How Long Does Tea Last In The Fridge?
If your thinking about preparing some homemade tea for your friends and family, or your just making it for yourself, but first you want to know how long does tea last in the fridge? then you’re in the right place!
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Iced tea should only be stored in the fridge for a maximum of eight hours. However, life expectancy for iced tea can be good for 24 hours. After this, the taste can start to deteriorate. Sweet Tea has water, sugar, and minerals, and this feeds bacteria which can be harmful to your body.
If iced tea is brewed at inadequate temperatures or it’s been kept in storage for too long it can grow coliform bacteria. It’s very important to Brew iced tea at the appropriate temperature.
This can minimize the risk of bacterial contamination in your tea by following the safety recommendations for brewing Iced Tea. Ice Tea should always be brewed at a temperature of 195 F for 3-5 minutes.
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How To Make Your Tea Last Longer In The Fridge?
To help keep the flavor in iced tea make sure you put your tea in a suitable airtight container, this will stop your tea absorbing the flavors of other items in the fridge.
By doing this your tea can last 3 even 4 days before going off. However, it’s always best to consume within 24 hours of being made.
If your planning on consuming your tea after 4 days, then try freezing your tea, again using a suitable container.
As we all know most iced teas have sugar in the ingredients, and one way to make your tea last longer is to not add any sugar at the start. It’s always best to add sweeteners when you’re ready to serve.
To get the best results to add your sweetener or fruit to the drinking glass, that way when you add your tea, you simply stir and then it’s ready.
There is evidence that suggests using a good quality tea will make the flavor last longer and by using filtered or bottled still water, this can increase the life span of your tea.
What Are The Signs That Tea Has Expired?
There are some very clear signs when you iced tea starts to go bad and knowing what to look out for can determine if your tea is good or bad.
If your iced tea is showing any of the signs mentioned below, then most likely your tea has expired.
Never drink iced tea if it’s gone bad, not only will it smell and taste bad, but it can make you seriously ill.
When your iced tea starts to go thick and syrup-like, then this is a clear sign that your tea is starting to go bad.
Your also notice changes in consistency, if looking at a jug from the side you can see a line where the tea has evaporated and has crystallized on the edge.
Another way to know if your tea has gone bad is when it starts to go cloudy, this usually happens at the bottom of the jug or container.
If your tea gives off a strange odor and tastes bad then this is another sign that your tea is past its date.
Signs That Your Tea Has Expired Checklist
- Tea Has Gone Thick And Syrup-Like
- Tea Has Started To Go Cloudy
- Gives Off a Strange Odor
- Changes In Consistency
- Tastes Bad
How Long Does Brewed Tea Last In The Fridge?
It’s always best to try and preserve your tea, especially if you have a high-quality tea like the Da-Hong Pao that’s very expensive.
If you find one day you’ve brewed too much, then it’s good to know how long your tea will last and what you can do to improve this.
knowing how long brewed tea last’s for in the fridge is the same iced tea, this all depends on how you store your tea.
If your using a sealed container then brewed tea can last 3 to 4 days before going bad.
But as mentioned before if your using any fruit or sweeteners then this dramatically decreases the length of time your brewed tea can last in the fridge.
It’s always better to add any sweeteners when serving, even with brewed tea, ‘if needed’ and you should do this by adding it directly to the cup, not the tea itself.
If you want your brewed tea to last longer than 4 days, the next step would be to freeze your tea, this way there’s no rush to consume it. You can then simply take it out of the freezer the night before you plan to drink it.
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How To Make Fresh Tea Last Longer?
There are a number of ways to make fresh tea last longer, depending on the type of tea you have, some tend to last longer than others.
The Oolong and Pu-erh tea are tightly wrapped up there leaves that stay fresh for longer without losing any flavor, because of this they can last up to four or even five years.
But if you have a Matcha for example that’s in powder form, this can absorb moistures and odors and only lasts about a year before losing it’s flavor, even if you store it correctly.
If you have fresh tea then the way to make it last longer, again putting it in the freezer. It’s the same when you freeze vegetables, by doing this you keep the tea fresh and full flavor.
Make Fresh Tea Last Longer Checklist
- Pack In Airtight Container
- Put Your Tea In The Freezer
- Store In Cool Dry Place
- Store In Vacuum Pack
How Long Does Iced Tea Last Unrefrigerated?
If you do not refrigerate your iced tea then it will eventually go bad. You can leave ice tea at room temperature for 8 hours after this time the tea will start to go bad.
When the tea is left at room temperature, bacteria can grow much faster, the taste of the tea can also be affected. In addition to this most of the health benefits will be diminished.
If your tea tastes strange or smells funny and is starting to go cloudy, it’s better just to throw it away, and start again with a fresh batch of ice tea.
When you’ve finished brewing your tea, let it get down to room temperature before putting it in the refrigerator, as this minimizes the chances of bacteria growing. keep your tea covered when it’s cooling this will preserve the flavor.
Conclusion
So as you can see iced tea can last 3 to 4 days before the sugar starts to breakdown. But its never recommended to drink iced tea past the 24-hour mark.
If you think your tea has expired it’s always best and safer just to make a fresh batch of tea. However, if you have fresh tea-like Da-Hong Pao that’s very expensive you can actually freeze the leaves to prolong the life span.
If your someone who loves herbal tea but are unsure if it expired or not check out this article below you should fine this very helpful.
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