tea shelf life?

[dylanM]

How long is tea good for in the pantry? Does loose tea & bagged tea age the same ?

Thanks

[Summerthyme]

Hard to say for sure, but it's going to lose a LOT of flavor by 1 year. If you want to store it for longer, vacuum seal it.

It shouldn't matter whether it's loose or in tea bags- it's still all ground pretty darn fine, and that is what increases oxidation and aging.

Summerthyme

[Meemur]

In my household in Cols, OH, tea bags in boxes (as opposed to jars or vac sealed is good for about 8 months). The humid days in July and August are a problem if I leave things in boxes in cupboards. If I just drop tea into glass jars and put them into the coolest part of the house, it's more like 18 months, and properly sealed, I've gotten 3 years, maybe longer, but I had to use them at 3 years.

Loose tea goes into jars or is sealed in my house.

[Hungry Seagull]

Ive kept Tetley Tea (Cannot order Orange Pekoe out of Winsdor Canada, have to go there in person and carry it back into the USA) from Connecticut in my closet for up to a year in it's own shipping box. That helps defend against the humidity and heat.

I am going on 6 months with another batch that is approaching a year or so in storage already. I'll try a cup later this week to see how it is doing.