However, while good tea does not go bad, it can go downhill, losing sweetness, complexity, and antioxidants as the leaves undergo a variety of chemical changes - especially if your tea is left out.

Lighter teas like green tea “expire” the fastest, while black teas and roasted oolongs hold their flavor and quality much longer. Some teas like pu’er are finished in a special way that lets them actually get better with age, like wine.

Before you worry about how long a tea has been in your cupboard, consider how old a tea might be before it even reaches the shelf. Most tea stores do not source teas directly from the farmers growing and making their teas. Instead, teas pass through layers of distributors and importers around the world, and this means teas can easily be over a year old before you even buy them.

On the other hand, teas coming directly from small family farms are more likely to be fresh and flavorful. Direct sourced teas provide clear picking dates, and these teas have a much shorter journey from the farm to your cup. 

In general, your tea should taste great for about one year after it was picked. Different tea styles do have different shelf lives, but if you get a fresh tea and you store it carefully, you can get the most out of your tea while it is still good. 

The first black teas came from Wuyishan, China, and became an overnight hit in Europe thanks to their long shelf life. Black teas are fully oxidized - this gives them a longer shelf life than green tea, as well as sweet and malty flavors. 

Because of oxidation, quality black tea can last for two years, and certain aged black teas can be enjoyed even longer. 

• • Always look for loose leaf black tea with a picking date listed

• • Drink black tea within two years to enjoy their full flavor and aroma

• • Expect aged black tea to take on deep woody flavors

Green oolongs are meant to be enjoyed within one year, while roasted oolongs can generally last for two years. Some oolongs are actually finished with aging in mind and last for decades, getting better, like wine. It all depends on how the tea was crafted.

• • Greener oolongs are aromatic and hyper seasonal. 
    Make sure to choose teas with clearly listed picking dates

• • Most roasted oolongs are allowed to rest for a few months after they are crafted.
    Once release, roasted oolongs last for about two years

• • Aged oolong teas are crafted specifically to last decades.
   Look for aged oolongs with a clear age statement

Pu’er (普洱) - sometimes spelled pu erh or pu-er - was an accidental discovery that proved some teas can actually become even better with age. Pu’er teas do not expire, and both sheng pu’er and shu pu’er are prized for the complexity they can develop over decades.

Interested in aging your own pu’er? Explore our top picks, and follow these tips:

• • Avoid big factory labels that do not disclose their growers and sources
  

• • Look for pu’er from small family workshops and biodiverse plots

• • Good in, good out: pu’er with aging potential should also taste great when it is young

Green tea has the shortest shelf life of all teas. Fresh seasonal green tea is sweet - not bitter - and deeply aromatic. It can last for up to a year but, because green tea does “go bad,” it is best to drink green tea within six months.

• • Look for seasonal green tea that lists both picking date and farmer

• • Drink spring harvest in the spring and autumn harvest in the autumn

• • Use older green tea for cold brew or cooking

White tea is finished to lock in the freshest “tea” flavor possible, and well made white tea lets the natural flavor of the fresh leaves shine for months after picking. For fresher, green flavor, drink white tea within one year of harvest. 

White tea can also be aged and - if properly stored - white tea does not expire. Instead, well-crafted white tea can develop deeply woody and herbaceous flavors over time.

• • For fresh, sweet, floral flavors, drink white tea within a year of picking

• • After a year of aging, white tea becomes darker and more toasty

• • After many years of aging, white tea becomes cooling and spiced

Herbal tea’s shelf life is no different than green tea. Since most herbal teas (also called tisanes) are generally finished through simple drying, they are not ‘heat-fixed’ like black teas. Therefore, herbal teas are best brewed within a year of picking. 

Some tea farmers - like the He Family in Laoshan and the Zhenyuan Dongsa Cooperative in Qianjiazhai -  are applying experimental tea craft to herbal teas. This additional craft extends the shelf life of our partners’ herbal teas. 

• • Look for herbal tisanes that say when they were picked

• • Try herbals from farmers that are applying tea finishing techniques to herbal tea

• • Use stale herbal tea for mixed drinks and cooking