Tea as a culture not only has profound cultural heritage but also its role in health preservation and wellness. Most people drink tea whenever they feel like it, lacking a correct concept of tea drinking. So, when is the most suitable time to drink tea during the day?

Tea can not only quench thirst and refresh the mind but also cultivate sentiment. It contains over 500 chemical components, including various nutrients: proteins, amino acids, polysaccharides, vitamins, and minerals. Moreover, tea leaves are rich in bioactive substances—tea polyphenols, which offer numerous benefits such as disease prevention, anti-aging, and antioxidant effects.

The key to using tea for health is mastering the best time to drink tea and then drinking the right tea at the right time. So, when is the optimal time to drink tea?

When is the best time to drink tea? Some say it's in the morning.

Because after a day and night of metabolism, the body consumes a lot of water, and blood concentration is high. Drinking a cup of light tea can not only replenish fluids but also dilute the blood and lower blood pressure. Drinking a cup of light tea immediately after waking up is beneficial for health, and drinking light tea is to prevent damage to the gastric mucosa.

Morning is suitable for drinking black tea

After sleeping through the night, the body is often in a relatively static state. Drinking black tea can promote blood circulation while dispelling cold from the body and ensuring ample blood supply to the brain.

Black tea is mild in nature. You can brew a cup every morning after getting up and drink it after breakfast, or add some milk to it. It should be reminded not to drink tea on an empty stomach because tea contains caffeine. Drinking on an empty stomach can lead to excessive caffeine absorption in the intestines, causing adverse reactions such as palpitations and frequent urination. Over time, it can also affect the body's absorption of vitamin B.

When is the best time to drink tea? Others say it's in the afternoon.

Drinking tea around 3:00 PM can help regulate the body, enhance resistance, nourish, and prevent colds. Drinking tea at this time is the most important of the day, commonly known as afternoon tea. For people with conditions like "high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol," sticking to afternoon tea can achieve effects that even medication cannot.

Afternoon is suitable for drinking oolong tea or green tea

Typically, the body tends to have excessive liver fire around noon. Drinking green tea or oolong tea at this time can alleviate this symptom.

Oolong tea (such as Tieguanyin) has a sweet and cool nature, enters the liver meridian, can clear heat from the liver and gallbladder, detoxify the liver, and is rich in vitamin E, which resists aging; green tea enters the kidney meridian, promotes diuresis and removes turbidity, ensuring smooth urination. Additionally, green tea contains extremely high levels of tea polyphenols, offering excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

When is the best time to drink tea? Some say it's in the evening.

Drinking tea around 8:30 PM. Many people misunderstand drinking tea at night, fearing it will affect sleep. Actually, this is not the case. This time is when the human immune system is most active. If you can drink a brew of tea, the body can easily repair and restore the immune system and regenerate cells. For those with neurasthenia, you can choose to drink semi-fermented, warm-natured Tieguanyin. Never drink green tea because green tea is non-fermented and can be somewhat stimulating to the body.

Evening is suitable for drinking dark tea

After eating three meals, the body accumulates some greasy substances in the digestive system. If you can drink a cup of dark tea after dinner, it helps break down accumulated fat, warming the stomach and aiding digestion.

Dark tea is relatively mild in nature and does not affect sleep. The first choice for dark tea is Yunnan Pu'er. However, some people may not like the taste of Pu'er, so white tea can be used instead, such as Fujian Shou Mei. Shou Mei enters the lung meridian, has a neutral tea nature, and also does not affect sleep.

Drinking tea at different times of the day has different effects, and each time period has suitable tea types. If you want to nourish yourself with tea, you need to know the correct way to drink tea.