Greetings, anons. Like a week or so ago, I was thoroughly cleaning up the pantry cabinets at my family home on behalf of my mother's request. When the turn came to purge the shelf hosting various teas and tea related stuff, I stumbled upon a curious box that seemingly hasn't been opened yet, despite a visibly older-looking visual design for its package. While initially slightly difficult to make out, as it turned out, the expiration date on the box read "13.01.2008", meaning that the tea has been a fossil for just under two decades at this point.My question is this: does the expiry date really mean anything if the tea has been kept inside its original bag in a cold and dry environment, essentially in pristine condition, without any mold nor moths getting into it in the meantime? Also, pic rel for good measure just so you get and idea what I'm dealing with; coincidentally and funnily enough, it appears to appropriate aztec imagery for its aesthetic lol.
>>21808813Try it, it won't kill you (unless you open it and see that the seals have been compromised)
>>21808813If it’s completely sealed I don’t see why it wouldn’t be safe. Steve and that based autistic guy from Maine or New Hampshire who unclogs storm drains for fun eat and drink things way older and more dangerous.
>>21808813Isn’t taheebo unpleasant?>is dried, shredded, and then boiled, making a bitter brownish-colored tea known as lapacho or taheebo
if it isn't moldy then it probably won't hurt you, but it will be stale.
i found an (opened) tin of russian caravan black tea that could have very well been close to 30 years old. still tasted like mid tier loose leaf black tea you could get at the supermarket right now, and better than bagged. and didn't kill me obviously (this was a year or two ago)i think if the tea had gone bad there'd be visual cues.
>>21808813If it smells and looks fine, it's probably safe to drink. Tea keeps much longer than the expiration date if stored properly. I can't tell for sure from your pic and post if it's in bags or loose leaf. If it's in bags, it's probably worth cutting open a couple to look for mold.Most likely, it's completely safe to drink. May taste stale and bad though.
>>21809241Same, found some ancient-ass black tea in a glass jar, in the back of my pantry, it was fine. As long as no humidity went in to cause mold, it's going to be fine.
>>21808823You don’t know that. It could be full of aspergillus.