The most anticipated spring is always accompanied by dampness.

The return of spring moisture has already begun in regions like Guangdong and Guangxi, while eastern areas will soon experience similar conditions. This weather, where even the air seems to be dripping with water, is not very friendly to Tea stored at home. Excessively high indoor humidity can cause tea leaves to absorb too much moisture and mold, affecting their quality and taste.

Nowadays, we have dehumidifiers and air conditioners that allow us to use modern means to control indoor humidity. But how did people in ancient times, without these high-tech gadgets, manage to preserve their precious tea during the return of spring moisture?

1

Storing Tea in the Past Involved “Nurturing” It

In his “The Classic of Tea,” Lu Yu recorded a tool called “yu,” which was the earliest professional tool used for storing tea in ancient times.

The original description of “yu” from “The Classic of Tea” reads: “Yu is made of wood, woven with bamboo, and lined with paper. Inside, there are partitions; above, a cover; below, a bed; beside, a door that can be closed with one panel. A container is placed inside to hold ashes from charcoal or firewood, allowing it to smolder gently. During the plum rains of Jiangnan, it is heated with fire.”

In terms of structure, “yu” is made of a wooden frame, woven with bamboo, and covered with paper. It has a door that can be opened and closed and is divided into two layers. Typically, tea is placed on the upper layer, while specially designed containers filled with warm ashes are placed on the lower layer.

In this semi-enclosed environment (with one door of “yu” open when storing tea), the heat from the ashes can gently bake the tea for an extended period. In the case of the plum rains in Jiangnan, the ashes would be replaced with a stronger flame.

This method of using a faint, flameless fire to bake the tea is a low-temperature long-term baking process designed to prevent dampness.

The original annotation in “The Classic of Tea” states: “Yu, named for its function of storing and nurturing.” This indicates that “yu” not only stores tea but also nurtures it.

This method of storing tea not only prevents dampness and ensures the tea remains fresh but also enhances its quality through the nurturing process.

From this small tool, we can see the deep understanding and superior wisdom of ancient people towards tea.

2

Tang Dynasty Tea Storage Was Diverse

The Tang Dynasty had many specialized tools for storing tea. “The Classic of Tea” mentions a “paper bag” (made of specially crafted thick white Xianteng paper, stitched with seams to keep the freshly baked tea fragrant), a “sieve” (used to sift ground tea), a “container” (for storing finely sifted tea powder), and tea cages, among others.

▲Shape of a Tang Dynasty “Paper Bag”

Tang Dynasty tea was primarily in the form of compressed cakes, which were prone to dampness. Therefore, they were typically wrapped in paper or leaves and placed in tea cages hung in high, ventilated places to prevent dampness. The tea containers mentioned by Lu Yu in “The Classic of Tea” were made of woven bamboo, but the tea cages found in the Famen Temple were made of gold and Silver, exuding a noble elegance.

▲Gilt-silver tea cage excavated from the Famen Temple

The “Memorandum of the Censorate” by Han Wan of the Tang Dynasty wrote: “Store in Pottery to prevent heat and dampness.”

This indicates that the Tang Dynasty used pottery to store tea, known as “tea ying,” which had a drum-shaped belly, flat bottom, and a rectangular neck with a flat opening. They were generally used to store loose tea or powdered tea.

▲Tang Dynasty Celadon Brown-glazed Cloud Pattern Covered Pottery

3

Song Dynasty Tea Storage Was Refined

The Song Dynasty continued some of the tea storage methods from the Tang Dynasty, with greater refinement.

For example, Cai Xiang's “Tea Record” records: “Therefore, when storing tea, wrap it in bamboo leaves and place it in a jar, re-baking it every two to three days until the temperature is like that of the human body. Tea that has not been baked should be sealed and wrapped, placed in a bamboo cage, and stored in a high place away from dampness.” The typical way of storing tea in the Song Dynasty involved placing the tea in a tea jar after re-baking, then storing it in a bamboo cage and placing it in a high location. For ordinary households, wood boxes or earthenware jars were commonly used to store tea, while wealthy families preferred silver boxes.

▲A tea cage named “Wei Honglu” by the Southern Song elder Shen An

Zhao Xihu's “Tiaoxie Leibian” discusses: “The method of storing tea is to put ten catties of tea in a bottle each year, burning rice straw ash and placing it in a large bucket. The tea bottle sits in the bucket, surrounded by ash. Whenever tea is needed, remove the ash, open the bottle, take out a small amount of tea, and then cover it back up with the ash.”

This involves putting the tea in a bottle, with ten catties being the standard quantity; then, each year, burn a large amount of rice straw into ash and fill a bucket with it; place the tea bottle in the bucket, surrounded by the ash; when drinking, remove the ash, open the bottle, take out a little tea; after taking out the tea, maintain the original state.

Although such a tea jar may seem like a giant “preserved egg,” the surrounding rice straw ash does indeed act as a desiccant, isolating and absorbing excess moisture from the external environment, so the preservation effect should still be quite good.

▲Partial view of Liu Songnian's “Tea Preparation Picture” from the Song Dynasty

4

Ming dynasty Tea Storage Resembled Modern Methods

The Ming Dynasty is the dynasty with the most books about tea, and there are many records regarding tea storage. Zhu Quan's “Tea Spectrum” is the oldest existing Ming Dynasty tea book, and the methods of storing tea described within are largely continuations of previous practices.

In “Tea Notes,” Wen Long wrote: “The flavor of tea is delicate, and its nature is easily altered. Tea storage prefers warmth and dryness over cold and dampness, coolness over steaminess, and clarity over fragrance.”

This passage describes an important characteristic of tea called “easily altered,” meaning the quality of tea is very susceptible to changes due to external conditions. It mentions three factors that affect the quality of stored tea: temperature, humidity, and odors.

Tu Long was undoubtedly an expert in storing tea, and he had a secret manual for storing tea:

“Tea prefers bamboo leaves and avoids fragrant herbs, preferring warmth