Does loose tea go out of date?

Quick Answer

Tea doesn't really "go off" the way food does, but it does gradually lose flavour and freshness over time.

A Little More

Because tea is dried, it's fairly stable and won't spoil in the way that fresh food would. What happens instead is a slow fade — the natural oils that carry flavour and aroma diminish over months, so a tea that's a year or two old will taste flatter rather than unsafe. Stored well, most teas are still perfectly enjoyable for 12–24 months.

Teaspoon Tip
If a tea's lost its aroma when you open the tub, that's usually the clearest sign it's past its best, give it a sniff before you brew.

Fancy Trying It?

- Green Tea Collection
- Herbal Tea Collection

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Explore The Tea Collections.

All teas are available subject to availability in tub size only on the market stall.
English Breakfast, Loose English Breakfast Tea from online teashop Teaspoon Tea Company, Large Rolled tea leaves produce a high quality tea shown here in a small shallow dish.
Black Loose Leaf Tea Collection 12 products
Lung Ching Dragonwell Green Tea from Teaspoon Tea Co is probably our best tasting Green tea. It's also our best quality green tea and this can be seen here with its large pressed leaves. If your looking for a green tea that tastes good this is it.
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This is Orange Blossom Oolong Loose Leaf Tea from Teaspoon Tea Co. Oolong tea is halfway between Green tea and black tea, this tea is a large leaf with Orange blossom added giving it a strong orange taste. This speciality tea is definitely worth a try.
Oolong Loose Leaf Tea 2 products
A swallow dish of Rooibos Herbal Tea from online teashop Teaspoon Tea Co. The short bright loose leaves of Rooibos are light orange and red. This looks a very tasty caffeine-free tea.
Herbal Loose Tea 11 products
Chai Tea from online teashop Teaspoon Tea Co. Chai Spice Loose Leaf Tea can be seen here with large black tea leaves, pieces of Ginger, Cloves and Ginsing. This could be the Best Chai. A quality Tea.
Flavoured Loose Leaf Tea 14 products
Passionfruit & Orange Fruit Tea from UK online Teashop Teaspoon Tea Co. This fruit tea looks so good, large pieces of rich fruit can be seen including Orange peel, Apple and Pineapple.
Fruit Loose Tea 5 products