After a week of wrestling with exactly *how* honest I should be on this blog, I decided to go for it. You see, last week, I found in my kitchen cabinets an old pouch of tea that I had forgotten I had.
But as happens every now and then, it was time to clean out the spice cabinet, and tucked way up in a corner behind some other goodies was this 125 gram bag of Upton's Poire Creme (pear cream) green rooibos tea. Now I absolutely love this tea, so I can't imagine a) why I stored it where I wouldn't see it and b) how I could have so easily forgotten about a favorite blend.
But here's the thing: Upton dates their bags, so with a gulp, I realized exactly how long I've had this bag of tea, and it's downright embarrassing. I was just about to toss the bag out when, out of curiosity, I opened it to see if it had any scent left. To my great surprise, the tea smelled rich and fresh, not musty or stale at all. Naturally, that meant I had to steep some of the tea and taste it. Again to my surprise, this green rooibos still tastes just terrific. Now I do not by any stretch advocate hanging on to tea for this long, and I can't imagine very many teas would even last this long, but I had to share about my forgotten bag of tea. Perhaps it helps that it was in a dark place for so long? What's the longest you've kept a bag or box of tea that was still drinkable? I would've probably said "two years, max" if I hadn't found this one!
I know they always say tea's shelf life is no longer than one year [except for puerhs], but I think that's the 'ideal.' I, like you, have had teas tucked away in my cabinet, or in a canister and forgotten about them, When re-discovered and brewed, they tasted just fine. I'm sure there are certain teas that would lose their flavor beyond a year, but my rule is to give them a taste test first before disposing of them. Teas can't spoil or become harmful - they just simply 'go off' and cease to maintain their quality characteristics. You're right about proper storage being a key element in teas shelf life. I'll be anxious to read other comments on this.
ReplyDeleteAs you said in a dark place and also in a sealed pouch. Fresh tasting after 7 years is a nice surprise.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I have had teas way past the use by date. Only one tea had it gone off and tasted bitter. I am so glad they last longer since I have so many and keep buying more. As an FYI, I found the company that makes the Empress tea for the hotel. Murchies private labeled it until The Fairmont out sourced it over seas. It is Murchies Afternoon Blend, wonderful and half the price!
ReplyDeleteI went to a talk by Bruce Richardson and one of the things he discussed was just how long it took to get tea from Asia to Europe. It seems that most people were drinking tea that was at least 3-4 years old. That made me feel a bit better about my tea not being super fresh. I'm glad to hear you had a good experience with tea from 2008!
ReplyDeleteAh heck, I've steeped and used old tea forever. The nose tells us almost all we need to know about freshness. Now, what irks me is by scratch white chocolate chip cookie dough that a while back I only baked HALF - trying to mind my time that day - then stashed it - a huge bit - to bake later. WELL, I forgot it and it went a little too long. It wasn't bad but it didn't smell great, so down the disposal it went. I am still very mad at myself about that waste. I mean, yeah go ahead and pitch the cauliflower, but homemade cookie dough I forgot about? WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH MY BRAIN?? : - p
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous weekend. Hugs, ♥
I'm not bothered either...get too many teas and can only drink so many cups a day, so they do accumulate. But I just use 'em!
ReplyDeleteRuth
Oh, my! I never thought about the age of tea. Now every time I see tea in my cupboard, I am going to wonder if it is too old or not. Blessings
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I didn't known teas were able to read the dates on the boxes they were stored in and know when they were supposed to no longer be drinkable. I've had tea that was a year past it's "best by" date and it was fine. I'm thinking that if you buy quality tea it will outlast those cheaper grades that one British soul told me came from what was swept up off the floor since we'd dumped so much tea in the harbour long ago. Sometimes, I think he was right.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear you had success with your well stored rooibos! I've discovered that if it is a flavored rooibos, the flavor tends to dissipate over the years. Glad yours was still tasty.
ReplyDeleteWhat a relief to know that I'm in good company when it comes to drinking teas waaayyyy past their expiration dates! The oldest teas stored in my cool and dark cupboard are from late 2011. However, I don't always open them right away, so they end up sitting in their original packing for months/years which I guess helps retain their freshness. Since I don't have a very discerning palate, I haven't really noticed a decline in the taste of my expired teas.
ReplyDeleteBack in November 2013, I purchased a tea set that came with a box of teas at a church sale. I thought that the expiry date said "2014" but when I got home, I discovered that it was actually "2004"! Whoops! Those teabags got tossed!
I'm sure many of us have these "archive" teas lurking in our cabinets!
ReplyDeleteGlad your tea was still good. I've had teas that were several years old and still tasted fine. I would think teas were similar to spices. They don't necessarily go bad, just the taste may fade.
ReplyDeleteI have heard for most teas, especially blends, one year is the shelf life. However, I always recommend tasting before tossing and sometimes you do have surprises. I was given a box of darjeeling at the first tea expo in the Las Vegas about 12 years ago and I didn't like it, but didn't toss it. About 7 years later I tasted it and suddenly loved it. So you never know. I have an aged oolong on my shelf that I bought about 5 years ago and it had already aged 20 years. I have recently found it is a real treasure and can no longer be found only with one vendor at a very high price. I am keeping mine in my cupboard for just the right time to open it.
ReplyDeleteInteresting information, Angela. Good to know that the shelf life can vary. Joanie
ReplyDeleteI think most dried foods will last a very long time as long as they are kept dry. The quality may not be as good but apparently this was well prepared!
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