesn't smell funky. You can even shake a few tea leaves from the tea you're going to put in it around for a little while so it can absorb the odor.
I've got a lot of canisters (a lot of stainless steel double-lidded ones from Wing Hop Fung in LA, a few from Ten Ren (nicer looking and better made, but inconsistent lid fit), and a bunch of ceramic ones. I think that tea seems happier in the ceramic ones, both the chinese style with a semi-loose fitting lid with mylar covered soft stuff, and the Bee House style ones with silicon gasket... I try to only use the former kind on fairly roasted teas, and I live in a pretty dry climate.
One other thing to keep in mind is that ideally, the canister should fit the amount of tea inside it pretty well.
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