For me 100 grams of tea isn't very much in relationship to how much I drink, so I don't worry to much about it getting stale before I drink it all. I do, however, have some caddies that I use for storing tea. I personally don't separate my tea into smaller amounts, but I drink a lot of tea. I also live in an area where the humidity is low. Humidity may be more of a problem then just exposure to air in terms of rapid loss of freshness. I do store my tea in a sealed container. At our warehouse we do break the tea into smaller quantities, 250 grams or 500 gram amounts, depending on the volitilaty of the tea. We also keep the temperature low, but not too low. Good packing and storing under good conditions can extend the shelve life of tea considerably. We are very careful with our tea which is not the standard in the industry. The general rules are to keep it out of the air, away from smells and humidity, and in the dark.
People's understanding about freshness is sometimes incorrect. For example, everyone looks for tea as close to harvest time the better, which is a largely a myth. Green tea for example has a wonderful smell right after it has been produced, but the best taste comes after it has aged for a few months. It is a good idea to consider the tea you are storing. Puer for example needs to be stored in a place that has good air flow. As in most questions about tea, there are general guidelines, and complications with specific teas.
I can tell you that the Chines are experimenting at extending shelf life all the time, trying to improve their storage techniques, while the tea producers outside of China do not take as much care. It is common to see tea stored in the same kind of bags that are used to store other commodities that are not sealed to either smell, humidity, or air.
Austin
