Storing Dragon Pearls, Loose Tea, Tea Bags, and Xiao Qing Gan

Whole cakes and tong of pu'er can rest slowly in cardboard boxes, but the tea we drink most every day often comes in small portions: dragon pearls one by one, pyramid tea bags packet by packet, a canister of loose tea, or a xiao qing gan. What they have in common is small portions with a lot of surface area, with more of the tea in contact with air, so they absorb moisture and smells and lose aroma faster than whole cakes. The storage principle boils down to one line: seal it, keep it dry, drink it soon.

Why Small Formats Need Extra Care

Take the same 100 grams of tea: pressed into a cake, only the outer layer touches the air; spread out as loose tea or divided into twelve dragon pearls, every leaf and every ball faces the air directly.

• Faster moisture absorption: moisture in the air gets into the leaves more easily.
• Faster odor absorption: kept near the kitchen or a wardrobe, it quickly picks up off-smells.
• Faster aroma loss: the floral notes of new tea and the fresh scent of citrus peel fade quickly too.

So small formats are better thought of as "tea for everyday drinking" rather than "tea for long-term collecting." Temperature and Humidity for Storing Pu'er also notes that this kind of tea is best finished within a month or two.

Does Loose Tea Absorb Moisture More Easily Than Cakes?

Yes. Loose tea has lots of gaps between leaves, so air and moisture can flow straight to every leaf; cakes are pressed tight, with the inner leaves protected by the outer layer, so they're affected by the environment more slowly. This is one reason pu'er has traditionally been pressed into cakes, bricks, and tuocha; the reasoning is in Compressed vs. Loose.

How to store loose tea:

• Put it in a lidded airtight canister or ceramic jar, and don't fill it too full.
• Use a dry tea scoop each time, and close the lid right after.
• Keep raw and ripe tea in separate canisters, and don't mix different teas.
• It's best finished within a month or two for the best aroma.

For grades of loose ripe pu'er and how to choose them, see Loose Pu'er.

How Many Years Can Dragon Pearls Keep?

Dragon pearls are raw or ripe tea rolled into small balls, about 8 grams each, exactly one session. They're compressed tea too, so unopened and properly stored, they can be kept and will slowly transform. But because each one is small, with more surface exposed to air than a whole cake, they change and absorb smells faster, so they're generally seen as everyday tea and ideally finished within the period stated on the package.

• Unopened: keep them somewhere cool, dry, dark, and odor-free, the same conditions as for whole cakes.
• After opening: keep the original bag, seal it after taking each pearl, and make sure your hands are dry; we suggest finishing them within a month or two.
• To keep them a while longer: put the whole bag in a lidded ceramic jar or paper box for an extra layer of protection.

Guyuntang's Bingdao Old Village Dragon Pearls are raw tea dragon pearls, each one separate; just seal the bag after taking one and keep it somewhere cool and dry. The dragon pearl format and brewing are covered in What Are Dragon Pearls? and Storing and Gifting Dragon Pearls.

How Should Tea Bags Be Stored?

The tea in pyramid bags is finer, with the most surface area of any format, so it loses aroma fastest and is the most sensitive to damp.

How should tea bags be stored?

1. Keep the outer box and inner wrappers: for individually wrapped bags, keep them separate and open one only when you're about to drink it.
2. Opened bulk bags: for bags without individual wrappers, seal the bag tightly after opening or put the whole bag in an airtight canister.
3. Keep them away from moisture and smells: don't put them next to the kettle or by the sink, and keep office drawers away from fragrances and snacks.
4. Finish them by the date on the package: follow the expiration date on the package for tea bags; the sooner you drink them, the better they taste.

Guyuntang's Pu'er Pyramid Tea Bag Gift Box holds 24 bags. Once you have it, keep it somewhere cool and dry, and finish opened bags soon. How to brew tea bags is in How to Brew Pyramid Tea Bags, and the format is introduced in Pu'er Tea Bags.

Can Xiao Qing Gan Mold?

Yes, if it absorbs moisture. Xiao qing gan is ripe pu'er inside a citrus peel, and the peel contains sugar and pectin, so it absorbs moisture more readily than tea leaves. If it wasn't thoroughly dried or is stored somewhere too damp, the peel can mold.

How to store it:

• Keep it in its original packaging or an airtight canister to hold the citrus aroma and keep out moisture.
• Keep it away from damp and strong smells, and don't move it in and out of the fridge.
• After opening, try to finish it within a few months for the best citrus aroma.

How do you tell white frost from mold? A fine, even white frost on the peel that smells of citrus is mainly crystals of citrus essential oil compounds; mold spots appear as dots, look fuzzy, and smell musty. Telling them apart is covered in What Is White Frost?, and xiao qing gan is introduced in Xiao Qing Gan: Ripe Pu'er in a Citrus Peel. Moldy xiao qing gan isn't recommended for drinking.

At a Glance

FAQ

How should tea bags be stored? Keep the individual wrappers and open one at a time; seal opened bulk bags tightly or put them in an airtight canister, store them somewhere cool and dry, and finish them by the date on the package.

Can xiao qing gan mold? The peel absorbs moisture more easily than tea leaves, so it can mold if it gets damp. Keep it in an airtight canister away from moisture and finish it within a few months of opening; don't drink it if it has fuzzy mold spots or smells musty.

How many years can dragon pearls keep? Unopened and properly stored, they can be kept and will slowly transform; but they're small and change fast, so we suggest thinking of them as everyday tea and finishing them within a month or two of opening.

Does loose tea absorb moisture more easily than cakes? Yes. Every leaf of loose tea is in direct contact with air, so it absorbs moisture and smells faster than a tightly pressed cake. Keep it in an airtight canister and finish it soon.