Is summer unsuitable for drinking ripe tea?

Not necessarily. The idea that summer is unsuitable for drinking ripe tea is an assumption based on appearance—summer is hot, and ripe tea is red, giving a visual impression of heat. However, reality isn't always so straightforward. Firstly, ripe tea isn't inherently 'heating'; tea is originally cooling in nature, and through fermentation, ripe tea merely loses its cooling properties, becoming at most warm. Therefore, drinking ripe tea won't make you feel hotter. Moreover, modern environments have changed with the widespread use of air conditioning. In summer, people wear light clothing, but many homes, offices, restaurants, and cars are air-conditioned, creating low ambient temperatures. In such conditions, drinking overly cooling teas might be less reasonable. So, whether summer is suitable for drinking ripe tea depends on individual constitution, lifestyle, and work environment.

Some people say they experience internal heat (shanghuo) or diarrhea as soon as they drink ripe tea. What's the reason for this?

This situation does occur. But experiencing internal heat isn't necessarily a bad thing. Traditional Chinese Medicine differentiates between 'bringing to the surface' and 'suppressing.' Symptoms like internal heat, blisters, or small sores are considered 'bringing to the surface,' which can be part of a treatment and adjustment process. From this perspective, it doesn't necessarily mean ripe tea is unsuitable for you; rather, you might need to persist in drinking it. Once toxins are 'brought out' and expelled, and the body reaches balance, the internal heat symptoms should naturally cease. Some individuals might also experience mild diarrhea when they first start drinking ripe tea, which follows a similar principle. The symptoms usually disappear naturally after a day or two of adjustment.

What are the health benefits of ripe tea?

Ripe tea offers over 20 health benefits, including warming the stomach, aiding weight loss, lowering blood lipids, preventing arteriosclerosis, preventing coronary heart disease, lowering blood pressure, anti-aging, anti-cancer, lowering blood sugar, inhibiting bacteria and reducing inflammation, reducing harm from tobacco toxins, reducing harm from heavy metal toxins, anti-radiation, preventing dental caries, improving eyesight, aiding digestion, counteracting toxins, preventing constipation, and relieving alcohol effects. Among these, the effects of warming the stomach, weight loss, lowering blood lipids, preventing arteriosclerosis, preventing coronary heart disease, lowering blood pressure, anti-aging, anti-cancer, and lowering blood sugar are particularly prominent.

Why do some ripe teas taste sour? How should one handle sour-tasting tea?

There are several reasons why ripe tea might taste sour:

Firstly, the choice of raw material: tender tea leaves, like spring tea buds or one-bud-one-leaf sets, are more prone to developing a sour taste. Secondly, excessive water spraying during the pile-fermentation process (chaoshui). Thirdly, lighter fermentation degree: if fermentation is less than 70% complete, the probability of sour tea is high. Fourthly, low fermentation temperature: if the pile temperature doesn't rise sufficiently, the tea doesn't ferment thoroughly, easily leading to light fermentation.

For sour-tasting ripe tea, try storing it for a period. During the natural post-fermentation process, the sourness might dissipate. The required time is uncertain—it could be 3, 5, or 10 years—and this is only a possibility, not a guarantee.