When it comes to drinking tea, do people generally believe that the longer tea is left, the more fragrant it will taste? Let’s set aside the question of how long tea can be kept and just consider that for all types of tea, especially for regular tea lovers, it seems that there is no such thing as a shelf life for tea? Why is that?
Old tea lovers drink tea almost as frequently as they eat, having three meals a day but no fewer than three cups of tea a day. Devoted tea lovers who enjoy tasting different teas will finish a new can of tea within six months at most, so it’s unlikely they would let it sit past its prime drinking period.
This is true for experienced tea drinkers, as most of them don’t really care about the expiration date of tea. However, for those who are more particular or new tea drinkers, they tend to be more concerned about the shelf life of tea before they find their preferred tea type and develop a tea-drinking habit. After all, they don’t want to spend a lot of money on tea only to have it go bad and be wasted.
How long is the shelf life of tea?
Generally, the shelf life of tea that is sealed and stored ranges from 12 to 24 months! Loose tea has a shorter shelf life, as it is more susceptible to moisture and absorbs odors more easily, causing the tea to lose its original flavor and become more susceptible to spoilage! However, there are many factors that can affect the shelf life of tea, such as temperature, humidity, and light. If these factors can be reasonably reduced, tea can also be kept of high quality for a long time!
And now the country has also established corresponding tea standards, especially for the term of quality preservation, which has also given out specific standards; different tea systems must strictly follow the national standards in operation, otherwise, if the tea goes bad after the quality preservation period, it will directly affect human health due to mold.
Of course, the shelf life of tea also depends on the different tea varieties; like Pu’er and black tea, the older they are, the better they taste, and can be stored for 10-20 years; for example, the aged Wuyi Rock Tea tastes even more fragrant and rich in flavor. As long as it is properly stored, not only will it not spoil, but it can actually improve the quality of the tea.
Because of this characteristic, in recent years, some people have hyped up old tea, with even a small piece of pu’er tea being sold for over a million yuan. Whether it is worth that much money or not, it is still meant for people to drink. If it is not properly stored, it will almost become a low-quality product and even unfit for drinking.
What does the saying “one year tea, three years medicine, seven years treasure” mean?
We all know that tea has six major tea systems: green tea, black tea, yellow tea, oolong tea, dark tea, and white tea. Among them, white tea is the oldest and healthiest tea in China; it is also known as the “noble” treasure of the six major tea categories. And the saying “one year tea, three years medicine, seven years treasure” refers to white tea!
[one Year Tea]: White tea is a type of lightly fermented tea. The new tea from the current year is processed through light fermentation, resulting in a tea with a cooler nature and a taste similar to green tea. The taste is fresh and smooth, making it suitable for light tasting. Therefore, it can only be called a “tea” in a limited sense.
[Three-year Tea]: When white tea is stored for 3-5 years, at this point, the tea leaves have undergone internal changes due to the passage of time, and the taste becomes mellow and the flavor gradually softens. The tea nature also changes from cool to warm. At this point, white tea has medicinal value. It can not only lower fire and heat, moisten the lungs and protect the liver, but also “be both tea and medicine”. At this point, white tea can be drunk as tea, but it can also be used as an important medical formula or medicine ingredient!
[Seven Years Treasures]: When stored for longer, white tea can be considered an old white tea after 5-7 years. Whether it is a rare treasure or not, the old white tea at this time has a rich and full taste and a smooth mouthfeel, with a stronger aftertaste. Therefore, no matter from which aspect to appreciate the old white tea, it is extremely enticing!
“One year tea, three years medicine, seven years treasure” – why does it only apply to white tea?
At the end of the day, it’s all about people’s obsession with white tea! Among the six major tea systems, white tea is the oldest; the precious thing about white tea is that it is a tea that is extremely close to its original flavor, and during the storage process, it can subtly undergo transformation and further enhance its own value. Therefore, some people say that untransformed white tea is like a semi-finished product. This shows how highly valued old white tea is in people’s hearts!
There’s an old saying that goes: Drinking tea for a minute can quench thirst; drinking tea for an hour can relax; drinking tea for a month can promote health; drinking tea for a lifetime can prolong life! Tea can be savored slowly and leisurely, but the reason why tea culture has been passed down for thousands of years is not only its unique taste, but also its emphasis on the health benefits of drinking tea!