by Kestrel » Feb 3rd, '06, 00:57
You can always give it a try. About two months ago I opened up a tin of Jasmine #12 from Adagio that's five years old (my boyfriend ordered a bunch of samples from Adagio when he first found them and found that he doesn't care that much for oolong teas) and it was still okay. I mean, I'm still here.
It did taste stale and (for all that it was in a sealed tin) it tasted... dusty. That's the only way I can really think of to describe it. It tasted stale and dusty, which, I would imagine, is exactly how five year old tea should taste. However, I could still taste the supreme wonderful-ness of Jasmine #12, and even though it was five years old, I could tell that it's THE best oolong tea I have ever encountered.
Anyway, as long as it was sealed airtight, it should be stale and old-tasting, but drinkable. If it's growing anything, or if it's started evolving into a sentient lifeform, I'd seal it back in the tin and bury it in the backyard.
