diff --git a/src/engine/rfc822/rfc822-message-data.vala b/src/engine/rfc822/rfc822-message-data.vala
index c81ac4a6..14e41f7f 100644
--- a/src/engine/rfc822/rfc822-message-data.vala
+++ b/src/engine/rfc822/rfc822-message-data.vala
@@ -41,8 +41,6 @@ public interface Geary.RFC822.EncodedMessageData :
 public class Geary.RFC822.MessageID :
     Geary.MessageData.StringMessageData, DecodedMessageData {
 
-    private string rfc822 = null;
-
     public MessageID(string value) {
         base(value);
     }
@@ -52,17 +50,13 @@ public class Geary.RFC822.MessageID :
             throw new Error.INVALID("Empty RFC822 message id: %s", rfc822);
         }
         base(GMime.utils_decode_message_id(rfc822));
-        this.rfc822 = rfc822;
     }
 
     /**
      * Returns the {@link Date} in RFC 822 format.
      */
     public string to_rfc822_string() {
-        if (this.rfc822 == null) {
-            this.rfc822 = "<%s>".printf(this.value);
-        }
-        return this.rfc822;
+        return "<%s>".printf(this.value);
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/test/engine/rfc822/rfc822-message-data-test.vala b/test/engine/rfc822/rfc822-message-data-test.vala
index b3f5fd52..9eeb27d9 100644
--- a/test/engine/rfc822/rfc822-message-data-test.vala
+++ b/test/engine/rfc822/rfc822-message-data-test.vala
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ class Geary.RFC822.MessageDataTest : TestCase {
         add_test("header_from_rfc822", header_from_rfc822);
         add_test("header_names_from_rfc822", header_names_from_rfc822);
         add_test("PreviewText.with_header", preview_text_with_header);
-        add_test("MessageIDList.from_rfc822_string", message_id_list_from_rfc822_string);
+        add_test("MessageId.to_rfc822_string", message_id_to_rfc822_string);
+        add_test("MessageIdList.from_rfc822_string", message_id_list_from_rfc822_string);
         add_test("MessageIdList.merge", message_id_list_merge);
     }
 
@@ -110,6 +111,21 @@ class Geary.RFC822.MessageDataTest : TestCase {
         assert_equal(neg_half_hour_tz.to_rfc822_string(), NEG_HALF_HOUR_TZ);
     }
 
+    public void message_id_to_rfc822_string() throws GLib.Error {
+        assert_equal(
+            new MessageID("note_895184@gitlab.gnome.org").to_rfc822_string(),
+            "<note_895184@gitlab.gnome.org>"
+        );
+        assert_equal(
+            new MessageID.from_rfc822_string("<note_895184@gitlab.gnome.org>").to_rfc822_string(),
+            "<note_895184@gitlab.gnome.org>"
+        );
+        assert_equal(
+            new MessageID.from_rfc822_string(" <note_895184@gitlab.gnome.org>\n").to_rfc822_string(),
+            "<note_895184@gitlab.gnome.org>"
+        );
+    }
+
     public void message_id_list_from_rfc822_string() throws GLib.Error {
 
         // Standard variants