>> I'll take foil, nitrogen packs, sealed tins anyday over zip lock bags
>> from the websites probably filled from open containers because it is
>> inconvenient to put the lid back on each time. My local tea shoppe has
>> a packager with some empty volume reduction and air tight seal and
>> filled directly from 2kg nitrogen packs.
>
>Jim,
>
>If you note, I did *not* say don't buy tea from your local "tea shoppe"; I
>said from a supermarket or grocery store. It sounds as though your local
>tea shoppe owner is careful, caring, and resourceful. No offense.
>
>I agree with you about many, though not all, of the web sites.
>
>Michael

Hmmm, I missed the original post, my filter must have got it. Anyway I
have researched packaging quite a bit, both in the course of my job
and in the pursuit of my hobby. I have rigged the appropriate
apparatus in my home to do vacuum sealing and/or nitrogen sparging on
all of my perishable teas. See http://www.pu-erh.net/stash-nitro.html
for a pictorial. I have also used iron-oxide oxygen scavengers but
they are inconvenient unless you are doing a lot of packages.

Jim's statement IMHO is based more on web-o-phobia that it is in fact.
There is little difference between a good refillable container and an
opened nitro-pack. The tea in a nitro-pack is only maintained at the
peak of freshness until you OPEN the bag. Once you open the nitro-pack
the very first time all of the nitrogen is displaced by air containing
oxygen and the tea starts going stale at that point. Every time you
reopen the foil Ziploc bag more fresh oxygen is introduced. Tea can
become just as stale in this manner as in a double lidded tin for
example. Either container can also be left open by negligent vendors.
The fact is that most vendors get their tea in these nitro-packs
unless they are buying in chest quantities, some dump the nitro-pack
in another container once opened because many larger nitro-packs are
simply barrier mylar bags without a Ziploc.

Whether the tea starts out in a chest or a nitro-pack depends on the
teas origins. For example most Japanese teas are nitro packed as soon
as they are processed, while many Darjeeling estate teas are packaged
into foil lined chests, or mylar bags within a chest. Many of those
2-5 kg nitro-packs are simply repacked from an opened chest. Sparging
with nitrogen is no big deal, I do it in my own basement all the time.

The important issue is how conscious a vendor is about keeping his/her
stock protected from air/light/temperatures etc. A web vendor can be
just as conscious as a brick and mortar shop, and either one can be
just as negligent. The one advantage to brick and mortar shops is that
you can see first hand how well they store their teas, where on a web
based shop you never really know. The worst methods tend to be the
five gallon tins in these trendy grocery stores, or the one gallon
clear glass cookie jars used by some small coffee shops, it is
impossible to maintain a proper stock rotation that way so unless the
tea moves at a phenomenal rate it will be seriously degraded.

Now how a vendor then packages your individual portion of tea is
another matter. One vendor (http://www.silkroadteas.com/) notable for
selling very high-end teas uses Ziploc bags, but their tea tends to be
so high quality to begin with that most others pale in comparison even
if vacuum packed. On the other hand I have seen a local Tea Shoppe who
kept their tea in the original opened chests and then vacuum sealed
your portion, vacuum sealed stale tea is still stale! I like the
Japanese method where they package the tea in nitrogen sparged
end-consumer packages at the processing plant. Of course you are then
limited to the specific sizes offered, usually 100g. Short of that I
think the "high barrier" mylar Ziploc bags are the best for
maintaining whatever freshness *is left* in the tea. Nitrogen sparging
that barrier bag is even better.

The moral of this story is "know thy vendor"! Online versus Brick and
Mortar is irrelevant, its all about the knowledge, skill, and
integrity of the vendor.

For more information on packaging materials and other considerations
for protecting freshness check out
http://www.sorbentsystems.com/mylar.html Fish around on this site as
it is VERY educational. No relation just a long time customer.

Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net