Mel said

How long does black tea keep? How long does ripe Pu'erh keep?

Hello all.

I’m contemplating a couple of bulk orders from Mandala teas of both “regular” black tea and also some ripe pu’erh. I’m concerned that if I buy too much at once, some of it may become stale (or simply less flavourful) as it becomes old.

1. If I buy good quality black tea what is the longest I can keep it and still expect it to taste good (assuming I keep the containers well sealed)? A year? Does it matter?

2. I understand that raw pu’er continues to mature and improve in flavour as it ages, but what about ripe pu’er? Does ripe pu’er have a limited shelf life? I’m thinking of buying about four 100g cakes of ripe pu’er, but I want to be sure it doesn’t deteriorate in taste quality.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Thanks.

2 Replies
52Teas said

I think that shelf life is a matter that is difficult to discern, because it would really depend upon not just the quality of the tea but how it’s kept. I have come across teas that I’ve kept in tightly sealed storage for more than a year that have been extremely flavorful, I couldn’t say that they tasted as though they were fresh but I couldn’t say that they didn’t either … I just knew that the flavor remained abundant. So my advice would be to taste it before you toss it – and if it’s still to your liking, enjoy!

I’m not so much an expert on pu-erh so I don’t think I’m the right person to offer advice there.

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AllanK said

As far as black tea goes, stored air and light tight, you should get a year or more out of it. As far as puer goes it stores indefinitely. However you do need certain storage conditions. It needs a certain amount of humidity to “breathe” so to speak but not too much humidity. Too much humidity will lead to mold. That being said, more people in the US have the problem of too little humidity. That is why some of us build pumidors to store out tea in.

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