How to Store Sencha and Keep It Fresh

Today, I'd like to talk about how to store Sencha, Japanese green tea.

One of the questions I get most often is:

"Once I open a bag of sencha, how long should I drink it within?"

The answer is: as soon as possible!

What Cause Sencha to Its Quality?

There are four main things that can cause tea to lose its quality:

• Moisture

• Heat

• Oxygen

• Light

Our Yame sencha from JAPAN TEA STUDIO 108 is especially known for its wonderful, fresh aroma, which reminds me of muscat grapes.

Once you open the package, the tea gradually reacts with oxygen, and that fresh aroma slowly fades over time.

That's why, if possible, I recommend drinking your sencha as soon as you can after opening it.

Where Should You Store Sencha?

The best place to store sencha is somewhere that is:

• Cool

• Dry

• Away from direct sunlight

People often ask me, "Can I keep my sencha in the refrigerator?"

Generally, I don't recommend it.

Tea is tend to absorb surrounding odors, so it can pick up the smells of other foods in your refrigerator. Also, taking tea in and out of the refrigerator exposes it to changes in temperature, which can cause condensation and moisture to get into the tea.

However, if your place is hot all year round, refrigeration can be an option.

If you do this, there are two important things to remember:

1. Store the tea in an airtight container so that it doesn't absorb odors.

2. Take out only the amount of tea you need, and put the container straight back into the refrigerator.

   
   

One Simple Trick for Tea Bags and Zip-Top Packages

If your sencha comes in a zip-top bag, there's one very simple thing you can do to help keep it fresh:

Push as much air out of the bag as possible before sealing it.

It's just a small extra step but it can help your tea stay fresh longer.

I recommend doing this not only with Sencha but with all kinds of Japanese tea like genmaicha and matcha.

How Quickly Should You Drink It?

As a general guideline, I recommend enjoying your sencha within about 2–4 weeks after opening for the best freshness and aroma.

You might be thinking:

"There's no way I can finish that much tea in two to four weeks!"

Here's my suggestion.

Instead of buying one 100 g bag and leaving it open for a long time, consider buying two 50 g bags and opening them one at a time.

You'll have the same total amount of tea and the second bag stays sealed and fresh until you're ready to use it.

This is one of the reasons why I offer the teas from JAPAN TEA STUDIO 108 in smaller packages.

As a Japanese Tea Ambassador, I want you to experience Japanese tea at its freshest and enjoy the wonderful aroma and flavor of sencha.

I want to share not just Japanese tea but the experience of enjoying it at its best.

If you have any questions about sencha, please feel free to leave a comment!

I'll be happy to answer your questions in a future blog post.