Green tea at one, three and six months: the freezer did not perform miracles

[Phish-Fiction]

Question or objective: measure practical storage life after opening
Tea category: green tea freshness log
Exact product: Blue Shade 2026 kabusecha
Vendor: Cedar Cup Tea
Origin: Mie, Japan
Cultivar, if known: Saemidori
Harvest season/year: spring 2026
Processing or roast: shade-grown steamed green tea
Cake/batch number, if relevant: cake/lot noted above where applicable; otherwise N/A
Purchase/opening date: purchased 2026-06-15; opened 2026-08-23
Storage since purchase: as described in the storage experiment below; temperature/RH logged where relevant
Style: Japanese
Vessel: 150 ml porcelain kyusu
Vessel material: porcelain
Nominal and actual filled capacity: 130 ml filled
Filter or strainer: ceramic
Kettle: stovetop kettle + thermometer
Vessel preheated: yes
Dry leaf weight: 5 g
Water volume: 130 ml
Water temperature: 68°C
Water source or mineral profile: soft bottled water, 35 ppm
Rinse: 5-10 s where noted by the recipe; otherwise none
Infusion schedule: 60 s, 20 s
Agitation: none
Was each infusion completely decanted?: yes
Aroma: declining fresh-pea note
Sweetness: high then medium
Bitterness: low
Astringency: low
Body/texture: silky then lighter
Flavour: melon, pea, umami
Aftertaste: shorter by month six
Number of satisfying infusions: 3
Exact problem: freshness log across refrigerated sealed portions
Desired result: measure practical storage life after opening
Variable changed: time since opening
Previous value: 1 month
New value: 3 and 6 months
Result: month 3 still strong; month 6 clearly flatter despite careful storage
Dry-leaf photograph: not attached yet
Liquor photograph: available in the author’s notes; not embedded in this archive
Wet-leaf photograph: not attached yet
Video if pouring or drainage is relevant: not relevant

This is a dated storage note rather than a declaration that I have solved aging. The comparison is time since opening: 1 month versus 3 and 6 months. month 3 still strong; month 6 clearly flatter despite careful storage.

Climate and measurement matter here. If your storage is in a different humidity range, please label it. Failure reports are useful too; I would rather know what went wrong than build a shrine to survivorship bias.

[Noodle 92]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 3 and 6 months.
Applies to: Blue Shade 2026 kabusecha / green tea freshness log in a setup close to 150 ml porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: measured storage in a similar climate.
Change: repeat the session with 3 and 6 months.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward measure practical storage life after opening if that variable is causal.
Observed result: month 3 still strong; month 6 clearly flatter despite careful storage.
Limitations: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Phish-Fiction]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: Blue Shade 2026 kabusecha / green tea freshness log in a setup close to 150 ml porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: side-by-side or repeated one-variable test.
Change: weigh the actual filled water once.
Expected effect: your ratio will become comparable with other reports.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Noodle 92]

I have no useful data, only solidarity with the part where one change creates three new questions.

[Civic Fish Stories]

Comparable tea
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Blue Shade 2026 kabusecha / green tea freshness log in a setup close to 150 ml porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: firsthand use of a comparable green tea freshness log with similar parameters.
Change: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Expected effect: a repeated result should be easier to trust.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: Water chemistry may change the result, so I would not generalize this to every city.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Civic Fish Stories]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Blue Shade 2026 kabusecha / green tea freshness log in a setup close to 150 ml porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: repeated sessions over time.
Change: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Expected effect: a repeated result should be easier to trust.
Observed result: month 3 still strong; month 6 clearly flatter despite careful storage.
Limitations: My result is from a small number of sessions, so treat it as evidence rather than law.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Noodle 92]

Comparable tea
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 3 and 6 months.
Applies to: Blue Shade 2026 kabusecha / green tea freshness log in a setup close to 150 ml porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: firsthand use of a comparable green tea freshness log with similar parameters.
Change: repeat the session with 3 and 6 months.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward measure practical storage life after opening if that variable is causal.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Phish-Fiction]

please continue, this is exactly the kind of nonsense i like reading while my own tea oversteeps

[Phish-Fiction]

Inference
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Blue Shade 2026 kabusecha / green tea freshness log in a setup close to 150 ml porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: inference from the posted parameters, not a test of this exact tea.
Change: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Expected effect: a repeated result should be easier to trust.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Phish-Fiction]

Inference
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: Blue Shade 2026 kabusecha / green tea freshness log in a setup close to 150 ml porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: inference from the posted parameters, not a test of this exact tea.
Change: weigh the actual filled water once.
Expected effect: your ratio will become comparable with other reports.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Noodle 92]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 3 and 6 months.
Applies to: Blue Shade 2026 kabusecha / green tea freshness log in a setup close to 150 ml porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: side-by-side or repeated one-variable test.
Change: repeat the session with 3 and 6 months.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward measure practical storage life after opening if that variable is causal.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Phish-Fiction]

Inference
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Blue Shade 2026 kabusecha / green tea freshness log in a setup close to 150 ml porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: inference from the posted parameters, not a test of this exact tea.
Change: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Expected effect: a repeated result should be easier to trust.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none.

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