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I am the estate administrator for my aunt and am in the process of cleaning out her house. I found a dozen or so cardboard boxes of various brand teabags in a cabinet, some opened, some still in their cellophane wrappers. The house has been vacant for almost 2 years. Would this tea still be any good to use? Seems a shame to chuck it all.

Usually, there is a "use by" (or something similar). If not, no idea.

Anything that has been exposed to air, light, heat will have lost some of it's flavor...I wouldn't use that. If you can't find a sell by date, I'd donate it to either a shelter, abused women's home or soup kitchen. Let them know it isn't fresh...you don't know how old but thought they might try some of it.

I agree that it seems a shame to chuck it all. So, I would probably try a cup made from a bag from each opened package and see how it tastes. I doubt that anything in tea could turn harmful ~ probably just lose its flavor. JMHO

I'd use it. Do not give it to a shelter or food pantry, that looks tacky, and our local pantry requests "fresh products."

These "sell by", "use by" and "good until" dates are meaningless for the most part in my opinion. Merely they are a marketing tool to get you to do just that - throw out anything with a date a day old and buy more.

If it's good brand of tea and you have family or other nieces and nephews, pass it along as a rememberance gift of dear departed Aunt Elizabeth for the holidays. If you aren't selling all her china and serveware, tuck a box of tea in with a treasured cake plate or teapot, etc.

Posting back because the topic interested me ~ so I Goggled it. The consensus is that the various teas might have lost flavor but aren't harmful at all. So most of them might still be good - try them.

And found a great suggestion for any tea bags that have lost too much flavor ~ use them for re-freshing eyes ~ especially those under-eyes bags! See, your aunt's treasure trove is multi-purpose!

Many many years ago I had an old Italian aunt who lived in New Orleans who had a beautiful rose garden. She put all her used teabag contents on the soil at the base of her roses.
They can be used for that if nothing else.

http://thesecretyumiverse.wond...ed-tea-bags-0127365/

If it hasn't gotten wet and is evident that nothing has been munching on it or getting into it to tote off for bedding...I would use it. (I don't know if bugs or mice are into tea )

Try it. If it tastes okay, but it weak just use two teabags.

We are not coffee drinkers but I keep coffee on hand for guests. I've heard no complaints and my coffee is about 4-5 years old now. It stays sealed except for 2-3 times a year...no air or sun getting to it. (I tell the guests that I'm not a coffee drinker and it would wise if they prepare the coffee maker themselves...)

LOL...
Sherry, just because they don't complain doesn't mean the coffee is good. They're just being polite. I guarantee you... that coffee is awful. My SIL did that to me and hubby once. She's not a coffee drinker. She told us her stock was at least 10 years old. It tasted every bit of it, but we sure weren't going to tell her that.

I buy coffee in the 13-oz cans, because we only drink it in the morning. Don't use enough to use a big can within the 3 weeks before it goes stale. Coffee drinkers can tell the difference in stale and fresh grounds.

nettijay, I expected a reply to my post. Believe me...my son would tell. As would my sweet no-holds-barred love-her-to-de@th sister-in-law. MOF we were discussing coffee one time and I mentioned the single-serve coffee bags and she let me know in no uncertain terms that they were horrible. don't know what they normally drink at home, but I generally purchase Folgers or Maxwell House. Right now, I have the small pot prepackaged wrapped in foil-type MH. But it is still 4-5 years old. Anyone who would spend the night with us knows that we do not drink coffee...they are definitely welcome to bring their own.

My stepson and wife do not drink tea. I carried teabags to their house for a visit or two until finally purchasing a box of my own to stay in their pantry. I also take teabags while traveling. Hotels have not grasped that some people do not drink coffee. Sometimes I visit the breakfast area and pickup teabags to take back to the room.

Yep. Kids definitely would be honest... brutally so, usually.
I bet that foil wrap helps somewhat. But my SIL's coffee had come from a regular can and sits in her loose-lidded canister on the counter.

It grinds my gears how restaurants offer all-u-can-drink coffee, but charge for a second tea bag.

Oh... and to answer the original question... Unopened packages of tea stay fresh lots longer than coffee. I have some boxes of Luzianne tea that are at least 5 years old. It still brews up into great iced tea. I also tend to overbuy on flavored 'Celestial Seasons' types of teas. Most are still fine up to 2 years past the "use by" date; others have weak flavor, but frugal me just uses double the number of bags per cup/pot like Sherry suggested.

If a package has been opened and the date is unknown, I wouldn't save that.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: nettiejay,

For you non-coffee drinkers who keep it on hand for guests...you can keep it in the freezer for many, many years!
I don't drink coffee & neither did my first hubby...that is what I did and everyone always commented on how "fresh" it tasted!
I have also bought cases of coffee for present DH when it was on sale...once it's opened, in the freezer it goes...never gets "old/stale".