How old is too old?

Made from leaves that have not been oxidized.


May 11th, '12, 00:22
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How old is too old?

by mrvco » May 11th, '12, 00:22

I just found a few sealed bags of green tea from Den's that I had forgotten about... they are a few years old now. Since they have never been opened, is there any chance that they are still worth brewing and drinking? Or should I just toss them in the trash and move on :?:

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May 11th, '12, 01:32
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Re: How old is too old?

by Chip » May 11th, '12, 01:32

One way to find out ... but I do not hold out much hope. There is going to be degradation, but maybe it can be salvaged for iced tea.

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May 11th, '12, 01:33
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Re: How old is too old?

by shinobicha » May 11th, '12, 01:33

There's no harm in trying!

Open it up at least, try a pot, if it's no good... you have one other option... pour some of the tea on a pan, turn on the fire, and roast it just until you can start to smell the aroma or see the leaves turning brown. Get them off the heat immediately, and you'll have home made Houjicha!

I have to admit, I've only done it once myself, and that wasn't for old tea, but I've heard that's a good way to make use of it. Let us know if it was any good.

May 11th, '12, 11:01
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Re: How old is too old?

by mrvco » May 11th, '12, 11:01

Wow, I thought I had posted here in the past (albeit a few years ago).

Thanks for the info... Once I saw the still air-tight foil bags, I didn't want to get my hopes up and then have them dashed :cry:

Or worse, suffer some ill effect from expired-tea-poisoning :shock:

Would increasing the steep time, water temp or amount of tea leaves (or some combination of those) help compensate for any degradation?

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May 11th, '12, 11:24
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Re: How old is too old?

by Chip » May 11th, '12, 11:24

ooops, I had seen that your original post to this topic was your first post on TC ... and then failed to check your join date. :oops:

You could try increasing the amount of leaf used.

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May 11th, '12, 14:14
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Re: How old is too old?

by teaisme » May 11th, '12, 14:14

absolutely drink those!
Don't trash them just yet.
You may find an aged gem!

Some can get really sweet after a couple years, toned down and more mellow, Delicious. Some can taste almost like nothing. None will poison you :lol:

Which ones do you have from dens?

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