Does tea expire?
If you are an avid tea lover— think Uncle Iroh in Avatar: The Last Air Bender— then you probably have a vague idea of how expired tea tastes like that. In search of the perfect cup of tea, you will likely encounter tons of the not so perfect ones and some that actually have no business being ingested.
Not that expired tea will make you sick (unless, of course, the storage conditions weren’t that great, and it got moldy or infected with bacteria). However, as far as expiry goes, in most cases, tea drunk past its shelf life will be less flavorful or will taste strange. Most tea lovers just steer away from tea that has lost flavor and aroma, instead of drinking tea that you will not enjoy or gain the full benefits from.
But that’s not what you came to this post for. You clicked on it to find out if tea really does expire, how and in what form.
We would be very remiss indeed if we were to end things here with a very speedy cautionary ‘avoid expired tea’ conclusion. What would follow is a barrage of questions such as, what if it is herbal tea? When does tea actually expire? What about tea bags? What do I do with expired tea? Does green tea actually expire?
We know—so many questions! But don’t worry, our first love is drinking tea. The second love is writing about it! So let’s delve in and see how far we can go in dissecting the topic of expirations to the delight of our tea-loving community.
When does tea expire?
So, yes, tea does really expire, but when exactly? It is difficult to say the exact store life of tea because it really does depend on the type of tea as well as the tea seller’s optimism.
Other factors include the moisture content, manner of storage and how well the tea package has been sealed and exposure to sunlight. Some teas will be great for a year, then start losing flavor after that. Green tea is especially notorious for this but more on that later. On the other hand, with proper storage, there are teas that can last years without going bad.
To figure out if your tea has expired or gone rancid, here are the signs to look out for:
- Smell your tea. If you hadn’t stored it in a vacuum seal container, then the exposure can accelerate its expiration. If the tea smells terrible, then it will be worse when brewed.
- Check for signs of damage and mold as this renders the tea unsafe for drinking.
- Finally, you can brew some and take a sip to see if it tastes okay — risky, but if it does taste good, then that’s a great reward, isn’t it? At best, the tea will still retain its flavor. At worst, the tea will have no taste, the flavors having faded away as a result of poor storage and age.
Therefore, even going by the expiry date on the package, poor storage can definitely cause the tea to expire faster.
If you store in a humid environment, then it will lose flavor faster while also becoming moldy and likely attracting bacteria. Moldy tea or tea with a bacterial infection will taste terrible or take on a rather sour taste. These can easily make you sick. On the other hand, if you store your tea in a dry environment, then it takes longer to lose its flavor. However, it can go rancid, which is not necessarily a bad thing because while safe to drink, some people actually enjoy the rancid flavors.
Expiration also depends heavily on the kind of tea. For the most part, unflavored black teas will expire at a slower rate than flavored teas, especially those loaded with fruits or potpourri. The latter teas are also more likely to get moldy or go rancid.
When it comes to green tea, the best kind of green tea is one taken while the tea is still fresh. Green tea easily goes stale after some time, even when sealed properly. However, when properly stored, green tea is safe to drink even after expiration.
Types of teas and how they hold upDoes tea expire once it has been brewed?
It is tempting to think that tea can, once brewed, stays fresh indefinitely. The short answer is yes, brewed tea can go bad. Even iced tea will eventually go bad.
Like all ‘does it go bad’ tea conversations go, how long tea can last depends on whether you consider its expiration as losing taste and flavor or you view it from a food safety point. The longer brewed tea stays untouched, the higher the potential for bacteria growth. However, as long as you consume it within 12 hours after brewing, then it is quite unlikely that you will become unwell. Even iced tea stored in a fridge should be consumed within 8 hours because, as the CDC found, tea brewed, especially under less than near-boiling temperatures, are more likely to be a great breeding ground for the bacteria coliform.
Finally, how do you know if the tea you brewed has gone bad, especially if you do not want to try the sip method? Look out for a sour or ‘off’ smell and check if it either has thickened or has strands of ropey particles. Fortunately, like most clouds go, there is a silver lining in ours: You can extend the shelf life of your brewed tea! You can do this by cleaning the equipment you use to brew your tea thoroughly. This means your tea maker, tea kettle, pitcher, cup and storage containers. Keeping them clean reduces the risk of contamination.
Brewing at the right temperature
You should always brew your tea at the appropriate temperature.
High temperatures are great for brewing tea, especially for black tea, as green tea will result in a bitter/stronger brew — which may not be what you are looking for. Also, to prevent your brew from being exposed to airborne particles, store it in an airtight container. To add to that, do not add any sweetener such as sugar to your tea if you are planning on storing it for later.
