The British have always loved a cup of tea. According to the UK Tea Council, over 165 million cups are drunk in the UK every day. When it comes to coffee, an estimated 70 million cups are drunk daily in this country.
The journey from plantations to your mug is a long and involves an intricate storage process. Hired dehumidifiers can play a critical role to ensure the best batch of tea or coffee ends up in the supermarket. Dehumidifying machines control moisture and prevent the development of damp, mould and condensation in buildings. They are extremely effective at taking moisture out of the air and can be used in commercial, industrial and domestic settings, to maintain desired humidity levels.
How To Maintenance Coffee Machines
About Tea
Tea is made from tea leaves grown on plantations or 'estates'. Once the leaves are picked, the tea is blended. For loose-leaf packets, the tea is put into a hopper which feeds a machine that carefully measures and dispenses the right amount of tea into the packet, filling it and sealing it, and weighing it as a final check. This is all done automatically in seconds.
Without careful moisture control during manufacture and packaging, tea may become unfit for consumption, due to the growth of undesired moulds and bacteria. At minimum it may alter the taste and make it undesirable. The tea manufacturing and packaging processes usually occur overseas (i.e. before export), but once the tea arrives in the UK it is essential to store it carefully and correctly before distribution nationwide.
About Coffee
Once coffee beans have been grown, picked and roasted, they too must be stored properly to preserve their freshness. Ideally, coffee bean containers must be airtight and kept in a cool, dry and dark place.
Like tea, coffee imported into the UK from countries such as Brazil, Colombia, USA and South Africa must be stored at the right temperature and humidity level here before distribution, so that the coffee beans' flavour does not deteriorate.
Hired desiccant dehumidifiers can help to ensure correct humidity levels are maintained at UK warehouses while tea and coffee is in storage.
About Desiccant Dehumidifiers
Unlike refrigerant dehumidifiers, desiccant models use moisture-absorbing materials like silica gel, and are used when very low relative humidity is needed. Desiccant materials have a high affinity for adsorbing water vapour - up to 10,000 m3/hr, in fact. Desiccant dehumidifiers are also the ideal choice for when the unit has to be ducted into the area that needs drying.
When imported tea and coffee arrives here, it is then transported from British docks and airports to large warehouses across the country where it could be stored for days, weeks or even months. To preserve stock, warehouse managers must ensure that relative humidity levels are strictly controlled and regularly monitored.
In May 2010, a dehumidifier rental specialist responded quickly to an urgent call from a manager at a 20,000 square metre warehouse. The manager was concerned that relative humidity at the warehouse might soon reach a critical level, endangering the moisture-sensitive tea and coffee being kept in storage.
The specialist dehumidification hire team quickly had high volume KT6000 desiccant dehumidifier drying units, generators and ducting on site, correctly positioned, set up and working effectively at the warehouse. Relative humidity levels were soon brought back to acceptable levels and the valuable tea and coffee stocks were saved.
The key point here is that the warehouse manager knew exactly who to call when relative humidity levels became worrying. Having already forged a link with an expert in dehumidifier hire, he was able to benefit from their 24/7, all-year-round, emergency call-out service. He had also had the foresight to formulate a contingency plan with the specialist (a site survey having been a part of this) so that, should urgent extra dehumidification ever be required, the specialist dehumidifier leasing team would know the most efficient process in providing assistance to the warehouse.
How Hired Dehumidifiers Help Preserve Stored Tea and CoffeeSee Also : Automatic espresso machine
