It is well-known that drinking Tea is beneficial for health, especially if one persists in the habit over a long period. The key to using tea for health preservation lies in grasping the best time to drink it. Drinking the right tea at the right time can produce twice the effect with half the effort.
What is the best time to drink tea?
Morning Tea
In the morning, after a whole night's rest, the body has lost a significant amount of water, and the concentration of the blood increases. Drinking a cup of light tea not only replenishes the body's need for water quickly but also cleanses the intestines and stomach. It can lower blood pressure, dilute the blood, benefit health, and prevent and treat constipation. However, note that in the morning, do not drink strong tea; it should be lighter than usual.
What to Drink in the Morning
It is better to drink Black Tea in the morning as black tea can promote circulation in the body, dispel coldness from the body, and ensure adequate blood supply to the brain. After breakfast every day, you can drink a cup of black tea, possibly with milk. Note that you must eat breakfast before drinking tea in the morning because tea contains caffeine. Drinking on an empty stomach can cause the stomach and intestines to absorb too much caffeine, leading to symptoms such as palpitations and frequent urination.
Afternoon Tea
Drinking tea around 3:00 PM can help regulate the body and enhance its resistance, as well as prevent colds. This is the most important time of day for tea, commonly referred to as afternoon tea. For people with “three highs” (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar), if they persist in drinking afternoon tea, they may achieve results that even medication cannot.
What to Drink in the Afternoon
In the afternoon, it is best to drink Oolong Tea or Green Tea. Generally, the liver tends to have more heat during midday, and drinking green or Oolong tea can alleviate this symptom. Oolong tea, such as Tie Guan Yin, is cool and dry, entering the liver meridian, which can clear liver heat and detoxify the liver. It is also rich in vitamin E, which has anti-aging properties.
Green tea enters the kidney meridian, promoting diuresis and clearer urine. Green tea contains the highest levels of polyphenols, which have obvious antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Evening Tea
Drink tea around 8:30 PM. Many people misunderstand drinking tea in the evening, fearing it will affect their sleep. However, this is not the case. This is when the immune system is most active. If you can drink a pot of tea, your body can easily repair and restore the immune system and regenerate cells.
However, do not drink green tea, as it is unfermented and can stimulate the body. You can choose to drink dark tea, especially ripe Pu'er. Ripe Pu'er is warm and pure, not affecting normal sleep. Drinking dark tea after dinner can help break down accumulated fat, warming the stomach and aiding digestion.
Some say: When drinking tea, you're not just drinking water but savoring its taste. Over time, you may even find yourself savoring the taste of your inner self and life itself. Different seasons or different times of the day correspond to different teas, much like the varying warmth and coolness of life's moments. What differs is that most of life consists of mundane times, yet in tea, there is always a taste to be found.
When drinking tea, one needs to respect each type of tea with sincerity, much like how one would appreciate qualities in others regardless of their social status. To truly understand tea, one must engage with it without pretense, much like with a friend—once you know all about their experiences, you gain a deeper understanding of their uniqueness and learn how to interact with them better.