Tea Canisters, Tea Jars, and Awakening Jars
Whole cakes wrapped in cotton paper can age slowly in a box, but pried-open tea and the tea you drink every day need a small container. Names like tea canister (茶倉), tea jar (茶罐), and awakening jar (醒茶罐) are often used interchangeably, but their purposes differ somewhat.
What Is a Chacang?
"Chacang" (茶倉) has two meanings depending on context:
- A space for storing tea: A room, cabinet, or storeroom dedicated to tea, as in "the little tea store at home."
- A large jar for storing tea: A large-capacity clay jar, zisha jar, or Jianshui purple pottery jar that can hold a whole 357 g cake, or even 1–2 tongs (stacks of seven cakes).
What follows is about the second kind: a large container for storing a whole cake or a batch of tea. Planning a storage space is covered in How to Store Pu'er at Home.
Tea Jars and Awakening Jars
- Tea jars: For everyday storage of pried-open tea, holding anywhere from 100 g to several hundred grams, in clay, porcelain, tin, iron, paper, and other materials.
- Awakening jars: Jars made specifically for "awakening" tea, usually unglazed or partly glazed clay jars with a wide mouth. Put freshly pried tea in for a few days to 2 weeks to let the leaves loosen slightly and release stuffy and storage odors, for a livelier aroma.
Do Awakening Jars Work?
They do, but their role is simple: giving pried tea a clean, breathable, dark place with a steady temperature to "rest." Tea just pried from a whole cake often carries a stuffy smell from pressing and packaging, and a few days in a jar lets the aroma open up.
So you don't necessarily need a dedicated awakening jar. A clean, odor-free clay jar, a thick paper canister, or even a kraft paper bag can achieve a similar effect. How to awaken tea is covered in Rinsing and Awakening Tea.
Glazed or Unglazed Clay Jars?
| Unglazed clay jar | Glazed ceramic jar | |
|---|---|---|
| Breathability | Good; the clay walls have fine pores | Poor; almost airtight |
| Odor absorption | Absorbs; new jars smell earthy and need preparation | Doesn't absorb |
| Best for | Awakening tea, storing raw tea that will keep aging | Storing tea that's already awakened and will be drunk soon |
| Taiwan's plum rain season | Watch out for the jar itself absorbing moisture | Better at keeping out humidity |
A common combination: unglazed clay jars for raw tea and tea you'll keep aging; glazed or airtight jars for everyday tea whose aroma you don't want to lose.
Before using a new unglazed clay jar, wash it with clean water and let it dry completely for a few days, and only put tea in once it no longer smells noticeably earthy.
How Many Teas Can One Jar Hold?
One jar, one tea. Tea leaves readily absorb odors. If raw and ripe tea share a jar, the ripe tea's aged aroma will drown out the raw tea's floral notes; mixing raw teas from different mountains also lets their aromas cross over. Odors absorbed by unglazed clay are even harder to clear, so it's best to dedicate each jar to one type of tea and label it with the tea's name and the date it went in. Odor absorption is explained in Tea Absorbing and Picking Up Odors.
Jars in Different Materials
- Clay, zisha, and Jianshui purple pottery jars: Breathable and lightproof, suited to awakening tea and storing raw tea.
- Porcelain jars (glazed): Seal better and don't absorb odors, suited to short-term storage.
- Tin canisters: Seal well and block light; often used for everyday loose tea.
- Paper canisters and kraft paper bags: Inexpensive, breathable, and absorb a little moisture; handy for short-term awakening.
- Iron canisters and foil bags: Airtight and lightproof, suited to small packages like tea bags and dragon pearls.
A fuller comparison of containers is in How to Choose Storage Containers.
Habits for Storing Tea in Jars
- Keep jars in a cool, dark place, off the floor and away from walls, and not in the kitchen;
- Make sure your hands are dry when taking tea out, and close the lid right away;
- During the plum rain season, open the jar and smell it; if there's a stuffy or moldy smell, take the tea out and check it;
- Pry enough for half a month to a month at a time; pry too much and it sits too long.
Containers for Small Portions
For single-serve portions like dragon pearls, tea bags, and xiaoqinggan, it's best to keep the original packaging and then put them in a lidded jar or box for easy access and an extra layer of protection. Storing dragon pearls and tea bags is covered in Storing and Gifting Dragon Pearls and How to Store Dragon Pearls, Loose Tea, Tea Bags, and Xiaoqinggan.
FAQ
What is a chacang? It can mean a space for storing tea, or a large clay or zisha jar that holds a whole cake or a batch of tea.
Do awakening jars work? Yes. Letting freshly pried tea rest for a few days in a clean, breathable place clears stuffy odors and opens up the aroma; a clean clay jar or paper bag has a similar effect.
Should clay jars be glazed or unglazed? Unglazed for awakening tea and storing raw tea; glazed or airtight for tea you'll drink soon and whose aroma you want to keep.
How many teas can one jar hold? One jar, one tea. Always keep raw and ripe apart, and ideally dedicate each unglazed jar to a single type.