How do you ship your teas?
So I’ve been talking with a few people about swaps and I realized I’ve no real idea how to ship small quantities of tea (1 to 2 oz) economically while still protecting it from damage.
When I used to ship tea to a friend who was deployed I’d do it in sturdy glass mason jars as part of a larger package…but that doesn’t seem practical for smaller amounts.
Any advice?
I do mine in a ziplock bag inside the smallest priority mail box the USPS has – that paper back book sized one. Fold some paper around the zip and tape it to the inside of the box so it can’t move around if it’s a really fragile leaf.
Instead of posting a new thread I figured I’d add on to here, so how does one pay another for shipping? Like, if I want to ship a tea to someone here, how does the money get to me?
i use 4mm thick plastic baggies, 3×5in size most often but there are other sizes too. got them on amazon. my only beef with them is they’re not opaque/light blocking, alas. i know some steepsters have mentioned in past threads using opaque baggies ordered on ebay…
if you’re talking packaging the tea – i use bags from the dollar store that are craft quality so they’re a little thicker. I would prefer the light blocking/scent containing bags off ebay but haven’t had time/money yet.
In terms of getting the actual package to friends, typically if it’s a small number of teas, i use a size 0 bubble envelope. Big enough to have room to put more than a couple teas in, while keeping it thin enough to go as a letter and still protecting the tea from being crushed.
The completely airtight, scent blocking bags via ebay that people are talking about are these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-3-5×5-Ziplock-Stand-Up-Pouches-Bags-SUP-AA-Clear-Silver-/310658901253?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4854b6a505
The seller also has bags that are silver on both sides, but don’t think the one-side clear leads to too much degredation.
I’m also posting these here because so many people that I’ve recently swapped with have asked where I got them. They make such a difference when it comes to scent contamination, especially when swapping highly flavored teas.
You can ship it in double seal zipper bags if budget is an issue. Just make sure that it does not get exposed to light, moisture or any other exposure that can damage the tea. We personally package and ship our teas in airtight metal tins (we put a sticker to ensure that it is cap does not fall off during shipment). We do ship glass jars with rock sugar but in rare occasion, glass jars might break during shipment. Just make sure you package glass jars REALLY well if you do choose to send glass jars.
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