Tea how long it lasts

Most teas come with a best-by date on the package. That date indicates how long the tea leaves should retain freshness. It has nothing to do with safety.

Therefore, the date on the label is more of an indicator of how long you can expect to experience the full flavor that tea has to offer. It will still be safe to use after that date. That means that the most popular kind of tea, which is black tea Earl Grey, English Breakfast, and so on lasts in good quality the longest. Oolong, which is between black and green tea in terms of processing, lasts a bit shorter.

And green tea, the least processed one of the three, lasts even shorter. A good quality green tea can last longer than poor quality black tea.

In short, both tea leaves and tea bags retain good quality for about 6 to 12 months past the best-by date. Another type of tea is Pu-erh or red tea. If everything is okay with the bags or leaves, you can use them.

As I mentioned earlier, most teas gradually degrade in quality. And that is good enough reason to throw it out. Pests and insects like moths or ants usually stay away from pure unflavored tea. Green tea leaves are more delicate than other tea types. It starts to lose scent, color and flavor fast if stored improperly. In fact, all less oxidized leaves like white tea, green tea and light oolong teas will have a shorter shelf life. Pay extra attention to tightly seal all packaging after use because oxygen will ruin them much faster than it will ruin other types.

A new package of fresh green tea placed on direct sunlight in summer may change flavor and scent in only 30 minutes. Green tea is usually appreciated for its freshness, so if you really want to enjoy it, use it within 6 months of purchasing. However, if stored properly, it can be good for more than a year. Aging requires skills, knowledge and special storage conditions that will allow tea leaves to acquire flavor that is better than when the tea was fresh. Black tea is usually good for over years.

Lightly oxidized oolong like Ti Kwan Yin is best used within 6 months, while more heavily oxidized Wu Yi oolong will be tasty longer. White tea will be good for at least a year, but if you want to enjoy the freshness of pure spring silver needles, drink it within 6 months. Fermented teas have the longest shelf life, often counted in decades. Black, oolong, green and white teas all come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. They differ in how the leaves are processed after harvesting and before drying.

All will eventually lose their flavor, and the phytochemicals primarily flavonoids they contain will degrade. However, dried tea leaves that are kept dry will not spoil, and as long as they are stored away from heat, water, light and air, the flavor and phytochemical content can be maintained for up to two years. The more fermented and intact the dried leaves are, the longer they will last.

Black tea leaves are more fermented than green or white, and oolong is somewhere in between. Measures of intactness vary from leaf, to broken leaf, to fannings and dust.