1. It's the perfect season for selecting and enjoying fresh green Tea.
There are many varieties of Green Tea, and the optimal sales period for high-quality teas is short. You may buy some to try the new season's flavors, stock up on your favorites, or exchange them as gifts with relatives and friends…
Before you know it, you've accumulated a good amount of tea.
And the typical shelf life indicated for green tea is “one year.”
Many tea enthusiasts have found themselves with leftovers beyond this timeframe, handling them in various ways.
Some continue drinking it as usual, while others believe it can no longer be consumed and dispose of it or use it as fertilizer.
Image: Yulü from Enshi, Hubei
Can green tea still be consumed after its expiry date (usually one year)?
Based on our experience at Tea Encyclopedia:
Drink it within the shelf life and as soon as possible; after the expiry date, whether it can still be consumed depends more on the current quality of the tea.
In other words, rather than fixating on an uncertain time point, consider the following questions.
— How can we store green tea daily to preserve its freshness as much as possible and maintain its optimal taste?
For those who enjoy drinking and buying tea regularly or keep a certain amount of green tea at home for everyday needs, storing the tea properly is crucial.
If stored improperly, the tea can oxidize, become damp, or even spoil, losing its value even within the shelf life.
Under proper storage conditions, the tea may still maintain a good taste even after the expiry date.
Therefore, understanding and mastering basic methods for storing green tea is a necessary skill.
Image: 2022 Xinyang Maojian from Tea Encyclopedia
2. Key considerations for storing green tea: low temperature, airtight sealing, moisture prevention, light avoidance, and odor prevention.
The ideal storage temperature for green tea is 0-5°C, and it can also be frozen.
Green tea is unfermented and contains abundant Vitamin C. If exposed to light and air during storage, these components easily oxidize and diminish, greatly reducing the flavor and nutritional value.
In an environment with poor sealing, the tea's aroma gradually fades over time. Additionally, tea has strong absorbency and can easily pick up odors when stored together with other fragrant items, affecting its own aroma.
The chlorophyll in tea can undergo chemical reactions in high temperatures, non-sealed, and non-shaded environments, turning from green to yellow or brown.
In summary, improper storage can turn originally fresh and vibrant tea into something akin to dried leaves, lacking luster and without the appealing freshness, tenderness, fragrance, and sweetness that green tea is known for.
Image: 2022 West Lake Longjing from Tea Encyclopedia
3. Having covered all this, how should green tea be stored in daily life?
Tea Encyclopedia summarizes it in seven words: three-layer protection and refrigeration.
First, three-layer protection.
① Stylish “base layer”: Food-grade aluminum foil bags
Aluminum foil bags provide excellent light and moisture protection, making them the simplest and most economical packaging for green tea.
Most green tea we purchase is packaged this way: the tea is sealed in an aluminum foil bag, which is then placed inside another container.
② Waterproof “outerwear”: Airtight metal cans
Varieties of tin cans, which are cost-effective, are commonly used containers for tea.
Those with double-layer lids offer better moisture resistance.
③ Reinforced “protective suit”: Plastic bags or resealable bags
Place the sealed tea in a thick, clean, odorless plastic bag, then put it in another bag and seal it tightly.
This method effectively reduces air exchange and extends the freshness period.
It also improves odor prevention.
Image: 2022 Biluochun from Tea Encyclopedia
Second, refrigerate or freeze?
※ For short-term storage and consumption within a certain period, refrigerate.
If the refrigerator isn't dedicated to tea storage, extra attention must be paid to sealing the tea to prevent odor transfer.
After opening the package, always ensure the aluminum foil bag is sealed with a clip (included with all canned green tea from Tea Encyclopedia).
Put the tea back in the refrigerator promptly to maintain a stable storage environment.
Additionally, you can place the tea in a more airtight tin can or a clean resealable bag.
※ For unopened packages that won't be consumed in the near future, freeze.
When ready to open and drink, do not rush to open the package immediately after taking it out of the freezer.
Wait until the tea reaches a temperature closer to room temperature before opening it.