How Long Does Publix Sweet Tea Last
Some people can go through a bottle of sweet tea in less than a week. Other people, not so much. When you buy a bottle of sweet tea from Publix and don’t drink it quickly, you may start to research this: How long does Publix sweet tea last?
Publix sweet tea lasts for 7-10 days after opening. Keeping your sweet tea cold will help it last longer, but you shouldn’t open your sweet tea until you’re ready to drink it. Plus, while it isn’t recommended, you can drink your sweet tea after ten days.
Like most cold drinks, sweet tea has a shelf life for when it is best. If you want to learn more, keep on reading!
Why Does Sweet Tea Go Bad?
Sweet tea goes bad because of the sugar in the drink.
While you may think that tea is little more than sugar and water, it is, in fact, enough to cause the drink to go back.
Check out this chart to see how long similar drinks last:
Drink | How Long It Lasts |
Store-bought sweet tea | 7-10 days |
Home-brewed tea | 3-5 days |
Store-bought lemonade | 7-10 days |
Homemade lemonade | 2-5 days |
As you can see, pre-made sweet tea you purchase from the store has more preservatives, creating a longer shelf life for the drink. This is especially true if the drink is unopened.
On the other hand, homemade tea and lemonade don’t have the same preservatives, so you’ll see that homemade drinks go bad faster.
Tips For Making Sweet Tea Last
While you cannot do much to preserve your sweet tea, there are a few things to get the most out of your tea from Publix.
Keep Sweet Tea Cold
Make sure you keep your sweet tea cold.
Don’t let your sweet tea sit in your car after you purchase it or on the counter when you get home.
Also, ensure you don’t leave your sweet tea out all day while drinking it.
While you may remember to put your drinks away, ensure your children and teenagers do the same after filling their cups!
Don’t Open Sweet Tea Until You’re Ready
Sweet tea sounds refreshing on a hot day, but don’t open your sweet tea until you’re ready to drink it.
If you’re anything like me, you may have a few different types of tea open in your fridge that you like to drink.
Since sweet tea begins to go bad once you break open the seal, wait until you’re ready to give the sweet tea some love so you don’t end up wasting it.
Make Sweet Tea Into Ice Cubes
You can make ice cubes out of sweet tea.
One thing that I enjoy doing with drinks before they go bad is to make the sweet tea into ice cubes that you can keep in the freezer.
You can use sweet tea ice cubes in:
- Water for a mild sweet tea flavor
- Other sweet teas
- Lemonade for a slightly sweet flavor
Make Ice Pops
Like ice cubes, you can make ice pops with leftover sweet tea.
If you have an ice pop tray, you can use your sweet tea to make ice pops, which is a great alternative to purchased iced pops.
While I can’t say that sweet tea ice pops are any healthier than other ice pops, I will say that making your own ice pops with sweet tea will save you some money at the grocery store.
Drink After 10 Days
The label tells you not to drink your sweet tea after ten days, but you can still drink it after this point.
As we mentioned, sugar in the tea will begin to ferment the drink once air hits the sweet tea, so the taste will begin to go off. Still, that doesn’t mean you will taste that after only ten days.
Use your discretion when drinking tea after the recommended date, and do not drink it if it starts to taste strange or different.
Hi there, I’m JJ, and welcome To EverydayQuery! Founded in 2022, we created this project to be the most complete resource on the web for your everyday questions regarding retail, shopping experiences, and overall consumer questions. We’re a team of passionate consumers whose mission is to provide the best answers to your everyday questions.