General Question

Jude's avatar

How long do tea bags keep?

Asked by Jude (32204points) January 25th, 2011

Do they lose their flava’ after 2 years?

The ones that I have weren’t stored in a seal-tight container/tin.

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11 Answers

Response moderated (Off-Topic)
Response moderated (Off-Topic)
JLeslie's avatar

I’ve used two year old tea. Probably it does lose its flavor, but since I make my tea very weak, I didn’t really notice.

kenmc's avatar

From what I’ve read, 2 years is about the limit. I’d use it if it didn’t have any obvious problems, though.

jaytkay's avatar

Brew it, drink it. The worst that can happen is you don’t like the taste.

Brian1946's avatar

Probably even longer than 2 years if they’ve been kept in a freezer.

LuckyGuy's avatar

I am still on my kick of using up old stuff before buying new. We have tea from summer of 2001 – 9.5 years old and it’s still fine. It will take us weeks to finish it off but we will.

Foolaholic's avatar

If you’re worried about loosing flavor, just try to let each infusion brew a little longer. Not to much longer that you overdo it and get bitter tea, an extra 60–70 seconds should do it.

wilma's avatar

I’m with @worriedguy using up all the old stuff in my cupboards. fun eh?
I have been using old tea lately and I do notice less flavor and it’s also the flavor doesn’t seem as nice, but certainly not bad in any way.

ccrow's avatar

They can get stale, but they certainly don’t spoil in a harmful-to-you way. (Unless they got damp & moldy, in which case I’m sure they would smell bad.)

Celtic_One's avatar

In that case they are likely not at their peak but you will have to try them to see if you think that they are still drinkable. Unlike other foods tea does not have a set point where it becomes bad. When time goes on the flavor and aroma of tea slowly fad away and they often tend to become more bitter with age. My best guess is if they were sitting out they would likely not be that drinkable now. In the future it is good to know that unless if the teabags are the type that are individually sealed in plastic or foil that it is best to keep them in a Ziploc bag to extend the life of the tea.

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