In a nutshell, the answer to how long brewed tea will last depends on the above factors. Needless to say is if you want a freshly brewed cup of tea, then the best thing is to ensure it does not go cold. For iced tea, try not to consume it after 48 hours, even though you should really drink it within 8 hours of brewing.
Do tea bags expire?
What about tea bags? If you have some tea bags in the pantry that are past their expiration date, don’t be too hasty to throw them out, as depending on how well you stored them and how well they are sealed, they can still be quite okay.
In fact, in most parts of Asia, you can find people drinking tea that is years old! In some markets, especially in Chinese markets, it is not rare to have tea that is more than 2 decades old, highly sought after and quite expensive to buy. As with many dried herbs, as long as the tea does not have mold or a bacterial infection, it will be quite okay for consumption. However, the older the tea bag, the longer you will have to steep it to coax out its flavors.
For green tea, drinking it past the 6-month mark can mean that you are actually losing out on antioxidants, which will have significantly decreased by this time.
When it comes to tea bags, besides storage, packaging and type of tea, the brand of the tea can also determine the level of its quality, which in turn directly influences how long the tea can last. For some high-quality brands of bagged teas, the tea is not only processed using top-notch processing techniques but also well sealed and packaged.
Black tea will most likely stay more flavorful than green tea and white tea. This is because these teas rely on oils for their aroma, flavor and antioxidants release.
How to use old tea bags
Teabags are especially versatile and can still be useful even if you are unwilling to drink them once they are past their expiration date. However, don’t dump out your tea bags just because they are past their expiration date because even if you opt not to drink them, they are still useful. If you have expired tea bags or old teas that are still okay but have probably lost flavor, here are some of the uses you can put them to:
- Smell the tea bags and if the aroma is still there and there is no smell of mold, then test it by opening a bag and emptying into a heated kettle. If the smell is still goofy, brew and steep for at least 4 minutes just to see if you like it still. Then you can enjoy it.
- Use them as air fresheners. You can drop a few drops of your favorite essential oil on the tea bags —just to absorb the smell, not actually get them soggy— and then place them in your sock drawers and other storage drawers to keep them fresh and great smelling.
- Compost the expired tea for your garden or indoor plants. Do this by opening up the teabags and pouring the contents into your compost. You can also the tea bag as it is or brew tea with the tea bags and add to your compost pile to help with decomposition.
- Brew the tea bag and allow it to cool in the fridge and hold them against your eyelids for a while to make them feel refreshed.
- Use the old tea bags for a hair rinse. Tea rinses work wonders in restoring the shine to your hair and therefore, you can brew two or three tea bags to make a strong tea, let it cool and then saturate your hair with the tea for about 10 to 15 minutes before hopping into the shower to wash your hair normally.
- If you have too much tea that is past expiration but still okay for drinking, there are many ways you can ensure you use it up quickly. For example, you can have a tea party. Put out your tea options and have some delicious pastries and have a blast! You can also bake with the tea. For example, make some Earl Grey sugar cookies or Earl Grey banana bread. Besides baking, consider adding tea, especially herbal teas such as hibiscus or pumpkin spice tea, to your smoothie to give it a twist and also add you some more health benefits. Finally, give tea as a gift and add a note on how it should be brewed and how long it should last. Therefore, you don’t have to throw away perfectly okay tea even if it has hit its expiration date.
How do you keep your tea bags fresh?
Why do tea bags expire?
Teabags lose aroma and flavor faster when exposed to moisture, high room temperatures and sunlight. To prevent this from happening and also reduce the risk of the tea bags becoming moldy, keep the tea bags in an airtight container and store this in a cool and dark place.
So avoid storing your tea bags on your kitchen counter or near the windows and stove.
Also, avoid storing them in your fridge or freezer, even if some people claim the freezer is good for your teabags. While storing the tea bags in the freezer can purportedly extend their shelf life, they will, however, be affected by the condensation from the freezer. Instead, store them in your pantry or kitchen cabinet and once you open the packaging, use Ziploc bags, especially if the tea bags are not sealed.
Some brands actually steer away from slapping their teas with an expiration date. For example, Lipton tea is stamped with a “Best Taste Date,” which is not an expiration date but a date that the brand feels the tea will taste best if drunk by that date. However, this does not mean that you should not continue drinking the tea. Just ensure you follow proper storage guidelines and, of course, smell and taste to see if it still is great for drinking.
Does loose leaf tea expire?
