How to store chai patti so it does not go flat

Airtight, opaque, cool and dry, and nowhere near your spices. Tea is one of the most absorbent things in a kitchen: it takes on the smell of whatever is beside it and it loses its own aroma to air, light and damp. An opened pack kept properly stays good for months. The same pack left open beside the masala dabba is noticeably flatter in a fortnight.

Nobody buys tea planning to let it go stale, but most kitchens store it in a way that guarantees it. Here is what actually damages tea, in the order it matters.

What makes chai patti go flat?

Air. The aromatic compounds that give tea its smell are volatile, which is the whole reason you can smell them. Left exposed, they leave. This is the main mechanism and it is why an airtight container beats every other measure combined.

Moisture. CTC granules are dry and porous and will pull water out of humid air, which is a real problem in Mumbai between June and September. Damp tea loses briskness quickly and, past a point, grows mould.

Light. Direct sunlight degrades tea, which is why it is sold in opaque packs and not clear jars. A glass jar on a sunny shelf is the worst container in most kitchens, however good it looks.

Heat. Every one of the above happens faster next to a stove.

Smells. This one surprises people. Tea absorbs odour readily. Store it next to hing, garlic, or an open box of masala and it will taste of them within weeks.

How should you store it?

The dry spoon is a smaller point than the others but it is the one that ruins a pack fastest. A single wet spoonful introduces enough moisture to start clumping, and the clump spreads.

Should you keep tea in the fridge?

No. This gets recommended and it is wrong for CTC in an Indian kitchen.

Every time a cold container comes out into a warm room, moisture condenses on what is inside it. Doing that daily is worse for the tea than leaving it in a cupboard would have been. A fridge is also full of smells, and tea will find them.

Cool and dark and sealed is the whole instruction. Cold is not part of it.

How long does chai patti stay good?

Sealed and stored properly, tea does not spoil in the way food spoils. It fades. Check the packing date printed on the pack, and use the best-before on it as your guide.

Once a pack is open, the clock speeds up considerably. Stored well, an opened pack holds its character for a few months. Stored badly, it is noticeably duller within two or three weeks.

This is a practical argument for buying a size you will actually get through. A kilo is better value per cup than a 250g pack, but only if your household drinks it inside a few months. For two people at two cups a day, a kilo is about seven months of tea, which is longer than it will stay at its best once opened. Two 500g packs, one opened at a time, is the better buy.

How do you tell if tea has gone flat?

Smell it dry. Good CTC smells malty and sharp straight from the pack. Flat tea smells of very little, or faintly of the cupboard.

Then brew a spoon in plain water with no milk. If the colour comes up thin and there is no bite at the finish, it has gone. Milk and sugar will hide that from you, which is exactly why you should test it without them.