In the kitchen, the water poured, an opened packet sits with its mouth still open. A tea worth liking is worth brewing just as well tomorrow. Before any special equipment, what deserves a second look is the packet opened every day and where it lives.

What follows turns a long-established tea house's short guidance into movements in the kitchen.

Sunlight, steam and strong smells

In the afternoon, sun reaches the shelf by the window. Dry tea can be kept at room temperature, but not just anywhere.

The tea house's guidance says to keep tea away from sunlight, heat, humidity and strong odours. Hearing room temperature, it is easy to remember only that it need not be chilled. The guidance, though, also lists what to keep it away from.

The things to look at are when sun falls on the spot, how close cooking heat and steam come, and what strongly scented things sit beside it. Taken one at a time, they keep the choice from resting on a vague sense that somewhere seems cool. The guidance says that much. Next, the mouth of the packet.

Closing the packet is part of the cup

Once the leaf is scooped out, the packet's mouth gives a dry rustle. Close an opened packet before putting it away, the guidance says.

With the tea taken out, the packet is closed before moving on to brewing. With a fixed place to keep it, putting it away becomes part of the same routine.

The guidance goes as far as closing the packet. Which tea it is talking about comes next.

This is about tea before it is brewed

A little brewed tea is still left in the pot. The room-temperature advice is about dry tea in a packet or tin.

How to keep tea already brewed in a pot or bottle is a separate question. Where a product gives its own storage directions, those come first.

The advice reaches as far as dry leaf. The figures and where they come from are gathered at the end.

The numbers in detail

Source
The guidance on where to keep tea and closing the packet comes from Ippodo Tea's official FAQ.
What to avoid
Sunlight, heat, humidity and strong odours, four in all.
Temperature
Kept away from those, dry tea can be stored at room temperature.
Once opened
The FAQ advises closing the packet after opening.
Scope
The guidance concerns dry tea in a packet or tin.
Product directions
Where a product gives its own storage directions, those apply.