How old is too old

[Tea_Rex]

From this forum and a few other sources, I think I've learned that I should be drinking my greens within three months or so of purchase. Last night I was reading The Half Dipper, an entry he wrote on a dongding he was drinking at the time. He wrote about the need to use it up before it got too old. It made me wonder if it was a mistake to buy Red Blossom's Dragonwell 2009. If I buy a green picked and processed in 2009, is it already well on its way to too old?

[AdamMY]

It all really depends on storage. An Unopened bag will stay fresh for quite some time, especially if its kept out of temperature extremes, or kept close to a constant temperature. Though once you open it think less than 3 months with Japanese greens, and less than 6 months to a year with Chinese Greens.

[Tea_Rex]

It all really depends on storage. An Unopened bag will stay fresh for quite some time, especially if its kept out of temperature extremes, or kept close to a constant temperature. Though once you open it think less than 3 months with Japanese greens, and less than 6 months to a year with Chinese Greens.

I do store in airtight containers or those metallic bags one gets from tea vendors. And I don't think any tea I like lasts more than 3 months at my house, in part because I usually buy no more than an ounce of the expensive teas. Less expensive teas I buy 4 ounces at a time as day to day teas, so they go fast as I drink them every day.

[Chip]

It is really feasible to store greens for a pretty decent length of time ... I just opened and finished a 2008 harvest Sencha that was remarkably good. This was cold stored and in a heat sealed bag.

So, if the vendor also does a good job in the packaging, long term storage is doable, although not optimum usually. This time of year, I would not be loading up on too much green tea regardkess of price, but I could buy some to hold me over til the 2010 new harvest.

I think what is most critical, is to use up OPENED bags asap, that and teas improperly packaged by vendors.

[Tea_Rex]

Thanks, all. I think I'm well within the guidelines on freshness.

[Abracadaver!]

I love that the question in this category is "how old is too old" and the question over in the puerh section is "how old is old enough?"

[Abracadaver!]

*oops, double post!*

[Chip]

I understand a common syndrome of "too old" is the tendency to repeat oneself!

[Abracadaver!]

Well played!

[Chip]

It is good to know I have not lost it in my old age. Now what were we talking about?

[Sam.]

I think I break all the rules! I'm still finishing (just one or two sessions left) two senchas I bought from O-cha in August. They have been open since September, though they're stored in double-lidded tins from Rishi.

They both still taste fine to me. I'm sure they have lost some of their zest over time, according to everyone else, but I haven't noticed much since I drink them once or twice a week. It's just been a slow tea year for me. Maybe this upcoming season I'll consume it faster.

[rjiwrth]

On the double lidded tins, like the ones from Rishi: would I need to first put them in another sealed type container? If so, what's best? Lastly, will it be a problem if I store them in my little fridge? I mean with humidity and such...

[Chip]

My issue with the large canisters, as you use your tea, it is sitting in an ever emptying tin with more and more air.

I prefer to use a smaller sample tin placed inside (in this case, two different teas) ... like so:


If you buy 100 grams of sencha, around 50 grams fit into one of these sample tins (from Upton in this case). I will use the one tin in its entirety before ever opening the other one which is kept in reserve ... in another double lidded tin in cold storage. Utmost care must go into placing opened tea back into cold storage, prior to putting it in, and also when removing it from cold storage ... it must return to room temp before opening!

Two of these fit into a tin, but you have to buy the right sizes of sample tins and decorative tin.

[Sam.]

Chip, that's ingenious! I have one of those little sample tins from Upton and I'll see if it fits inside of my black Rishi tins. If it does I'll be buying more.

What decorative tin is that? I was planning on buying more tins, but from Yuuki-cha. The decorative tins they have on their website.

[Chip]

Chip, that's ingenious! I have one of those little sample tins from Upton and I'll see if it fits inside of my black Rishi tins. If it does I'll be buying more.

What decorative tin is that? I was planning on buying more tins, but from Yuuki-cha. The decorative tins they have on their website.

Ryu Mei! http://www.ryu-mei.com/catalog/kamakura ... p-120.html

They also have an ebay store with more.

There are a bunch of different sizes out there. This one is perfect for 2 Upton sample tins. Ryu Mei has a good selection of this size. 74 mm wide!!!

I like the Yuuki-cha ones, but they are narrower and the sample tin will not fit into it.

Then there are the huge ones ... really too big to be practical, but sure are purty!