If you are a fan of loose-leaf, you are in luck because loose leaf tea often has a longer expiration date when compared to tea bags. If you are not too fussed about the size of your leaf, then it is best to go with bigger leaves as smaller ones go bad faster.
Loose-leaf teas often have a shelf life of about 18 to 24 months. When stored properly, even after the 24-month mark, it can be great for drinking, although it may lose the aroma, color and flavor. To keep loose-leaf teas fresh, store away from moisture, moldy places, heat and sunlight. Always reseal the pouch and never use a wet spoon to scoop out the tea leaves.
Does Chamomile tea expire?
Chamomile tea loses its aroma after 6 or 12 months. While it is still drinkable with the flavor still there even after the 12 months, expect that its natural flavor will fade away after a certain period. With proper storage, you can go ahead and enjoy your chamomile tea for a long period of time. In comparison, matcha tea goes bad faster and, like green tea, consume within 6 to 12 months. When matcha tea starts losing color, then the flavor, taste and aroma also decrease significantly.
How does green tea extract & green tea powder/matcha expire?
Green tea and its variants are one of the teas that have a shorter shelf life. This is because green tea is often drunk for its antioxidants, which lose strength over time. To increase antioxidants, the dried tea leaves undergo less fermentation and hence, have a shorter shelf life than black tea, which undergoes comparatively more fermentation.
In fact, it is best if you consume your green tea in 6 months and don’t drink it beyond the 1-year mark. Like black tea, it is easy to determine if your green tea is still fresh. For the loose-leaf, the touch should feel sturdy and smooth, not crumbly, disintegrating in your hand even with careful handling. The steeped leaves feel smooth and slippery to the touch. I know – in normal circumstances, you will definitely not be touching your steeped leaves, but for purposes of determining the freshness of your tea, especially past its expiration date, then dorn your experimentation gloves on!
Even beyond touch, you can easily tell if your green tea is fresh due to its distinct aroma. Green tea gives off a light, fresh and grassy smell, sort of like the smell you get when you are out in the fields after a rainy night. In contrast, black tea smells earthy, sweet and floral. Besides the loose-leaf and tea bag forms, green tea extract and green tea powder/matcha forms are quite popular because they offer more potent benefits than tea bags.
The whole tea leaves of loose leaf green tea or broken down compounds of powder and extract tend to release more of the antioxidants than the fanning and dust in tea bags. However, for matcha, ideally, you should use the tea within 8 weeks to 2 months of opening the pack. To ensure you are getting the best out of your green tea, you should buy in smaller quantities to use it up in a short amount of time.
Also, keep the green tea extracts as well as powder and teabags away from moisture, light, air, heat and odor to extend its shelf life. For tea bags and loose leaf tea, ensure you store them in an airtight container before storing it in your pantry away from the enemies mentioned above.
How does herbal tea expire?
Herbal tea is especially popular among tea drinkers who also want health benefits such as weight loss and to combat frequent headaches. For others, the aroma is just alluring. Like all the other teas, if stored properly, away from tea enemies such as moisture, heat, air and light, it can last you a long time beyond its best by date.
However, it does lose flavor over time and it is more susceptible to mold than black or green tea, so you need to be extra careful in how you handle and store it. This is because herbal tea is really just dried herbs, flowers and fruits.
You will know if your herbal tea has expired if it has lost almost all of its original flavor to the point you are essentially just drinking hot water instead of tea.
If you notice mold in your teabag or on a few of your tea leaves or notice an odd smell that is sour or musty, then throw your tea out. It is beyond your help, really.
Does bubble tea powder expire?
Bubble tea powders are great and all but like everything else at the supermarket, they are slapped with an expiry date. With its tapioca balls (boba or pearls), it is also known as pearl milk tea or bubble milk tea. It is refreshing and made with healthy ingredients such as jasmine tea.
However, if you have bubble tea powder, beware that past its expiration dates, you can look out for how it looks and smells to tell you if it has really gone bad. Like all powders such as matcha powder, once you open up your pack of bubble tea powder, make sure you handle it only with dry spoons and store it away from moisture, heat and sunlight.
It starts losing most of its potency when the powder clumps together and becomes hard.
Conclusion
Finally, for a TLDR, tea does expire. However, with the right storage and packaging, your tea will not likely develop mold or bacteria, so it can still be okay for drinking past the expiration. However, after some time, your tea can go rancid or lose the flavor aroma. For the most part, black tea is more flavorful past expiration date compared to herbal teas, green tea and matcha tea. Armed with this information, we hope you go forth and continue enjoying tea!