How Long Do Tea Bags Stay Fresh? (Solved & Explained!)

Tea bags offer an inexpensive way to enjoy tea, especially since they last so long. But how long do tea bags stay fresh, and can tea bags expire?

Tea bags can stay fresh from four months to over a year. This all depends on how they are stored and where they are stored. Tea bags technically don’t expire, but they can become unusable when they are not stored well. Instead of expiring, tea bags will reduce in quality and concentration, making the tea taste different the longer they go without use. 

There are some very simple ways to keep tea bags fresher for longer so you can reduce the amount of tea bags you have to throw away. 

How Long Do Tea Bags Stay Fresh?

Freshness does not start to deplete in tea bags until the package is opened. When you keep your tea bags in their original packaging, they will start to lose their freshness in about four months. Depending on where that tea bag container is in your home, that number could go up or down. 

The key to storing your tea bags is ensuring they are sealed in something when not in use. If you put your tea bags in a plastic baggie or a sealed container once the package is opened, your tea bags could stay fresh for a year. 

What Kind Of Tea Stays Fresh The Longest?

Black tea tends to maintain freshness for the longest amount of time. This is because black tea has to undergo more processing to prepare it for consumption. As such, green tea, which doesn’t get as processed, tends to lose freshness the fastest. 

How To Tell Tea Bags Are Expired

As mentioned, tea bags don’t expire, but they can go bad or become spoiled. When tea bags go bad, it just simply means that the tea loses flavor and strength. As time passes, your tea will end up having virtually no taste, making it undrinkable.

Tea bags can become spoiled or unusable if they end up getting exposed to moisture. Moisture exposure can cause tea bags to produce mold, which is obviously toxic to consume. Exposed tea bags can end up becoming contaminated with bugs, at which point you won’t want to use them either. 

You can also do a sniff test of your tea bags. This will give you a pretty clear indication of how fresh your tea bags have remained. The container and the tea bag itself should still have a tangible scent. When the scent is gone, it doesn’t necessarily mean the tea bag is expired; it likely just has a muted flavor. 

Does Tea Expire By The Best By Date?

The best by date on your tea packaging refers to how long tea bags will stay fresh. That date doesn’t mean much, especially if you store your tea bags appropriately to maintain as much freshness as possible. Don’t be alarmed if you happen to drink some tea after the date on the package; it has nothing to do with how safe the tea is to consume. 

What Happens If You Use An Expired Tea Bag?

If you use an expired tea bag, your tea is not going to taste very good. The flavor tends to fade as your tea bags lose freshness. Your tea can also end up smelling or tasting stale, making it quite unappetizing. 

So long as your tea bags aren’t moldy or contaminated by bugs in some form, you shouldn’t get sick if you accidentally reach for a bad tea bag. It’s fairly easy to see on the tea bag itself when it has started growing mold or has bugs crawling through the tea bags. Bags will often have holes in them if a bug has made it their home. 

What Impacts The Freshness Of Tea Bags?

Tea bags can start to go down in quality pretty quickly when exposed to the wrong things. The worst culprit is moisture. You want to try to keep your tea bags as dry as possible. Moisture will not only cause the quality of tea to go down, but it could attract bugs and mold. 

Heat and light can also impact the quality and freshness of your tea. These elements won’t make your tea undrinkable per se, but you’ll find that the flavor is not as palpable as it was when the tea was newly purchased. When exposed to light, you’ll likely notice the color of the tea change. 

How To Store Tea Bags To Keep Them Fresh 

The most effective way to store tea bags to maximize freshness is to place them in a sealed container as soon as they are opened. A translucent, glass container is fine, but if you choose an opaque container, there’s less of a chance that light will penetrate the container and impact the tea. You should place that container in a cupboard that stays dark and dry. 

However you choose to store your tea bags, you want to avoid any air coming into contact with them. Even a plastic baggie is better than nothing when it comes to storing your tea bags, as even though light can penetrate the bag, air can’t. Just be sure you’re pushing out any excess air before you seal the bag back up. 

Depending on where you buy your tea, some of the tins are designed specifically to keep tea fresh as long as possible. A tin container is perfectly acceptable. Cardboard boxes or tins can be a bit tricky, as moisture is able to seep through the sensitive material. 

Final Thoughts 

Tea bags can stay fresh for a very long time, and you have a lot of control over how long you can keep them fresh and flavorful. Proper storage is simple to maintain the integrity of your tea collection. 

Even if you have an expansive tea bag collection, you can make sure you can drink as much of that tea as possible when you make the effort to store them for maximum freshness.