Tea has long been a food attribute, so tea has a shelf life, but it is not effective for a long time. The shelf life on the teabag, we can understand that it is the best time to drink tea, if the tea expires, it will cause the tea to lose its nutritional value and drinking value, so the expired tea is generally not drunk.
The shelf life of Chinese green tea is relatively short among tea leaves, so we should pay more attention to its shelf life. When many people keep the tea, they forget to open it, which causes the Chinese green tea to expire, and they are very regretful. Does the expiration date mean that the tea has gone bad? The shelf life of Chinese green tea is usually about one year. If this period is exceeded, the quality of the whole tea will be greatly reduced, and it will not be as high as before.
For the sake of the drinking effect, it is better to drink it within the shelf life. However, the key to the quality of tea leaves is preservation. Poorly preserved tea may deteriorate before the expiration date. Well-preserved tea can still be drunk even if it expires. That is to say, expiration and deterioration are not the same sign.
If you are not sure about the quality of the tea, try to drink it within the shelf life. Keep the tea leaves dry, sealed, protected from light and cool. If the tea has the following conditions, no matter whether it has expired or not, such tea can no longer be drunk.
Significant discoloration
It is normal for the color of tea leaves to become darker after being stored for a long time. For example, after white tea has been stored for about five years, the color will change from apricot yellow to dark yellow to reddish-brown, but the tea soup has always been transparent and bright. However, it should be noted that if the tea soup not only becomes darker but also becomes dark brown and cloudy, with no translucent feeling at all, such tea is likely to be spoiled.
Odor
Tea has a strong adsorption property. If it is placed with something with a peculiar smell, or if it is not sealed well before putting it in the refrigerator, it is easy to get an odor. If you smell the obvious mothball smell and oily smell of tea leaves, you should not drink such tea.
soft, mildew
The best moisture content of tea leaves is about 5%. If the moisture content exceeds 10%, the tea leaves are easily damp and moldy. Normal tea leaves are crisp and easy to break. If the tea leaves feel soft, wet, or smell musty, then the tea is spoiled and can no longer be drunk. Chinese green tea is fresh. If it is identified that the tea has deteriorated, no matter whether it is within the shelf life or not, it is not drinkable.
If you are not sure about the quality of the tea, you must drink it within the shelf life, which not only ensures the safety of the tea but also the best drinking period for new tea.
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