The shelf life of tea is not clearly defined, and it varies for different types of tea. For example, black tea can be stored for 2 to 3 years; green tea and yellow tea are typically best consumed within 18 months; Oolong Tea can be stored for 3 to 5 years; and dark tea and white tea, if properly preserved, can last around 15 years. There are six main categories of Chinese tea, each with its own storage duration. Do you know how long they can be stored?
The Shelf Life of the Six Types of Tea
1. Green Tea: The shelf life of green tea is the shortest. Generally, at room temperature, it has a shelf life of about one year. If you have a dedicated refrigerator for storing green tea (which would make you quite the tea connoisseur), the shelf life can be extended to around 18 months.
2. Black Tea: As a fully fermented tea, black tea has a relatively long shelf life and can be stored for more than two years. However, if stored properly, it may undergo transformation after two years. If this transformation is successful, it can be stored for even longer periods.
3. White Tea: The saying goes, “one year tea, three-year medicine, seven-year treasure.” White tea has the characteristic of improving in flavor and value with age. The longer it is stored, the better its taste and value become, assuming proper storage conditions. Poorly stored tea, no matter how good, will inevitably degrade over time.
4. Dark Tea: Dark tea also has the characteristic of improving with age. It can be stored for a long time in a moisture-free and odorless environment. However, due to post-fermentation, it does not have the same unlimited potential as raw Pu'er or white tea. Typically, loose-leaf tea reaches its peak flavor after three to five years, while Compressed tea can be stored for ten to fifteen years.
5. Yellow Tea: As the most understated and least prominent of teas, yellow tea undergoes an additional process called “damping” during production. Its shelf life does not significantly increase because of this process, so it is best consumed within about one year.
6. Oolong Tea: Oolong tea is a semi-fermented tea. Generally, if stored in a refrigerator, it can last for about 18 months. However, oolong teas that have been baked, such as Wuyi Rock Tea, can still be enjoyed even after two years.
7. Pu'er Tea: In recent years, Pu'er tea has become very popular due to its characteristic of improving with age, which has been widely discussed by collectors. Aged Pu'er (shou) is typically best consumed within about 15 years, while raw Pu'er (sheng) improves with age and becomes more valuable over time.
Which Teas Are Suitable for Long-Term Storage?
In fact, every type of tea has its optimal drinking period. Some teas should be consumed as soon as possible, as their quality deteriorates over time. Others need to be stored for a period before they reach their best flavor. Still, others can be stored for a long time, becoming more fragrant with age. So, which teas are suitable for long-term storage? Here's a look at some teas that are suitable for long-term storage.
Teas stored for three to five years or more are generally considered aged teas. The concept of aged teas is not new; there has long been a tradition of storing teas for medicinal purposes among the people.
Teas suitable for long-term storage stand up to the test of time. Their ability to withstand long storage indicates a rich content of internal substances. Under normal and reasonable storage conditions, these substances undergo changes that give the tea a deeper and richer quality profile.
Wuyi rock tea is suitable for storage. The saying goes, “Stored for a deep red color, the price triples; everyone sells aged teas from the previous year,” referring to how Wuyi rock tea, after the fire has subsided, tastes even better. Not just one year, but Wuyi rock teas stored for many years have superior quality and can warm the stomach and strengthen the spleen.
White tea can be stored for a long time, a fact known to all. Besides having unique health benefits, it develops unique flavors like jujube and medicinal aromas, making it intriguing to the palate. Generally, aged white teas are mainly Bai Mudan and Shoumei, which have lower tenderness.
Both raw and ripe Pu'er teas have the characteristic of being suitable for long-term storage. Aged teas have richer layers of flavor and a more intense taste, qualities that cannot be matched by newer teas. This is the fundamental reason why Pu'er tea has investment value.
Dark tea is suitable for aging, as beneficial microorganisms promote the transformation of the internal substances in dark tea.