Greetings, friends! And welcome to Caroline Finds It: my new weekly newsletter where I reply to submissions from YOU for objects and products you need recommendations for.
This week, from Julie in Oakland, CA: “I'm looking for a tea storage solution. Twice a year I buy seven teas for the following six months. I'd like to find seven identical containers or a larger container with seven sections that hold 26 servings each. Right now I'm using Murchie's boxes from a previous order.”
Dear Julie,
You system of tea consumption is something to behold, and I completely understand the importance of proper storage. From the number of tea-related submissions I’ve received, it seems that you’re in good company here. To other tea drinking readers: please drop your storage ideas in the comments! I’m curious to hear about your preferences.
Due to the specificity of your tea buying ritual, I’m going to make the assumption that you take the freshness of your tea very seriously. With that in mind, here’s the criteria I’m considering:
Must be air-tight
Ideally should not be clear, so as to protect the tea from light
Must be easy to open and close (i.e. no two part jar lids)
No plastic because we want these to last!
First, I should admit that I, as a daily tea drinker, do NOT have any uniformity to my storage situation. I recycle clear glass jars (always wash HOT with white vinegar to eliminate food smells!) and use a label maker to label them before crowding them onto this extremely handy Crate & Barrel marble shelf.
My #1 best recommendation for you comes from a brand I, quite frankly, am obsessed with. Infinity Jars is a jar company that specializes in making really high quality airtight jars in ultraviolet glass, which means that light can’t get in a spoil the contents. They’re also very beautiful and remind me of old apothecary glassware. One of my personal pet peeves when it comes to jars is cleaning the lids (metal ones rusty! plastic ones get nasty!), and these ones are entirely made of glass and are easy to maintain. And a side note: Infinity Jars make lots of tiny jars and dropper bottles which are more leak-proof for travel than any of the plastic counterparts I’ve tried (I’m looking at you, Muji!). They often throw in a tiny freebie jar with orders, which is perfect for skincare products, and a way of justifying your purchase because these jars are $$$.
A second option in case goth pharmacy isn’t your vibe is a carefully selected tin! They’re everywhere, but I really do love these colorful rectangular tins by HAY for their shape, since you could easily line them all up on a shelf, or slide them into a cupboard. Lots of nice indie shops stock these, so I’d try to find them at a small business. Other decorative tins I’ve encountered in a great rectangular shape include this one from Marimekko, or this one from Emma Bridgewater. All of this aside, I understand that you might not be an enthusiastic maximalist like me, and so I hit some of my favorite packaging supply sites for simpler tins, which proved a bit difficult to find individually and not in a case of 48. Eventually, I hit the jackpot with a website called Specialtybottle.com, which sells an impressible assortment of storage options like this whole collection of tea tins in different sizes.
Now that we have two different air-tight, light-proof storage options, we have something else to address. Labelling! You have seven identical containers to differentiate, and especially if you’re using a simpler style of vessel, this is were we can have a little fun. After years of searching and sourcing stationery, I can confirm that Choosing Keeping is the absolute best place to buy beautiful label stickers (pictured below), and also old-school jam jar style labels. Or, of course, vintage Dennison gummed labels are always a good idea, and can be found easily on Etsy.
I, personally, am a label maker junkie and highly recommend keeping a Brother P-Touch model of your choice loaded and ready to go in your kitchen area. If I’ve learned anything about kitchen storage, it’s that the label is just as important as the container itself.
QUICK ANSWER
Anna in Fremont, CA: “A sleep mask! Looking for one that is comfortable for side sleepers, and isn't too scratchy or heavy- some weighted aromatherapy ones are basically like heavy bean bags on my eyes (also not very comfortable for side sleeping). Not against scented ones, but would like one that won't be a hassle to wash.”
Anna, I’m with you here as a fellow side sleeper who uses a sleep mask! Let’s keep it simple. My very first job in NYC was at a lingerie shop, where I acquired the perfect silk sleep mask from Mary Green. I’m certain from the extremely outdated website that they’ve since gone out of businesses, but I’ve fond a couple of alternatives. Silk sleep masks are the best because they’re lightweight and cool on your face, are gentle on your lashes and skin and can be washed easily (just don’t put it in the dryer!). The best, least bulky, simplest silk sleep mask I’ve found is this one from Brooklinen. I use their silk pillowcases and can attest to their quality and washability! But maybe you want something a little sassier. These ones from Strathcona fit the bill and come in gorgeous prints. The other important component to consider is the strap. It shouldn’t be too bulky or tight, for the sake of comfort and keeping your hair nice, but it does also have to fit properly! If you’re not keen to fire up the sewing machine, I’d recommend taking your mask to your local dry cleaner to have them take in the strap if you need to! It’s a $15 fix that will totally be worth it.
FAVORITE PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
When it comes to cleaning/household products, I am adamant about buying in-person because shipping heavy cleaning products makes no sense when you can just go to an IRL store! I like to go to my neighborhood refill shop, A Sustainable Village, to get things like hand and dish soap, but the one thing that I do always buy online is laundry detergent. My skin is extremely sensitive to detergents, and I’m a freak about caring for my clothes, so this is an important item in my household. I’ve been using the lavender & eucalyptus laundry pods from Dropps for several years, and love that they ship in simple, completely plastic-free packaging, and clean my clothes gently without making me break out in hives. I store them in a gorgeous clamp top jar, which just makes doing laundry a tiny bit more pleasant.
P.S. Want to freshen your laundry, scent your sleep mask or mist your pillow? Don’t bother with expensive fabric sprays that are full of chemicals! Fill a small spray bottle with distilled water and drop just a few drops of your favorite essential oils in, shake well, and spray away!
Is there a product you’re looking for? Submit your request here. See you next week for fresh recommendations! xo Caroline
Hi, this is Julie in Oakland!
I just put in my order for 7 Hay tins. If anyone's wondering, I only got one blue tin and two each of the other 3 colors. I decided to get colored magnetic label holders from Magnatag. This way I can print out a new label if I get a new tea.
Another tea tin option: vintage ones from Etsy. But make sure there's no rust.
I also ordered labels and stickers from Choosing Keeping. And I'm assessing my cosmetic bottles to replace with Infinity Jars.
Thank you, Caroline!
Love these glass jars, what an awesome recommendation. Do you have any go-to essential oils? I can never find any scents that don't make me nauseous.