Do tea-bags go out of date?

Question

Just realised I've had the same tea-bags in my cupboard for a year! Don't have the packaging I can't check - do they go out of date?

Answer 1

yes
most tea bags have a best before date

whether it is relevant or the manufacturer is just complying with EU legislation on packaging foods I dont know.

if they are kept inside a bag which totaly protects it from the environment then Id guess they probably wont degrade that much, but like all food stuffs exposed to moisture and air they will loose flavour, and may well suffer significant damage. I have drunk some teas that is out of date and its ben fine, there was a slightly less intense flavour, but it was perfectly acceptable.

After all tea is 'nothing' more than dried leaves (well its a lot more than 'just' some teas are blended with herbs, spices and flavourings, most are blends of different types of teas leaves).

Persoanlly I wouldnt make tea form tea or tea bags that have been hanging around in the open for a long time... mind you the rate I drink tea no tea bag will hang around very long.

Answer 2

You say tea bags, I have had loose tea bought in India ten yrs. ago, these were the top grade leaves that you could buy,they were bought by my nephew when on the oil rigs in India.Compared with tea bought now, if you put a teaspoon into a cup add water,then put a teaspoon of my tea in a cup my tea leaves would swell till they half fill the cup so I only use a couple of leaves and the cuppa is out of this world I find no difference in taste, whether tea bags are the same I don't know.

Answer 3

1 year should be alright. Try making a cuppa and see what you think. It won't make you ill so no worries there. If it does not taste right then do something else with the bags.

If you have kids you could make a parchment or old style certificate by wetting the tea bags and drawing them across paper then dry the paper. makes it look old. you can make an old treasure map for the kids to find stuff around the house on Christmas day!!

If not kids then do what you fancy with them. Try the tea tho as it may still taste good!!!

Hope that helps babe.

Answer 4

best thing is to check in every package.... I should think it depends on the leaves they are made from... there are so many different types of teas. The best way to check if you do not have the package, compare smelling a new tea bag with the one you ve had for a year and follow your instincts.

Answer 5

There is flour still in the little mill areas around the pyramids (support buildings for workers) which can still be used perfectly enough for food purposes today.

However I don't know the "shelf-life" for tea.

Wikipedia = "The length of time you can store tea depends on its type. Some teas such as flower teas will go bad in a month or so, but others may get better with age."

Answer 6

Although there may be a 'best by date' on the packet of teabags, tea does not actually go off - it just gets less tasteful with the passage of time. When we buy tea, we actually have no way of knowing just how old it is, it might have been kept in a tea warehouse for a year before sale. It will not poison you, that's for sure.

Answer 7

I would like to know too. I've had some green tea bags for a couple of years. Actually, one year is not too long of time for tea bags to go out of date. Longer than that, I don't know.

Answer 8

Not the bag itself, of course, but the tea in it does eventually lose its flavour, or the flavour will change. Tea is a very sensitive plant, which is why we are told to store it away from light and heat. It will pick up odours if stored near strong-smelling substances such as garlic etc.
That's why in the old days tea caddies were often lead-lined...of course in those days they didn't know about lead poisoning!

Answer 9

Yes. Tea has a very short life of freshness. The tea that imported by UK is the worse tea ever.It is processed, neither fresh, nor taste good. There are 100's of teas around the world. The best is the leaf tea in Turkey in my experience when you can smell its freshness immediately you open the bag.

Answer 10

Yes. teabags usually go out of date in 1 or 2 years, as they are a leaf product. the tea may taste funny though, as the flavour changes, and sometimes leaves shrivel, allowing them to escape out of the bag and into the tea.