Tea isn’t perishable in quite the same way as produce and other grocery items, but it still will go bad over time. To make sure your tea tastes fresh and maintains its maximum health benefits, proper storage is key. The three most important variables to control are light, temperature, and moisture. 

Storing loose leaf tea

The container you choose for your loose leaf tea needs to be airtight so that the tea is not exposed to humidity. If moisture gets into your tea, it could create the ideal conditions for mold or bacteria to grow. The container also should be opaque. This is because some of tea’s most healthful compounds, such as polyphenols and vitamin E, degrade with exposure to light.

You should avoid plastic containers, including zipper bags. If you use plastic, your tea is likely to absorb some of the plastic taste, or even worse, the plastic’s harmful chemicals could leach into your tea with time. Metal canisters and caddies are ideal for tea storage.

Keep your tea in a relatively cool environment. Room temperature is fine, as long as the tea is not stored directly near a heat-generating appliance such as a stove, oven, or light fixture.

If you’ve purchased tea that comes sealed in an airtight package, it will stay fresh unopened in that package for a year or more. After you open the original package and transfer the tea to your other container, you have about six months to a year to consume black tea, or about three months to consume green tea before they start to go stale. You won’t get sick from drinking stale tea; it just won’t taste as good. 

Storing matcha

Like looseleaf tea, matcha should be stored in an airtight and opaque container, preferably metal. But because matcha is extremely sensitive to environmental variables, there are a few additional things to be aware of. 

Once matcha is exposed to air, its color, taste, and healthful properties deteriorate quickly. If you store it at room temperature after opening it, you have only a few weeks to consume it before it loses quality. But you can extend matcha’s shelf life by about two months if you store it in the fridge or freezer after it’s opened. If you do that, it’s important to make sure its container is completely airtight because the matcha powder can easily pick up smells and tastes from the other items in the fridge. 

Storing herbal teas

Herbal teas such as chamomile, peppermint, or rooibos are not as delicate as true tea. It’s still best to keep herbal teas in airtight containers, but light does not affect most varieties, so it’s fine to store them in glass. They typically have a longer shelf life, too — more than a year after opening.