Tea drinking is a lifestyle that cultivates the mind and body, and it is also the best "accompaniment" for social gatherings. While tea is beneficial, it is essential to choose good tea and drink it correctly. Tea does not have to be expensive, but it should suit one's taste. The following seven types of tea are not recommended for consumption:

1. Deteriorated Tea

Tea is not easy to store properly and can easily absorb moisture and become moldy. Some people, out of love for tea or thriftiness, are reluctant to discard moldy tea. Deteriorated tea contains a large amount of substances and bacteria harmful to the human body and must not be consumed. If high-quality tea is brewed and left for too long, the tea liquid can also deteriorate due to oxidation and microbial growth. Such tea should also not be consumed.

2. The First Brew (Rinse)

Because modern tea leaves may inevitably be contaminated by pesticides, fertilizers, dust, and other substances during planting, processing, and packaging. The first brew is essentially rinse water and should be poured out quickly before adding boiling water. The tea brewed after this is the most hygienic.

3. Burnt Tea

Tea leaves that have been over-roasted during processing lose their nutrients and have a poor taste.

4. Over-brewed Tea

If the brewing time is too long, substances in the tea such as polyphenols, lipids, and aromatic compounds can oxidize automatically. This not only results in a dark tea soup, poor taste, and low aroma, losing its value for appreciation, but also significantly reduces the nutritional value of the tea soup as vitamins C and P, amino acids, etc., decrease due to oxidation. Furthermore, if the tea soup is left for too long, it becomes contaminated by the surrounding environment, and the number of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) in the tea soup increases, making it very unhygienic.

5. Cold Tea

Tea is best consumed warm or hot. Cold tea can lead to stagnation of cold and accumulation of phlegm in the body. In other words, warm or hot tea can refresh the mind and sharpen the senses, while cold tea has the side effects of causing stagnation of cold and phlegm.

6. Scalding Hot Tea

Tea is generally brewed with high-temperature water, but it should not be consumed when the water is too hot. Excessively hot tea strongly irritates the throat, esophagus, and stomach. Long-term consumption of overly hot tea may cause lesions in these organs. Additionally, foreign studies show that those who frequently drink tea exceeding 62°C are more prone to stomach wall damage and stomach ailments. The ideal temperature for drinking tea is below 56°C.

7. Tea with Off-flavors

Some odors may be toxic, such as paint or camphor smells.