In order for your favorite tea or coffee to retain its rich taste and aroma, you must adhere to the shelf life of the product. If no other date is indicated on the packaging, then you should be guided by generally accepted trade rules applicable to this category of goods.
Tea
The shelf life of tea depends on the fulfillment of the storage requirements of the goods. Some varieties are very sensitive to this. The room in which the loose tea is stored must be clean, well ventilated, and the containers must be dry. Tea does not like being close to other products, as it absorbs foreign odors well. In a damp room, the essential oils contained in tea decompose and it loses its basic properties. This is especially true for flavored varieties such as peach or orange oolong. The shelf life of such teas is no more than 2 years.
If we talk about traditional varieties of black and green tea, then the latter has a longer shelf life, since during its production the natural structure of the leaves is subjected to minimal processing. Black tea is stored for no more than 2 weeks at 96% humidity, about six months at 65% humidity, and in a dry room with 25% humidity - nine months. Damp tea acquires an earthy smell and loses its taste.
Green tea can be stored in sealed tin, earthenware or porcelain dishes for about a year. Do not pack it in plastic bags, as in such a container it will quickly lose its taste and smell. Green tea is stored in paper bags for about six months.
Expired teas should not be drunk. This drink has already lost all its beneficial properties and can cause severe food poisoning.
Coffee
The shelf life of coffee depends on how well the beans were processed immediately after harvesting and in what container they were packed. If all conditions have been met, then coffee beans can be stored for 5 years without losing their properties. Coffee, like tea, is hygroscopic, that is, it absorbs foreign odors and moisture, therefore product packaging plays an important role in preserving the taste of coffee. In a paper bag when the package is opened, you can store coffee for about 2 weeks, in foil - up to 3 months. The hermetically sealed packaging increases the preservation of grains up to 6 months
Experts recognize vacuum packaging as the best container for coffee. This product can be stored in it for up to 3 years, although true gourmets will never buy coffee that is older than a year. After opening the vacuum package, the taste and aroma disappear after 10 days, but they can be preserved by placing the contents in a glass jar with a tight lid and placing it in the refrigerator. There coffee can be stored for about a month. Roasted grains should not be stored in the air, as they quickly oxidize and the taste of the drink spoils.
The terms and conditions of natural ground coffee are approximately the same as those of grain coffee. However, crushed grains lose their flavor even faster. Therefore, even in a sealed package, coffee loses most of its properties within a year.
