Tea is hygroscopic and its ability to remain in good condition is highly dependent on its moisture content.
Therefore the main technical requirement for packaging of tea at any stage is the provision of an adequate moisture barrier.
For bulk tea, the traditional foil-lined plywood tea chest remains a common form of packaging for export tea. The aluminium foil is used as a moisture barrier. Multiwall paper sacks laminated with foil and polyethylene are becoming more common, providing as superior moisture barrier and any physical damage to the tea can be minimized by palletizing within the factory and shipping on containers.
Loose tea is packed in a multitude of different shapes sizes and types of materials throughout the world. The most common being a paperboard carton with either an aluminium foil liner or an overwrap of PP or RCF.
The best for loose tea is probably a metal box with snap-lid.
Tea bags have now become the most popular form of retail packaging, and considerable development has gone into improving the tissues paper used for this type of packaged, with porous wet-strength paper being required.
Packaging for tea
