/1/05

> Greetings, all,
>
> I was wondering how long tinned or bagged teas will last once the seals
> are broken. I have some old Darjeeling in a large tin that still brews
> satisfactorily, even though there's more air in the tin than tea. From
> what I've noticed, tea has quite a shelf life.
>
> Carl
> / tooo many 'o's in yahoo ;p


I've found the same, but I wonder if it isn't more a reflection on my great
expansive liberalism than on the quality of the tea. Placing a freshly
opened green tea beside the same one opened and exposed to air for months
would tell the tale. Aroma goes first, taste goes slowly after that.
Super-fresh is surely best, especially in the case of greens. In one of our
local Indian shops, I once found Darjeeling wrapped in light paper cubes
dated ten or twelve years prior to my observation. What can I say?

Michael