Does anyone else buy boxes of tea or get them gifted and then… not drink them? Whether it’s just not your flavor or they amass quicker than they get drunk, this is a perfect opportunity for a use it up goal.

The first thing is to pull out all your half used boxes, loose tea, random bags and gather them in one place. If there are items which are clearly torn, aged beyond salvaging or flavors you know you despise, take a moment to put them in the trash, compost or recycle to a tea-loving friend.

Even if you enjoy a flavor but have 8 boxes and could never go through them in a timely manner, set aside full, unopened boxes to donate or regift. Open boxes are more appropriate for something like donating to an office kitchen or sharing directly to a friend.

After you’ve gathered your tea in one place, sort or organize in whatever fashion makes sense for you. It could be by brand, flavor, caffeinated/decaf, doesn’t matter!

Then you’ll want to contain all the tea bags in something that can be easily reached and used, like an open top bin or shoe box, or something more fancy if you please.

Since our goal here is to use it up and not find an expensive display piece for 259 bags of tea, strive for “just fine” and get it done.

Then, build that cup of tea into your routine. It could be a morning bag with your breakfast, early afternoon tea break, late night drink to relax. Really use this time to enjoy the cup, taking note of the flavors and varieties you especially enjoy.

Finally, you might want to create a small ziplock bag of your favorite tea bags to take on the go. They’re handy to have in the car or at an office and may help you get through your stash a lot faster.

As a bonus, once you use up your tea bag collection by enjoying the tea, you now know which varieties you’d like to restock and can be pickier about the brands.

Enjoy that next cup of tea!