How long does Oolong tea last?

[Rui]

Another noob question if you do not mind. Few years ago we were in Hong Kong we bought some bags of oolong tea and we never drank it. Some are still closed (they are not vacuum sealed) and they have due dates sometime in 2007 and 2008. They have all been kept on a shelf in the kitchen pantry in our home in England.

There is an opened bag from around the same time and when I smell the tea it smells like some pu'erhs: smoky, earthy, forestry, etc.

Are these teas still suitable to be drunk?

Any help would be appreciated.

Many thanks.

Rui

[Tead Off]

This is a tough question to answer. A lot depends on the storage environment. Oolongs can be aged for many years, but they are usually done in controlled environments. They are looked after and re-roasted periodically. While your teas are not that old, you will have to taste them and see where they are at. Sometimes, a light refreshment can bring them back. This is done by roasting in a pan very carefully (without olive oil!) and slowly making sure to watch for any color change. Stop on the safe side. You can always roast more if necessary.

[bonescwa]

In a sealed and reasonably airtight environment they'd certainly be drinkable! How good they would be depends on oxidation level and roast

[theredbaron]

It all depends.

Yancha do get better with age. The transformation is not as dramatic as in Sheng Pu Erh, but still considerable. But the base tea has to be good. Low quality Yancha will still be low quality with age.

Green semi fermented teas can be occasionally quite good with age, but will often be quite flat. As Tead Off has said, they can be revitalized by roasting. But i have never tried that trick.

In the end - you just have to try, and judge then. Just ignore the due dates, they don't matter.

[ABx]

If they have a good vacuum seal (most of vacuum sealers don't get near 100% vacuum, although expensive commercial ones get closer -- also the reason that they frequently put those oxygen absorber packets in) then it can stay good for a long time; I've had teas that were 10-15+ yrs that only tasted about a year old (not fresh, but not bad).

Teas that don't have too much moisture (e.g., teas roasted to a certain degree) will start to age, but may go through a "stale" phase along the way. The 10-year mark seems to be where most teas start to become a decent-drinking aged wulong.

Teas with a lot of roast (like most yancha) are often better after resting a couple of years, and change only subtly in the first decade (give or take), as long as it doesn't get too much air and/or humidity.

tl;dr - it depends on the initial tea and how much air and moisture it gets. Only way to say, really, is to try it.

[drinking_teas]

A properly aged oolong shouldn't have to be re-roasted ever. In fact, I prefer the flavor profiles that unroasted aged oolongs have. ABx hit it on the nail though.

[BW85]

A properly aged oolong shouldn't have to be re-roasted ever. In fact, I prefer the flavor profiles that unroasted aged oolongs have. ABx hit it on the nail though.

That's funny, I prefer the flavor profiles of aged oolongs that have been re roasted a few times throughout the years as long as it's done well

[drinking_teas]

A properly aged oolong shouldn't have to be re-roasted ever. In fact, I prefer the flavor profiles that unroasted aged oolongs have. ABx hit it on the nail though.

That's funny, I prefer the flavor profiles of aged oolongs that have been re roasted a few times throughout the years as long as it's done well

Each to their own! Luckily for you, stuff like that tends to be a bit cheaper. I can definitely enjoy a properly rebaked oolong though, however I believe that some overdo the baking on it. Out of curiosity, which ones have you tried?

[Rui]

Thank you very much everyone.

Last weekend I opened one of the packtets and the oolong tea was almost tasteless. Following one of the suggestions above I am going to roast it a bit to see what happens as I have nothing to loose.

At the same time I am curious about the one that smells slightly like pu'erh tea. Hopefully it is not going to make me sick.

[Tead Off]

If there is no mold, you should be alright.

[drinking_teas]

Thank you very much everyone.

Last weekend I opened one of the packtets and the oolong tea was almost tasteless. Following one of the suggestions above I am going to roast it a bit to see what happens as I have nothing to loose.

At the same time I am curious about the one that smells slightly like pu'erh tea. Hopefully it is not going to make me sick.

You're good, haha. As long as the leaf is clean it can actually taste quite great.

[teatime74]

Hmmm...don't know the exact answer but I can tell you this. My GF bought me two small jars of 2 different Oolongs using the Teavana containers stored in cabinets in the kitchen (condo and then later her house) and shortly after that I went on a 2 year hiatus of not drinking tea till just now. Still tastes great.

[ABx]

That's funny, I prefer the flavor profiles of aged oolongs that have been re roasted a few times throughout the years as long as it's done well

Just keep in mind that there are ones that claim to be re-roasted, but really aren't (and better that way). Most people (including vendors) don't know much about aged wulong, but everyone "knows" that re-roasted ones are "better." So vendors will include that in the description, although they're often clever enough to put it in the description without actually saying that the particular tea was re-roasted.

I've had some that were re-roasted that I like, but at that point they're more just "roasted" than "aged."

Unfortunately there's also a lot of fakes that are just roasted teas that were never aged.

[BW85]

That's funny, I prefer the flavor profiles of aged oolongs that have been re roasted a few times throughout the years as long as it's done well

Just keep in mind that there are ones that claim to be re-roasted, but really aren't (and better that way). Most people (including vendors) don't know much about aged wulong, but everyone "knows" that re-roasted ones are "better." So vendors will include that in the description, although they're often clever enough to put it in the description without actually saying that the particular tea was re-roasted.

I've had some that were re-roasted that I like, but at that point they're more just "roasted" than "aged."

Unfortunately there's also a lot of fakes that are just roasted teas that were never aged.

Yes its easier to find good aged without re roasting oolongs.
There is a local coffee roastery here that is owned by a Chinese family. They roast a small amount of tea on the side (its easier to make a living off of coffee in the states). The father has his personal stash of TGY from the mid 90's that he's been giving a light roast to every 5 or 6 years. It's absolutely amazing. He's a very skilled at what he does. The aged flavor is still there, and so much depth beyond that. It's just hard to find examples like that from internet vendors

[kyarazen]

Yes its easier to find good aged without re roasting oolongs.
There is a local coffee roastery here that is owned by a Chinese family. They roast a small amount of tea on the side (its easier to make a living off of coffee in the states). The father has his personal stash of TGY from the mid 90's that he's been giving a light roast to every 5 or 6 years. It's absolutely amazing. He's a very skilled at what he does. The aged flavor is still there, and so much depth beyond that. It's just hard to find examples like that from internet vendors

have not replied to your pm yet.. but....... I can haz sample?! lets work out a trade of some sort.