Question about freshness

[David R.]

Hi everyone,

A friend of mine just discovered 4 unopened tea bags he bought in Kyoto 1 and a half years ago. 3 come from Ippodo and one from a little shop nearby, 2 minutes walk from there, called Ryuouen. 3 of them are sencha and 1 is gyokkuro. One is vacuum sealed (the one from Ryuouen). I was with him when he bought them, but as he is not a tea enthusiast, he forgot about them and just retrieved them when I recently asked him if he enjoyed them.

Do you think that they are still as good as they were ? not far from what they used to be ? spoiled ?

Thanks in advance !

[Xell]

It should be still fine, probably you won't notice any big difference. At least what i was told by tea shop owner, you can store tea for about 2-3 years. Of course in original package.

This of course will be true only if that shop already didn't store it for more than 1-2 years

[rdl]

in most cases of old tea stored in the freezer or on a shelf, the tea will not spoil but it has lost it's freshness and rich flavor. i had a 2 year old package that i just considered to be like a bancha, i steeped it only once or twice, even iced it. it was fine to drink knowing i would not get anything subtle out of it.
i think you'll hear this repeated to you over and over: make sure it didn't spoil, then try it. and please tell us what you find.

[alan logan]

open, see, smell and taste. Then you have an answer.

[Chip]

First the good news, the gyokuro may be as good or even better ... no gaurantee on that though, but gyokuro is frequently aged.

Since the sencha were not cold stored, there is bound to be some degradation in flavor and aroma. Could still be good, but someone who drinks sencha regularly would likely be able to discern a difference quite easily.

Ippodo recommends using within 6 months or so from packing for many of their sencha. I do not think they nitro flush, thus the shelf life is shorter ... at least this was the case.

And once you open the bags, anticipate rapid decline, faster than an uber fresh bag.

[David R.]

Thanks everyone. I will transmit to my friend. I would have very much liked to taste them, but he is living quite far from my home.

One of the sencha is the Kumpu. That's a waste...

[Chip]

Thanks everyone. I will transmit to my friend. I would have very much liked to taste them, but he is living quite far from my home.

One of the sencha is the Kumpu. That's a waste...

Kumpu is open here ... stop by!

[David R.]

I am afraid that the time I arrive, it won't be fresh any more.