It's the natural progression of things. First coffee, now tea. Last time you learned how to care for your coffee beans by keeping them fresh. I would expect no less from you when it comes to caring for coffee's step-sibling, tea. Coffee and tea have the same monsters in the closet: heat, moisture, air, and light. Like coffee, you can not put loose leaf, dried tea in the refrigerator! (Brewed, iced tea is of course acceptable.) Unlike coffee, however, tea can not be stored in the freezer. It should be stored in a cool place but again, not the fridge or freezer. (Don't make me go there again, just reread last week's column).

Tea should be packed into an airtight, opaque container. Don't place it in a wooden container or near spices and other strong smelling foods, because tea, like coffee, is permeable. I know many tea consumers stash their tea in the spice cabinet because it seems vegetal. Think garlic flavored tea and then think again. Yummy! The Chinese used to house their tea in an earthen jar, wrapped in rice paper, and weighed down with a lime. I'm not by any means suggesting anything that drastic - a canister is all I'm asking.

Keep in mind that tea begins to lose its flavor in about one year. If at the end of its year you still have tea left, consider making it into iced tea to use it more quickly. Did you know that iced tea was an accidental conception? It is rumored that at the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904, vendor Richard Blechynden created the delicious summer beverage. He noticed that fair-goers weren't interested in his hot tea because of the summer heat. He poured it into glasses with ice, and iced tea was an instant success.

Tea's other supposed accidental creation is the tea bag. Tea exporter Thomas Sullivan began sending tea samples in small silk bags rather than larger tins to save money. His customers assumed the pre-portioned, self-contained bags were intended for steeping directly into hot water. Thus, the tea bag was born.

While tea's marvelous mishaps have been quite influential in tea usage, good, fresh tea is no accident!