Drink Floral Tea in Spring
Most parts of China have a monsoon climate, with distinct seasons: warm spring, hot summer, cool autumn, and cold winter. In spring, the spring breeze revives everything, and阳气 (Yang energy) begins to grow, bringing vitality to all things. However, people often feel tired and lethargic during this time, a phenomenon known as "spring fatigue." Drinking floral tea can help alleviate the adverse effects of spring fatigue. Floral tea, with its sweet, cool nature combined with aromatic and dispersing qualities, helps dispel the cold evil accumulated in the body during winter and promotes the growth of阳气 (Yang energy), making one feel refreshed and clear-headed, thus naturally dissipating "spring fatigue."
Floral tea is a treasure among teas, combining the beauty of tea flavor with the fragrance of flowers. "Flowers enhance tea aroma, each benefiting the other." It is made by scenting tea leaves with fresh flowers, utilizing the tea's ability to absorb scents and the flowers' ability to release fragrance. Jasmine Tea is the most famous. This is because jasmine flowers have a delicate and elegant fragrance, which, when infused with tea, results in a rich, refreshing, and pleasantly aromatic drink. To brew high-quality floral tea, use a transparent lidded glass cup. Place 3 grams of tea in the cup, pour freshly boiled water cooled to about 90°C, and immediately cover the cup to prevent the aroma from escaping. After two or three minutes, it is ready to drink, offering a delightful fragrance that is uplifting and refreshing.
Drink Green Tea in Summer
Summer is hot, with scorching sun, causing people to sweat profusely, consume a lot of energy, and feel listless. At this time, it is good to drink green tea. As green tea is unfermented and has a cold nature, "cold can clear heat," making it most effective for reducing internal heat, promoting saliva production, quenching thirst, aiding digestion, resolving phlegm, and accelerating the healing of oral and mild gastric ulcers. Moreover, it is high in nutritional components and has medicinal value, such as lowering blood lipids and preventing arteriosclerosis. This tea, when brewed, has a clear infusion, subtle aroma, and fresh, brisk taste. Drinking it regularly in summer helps clear heat, relieve summer heat, and strengthen the body. Notable green teas include Longjing from Shifeng, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, known for its green soup and refreshing fragrance, hailed as "the best of Chinese green tea"; Biluochun from Taihu, Jiangsu, with its jade green color and rich aroma; and Huangshan Maofeng from Anhui, known for its delicate fragrance.
To brew green tea, use 90°C water directly. For high-grade and tender famous teas, whose leaves are delicate and aromas are often low-boiling-point and fresh, 80°C water is sufficient. Do not cover the cup while brewing to avoid a stuffy smell that might affect the tea's freshness.
Drink Oolong Tea in Autumn
In autumn, the sky is high and clouds are pale, the cool wind blows, flowers and trees wither, and the climate is dry, causing dry mouth and chapped lips. Traditional Chinese Medicine calls this "autumn dryness." At this time, it is appropriate to drink Oolong tea. Oolong tea, also known as Wulong Tea, is semi-fermented, falling between green and black tea. It has a bluish-brown color, and after brewing, one can see green in the center of the leaves and red on the edges, earning it the reputation of "green leaves with red borders." It possesses both the freshness and natural floral scent of green tea and the mellow richness of black tea. It is neither cold nor hot, moderately warm, and functions to moisturize the skin and throat, promote saliva production, clear accumulated heat from the body, and help the body adapt to changes in the natural environment. Famous Oolong teas include Fujian Oolong, Guangdong Oolong, and Taiwan Oolong, with Wuyi Rock Tea from northern Fujian and Anxi Tieguanyin from southern Fujian being particularly renowned. There are many varieties of Oolong tea, often named after the tea plant cultivar, such as Tieguanyin, Qilan, Meizhan, Shuixian, Taoren, and Maoxie. Oolong tea is typically enjoyed strong, emphasizing aroma appreciation. Brew Oolong tea with 100°C boiling water. Pour the tea from the pot into cups after a short infusion. When drinking, the rich aroma lingers in the mouth and between the teeth.
Drink Black Tea in Winter
In winter, the weather is freezing, all things hibernate, cold evil invades the body, physiological functions decline, and阳气 (Yang energy) weakens. Traditional Chinese Medicine states: "During the cold winter, all things' vitality is stored away, and the body's physiological activities are in a state of inhibition. The way of health preservation values keeping warm and resisting cold." Therefore, black tea is the best choice for drinking in winter. Black tea is sweet and warm, nourishing the body's阳气 (Yang energy). It is rich in protein and sugar, generating warmth in the abdomen and enhancing the body's ability to resist cold. It also aids digestion and reduces greasiness. Black tea undergoes full fermentation during processing, which oxidizes tea tannins, hence it is also called fully fermented tea. After oxidation, fresh tea leaves form red oxidation polymerization products—theaflavins, thearubigins, theabrownins. Some of these pigments dissolve in water, creating the red tea infusion when brewed. Famous traditional Congou black teas include Huhong, Yihong, Ninghong, Minhong, Taihong, and Qihong, with Qimen Black Tea (Keemun) from Qimen County, Anhui being particularly renowned. To brew black tea, use freshly boiled water and cover the cup to retain the aroma. In Britain, it is common to have "afternoon tea," often blending Keemun and Indian black tea, then adding milk and sugar. In some parts of China, there is also a habit of drinking black tea with sugar, milk, and sesame, which not only generates warmth but also adds nutrition, strengthening the body.