Why drink black tea in winter?

Because black tea makes you feel warm. It warms the stomach, the body, and the heart.

But if you ask why black tea warms you?

First, because it is a fully fermented tea.

The production of black tea is meticulous, generally divided into two main processes: primary processing and refining.

Primary processing: Includes withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying. The leaves change from green to purplish copper red, the tea forms into strips, the aroma develops, and it is dried over a low heat to become unrefined tea.

Refining: After the unrefined black tea is produced, it must be refined. The refining process is complex, involving steps such as rough sieving, shaking sieving, grading sieving, tight screening, fine sieving, cutting, winnowing, hand-picking, re-drying, airing, blending, and packing to become the finished product.

From the fresh leaves through many steps to the finished product, the key to black tea quality that runs throughout is fermentation.

Freshly picked leaves, due to their high moisture content, have cells in a water-saturated state, making the leaves plump and stiff. Starting from withering, the moisture in the leaves slowly and continuously decreases, accompanied by stirring. This allows components originally separated by cell membranes within the cells to penetrate the cytoplasm and come into contact with each other, undergoing complex chemical changes through the catalytic action of enzymes. This is fermentation.

The complex chemical changes during fermentation cause reactions such as protein decomposition generating amino acids, increased organic acid content, decomposition of chlorophyll, and oxidative condensation of catechins to form theaflavins and thearubigins. The most critical is the enzymatic oxidation of tea polyphenols, with caffeine reduced by over 90%, thereby reducing irritation to the stomach and intestines. This is why black tea can warm the stomach.

Second, because it belongs to the element of Fire in the Five Elements.

The Five Elements theory is an ancient Chinese materialist and spontaneous dialectical thought, believing the world is composed of matter and constituted by the five basic substances: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These five substances mutually generate and restrain each other, in constant motion and change.

Tea can certainly be classified under the Five Elements theory. Specifically, green tea belongs to Wood, yellow tea belongs to Earth, white tea belongs to Metal, dark tea belongs to Water, and black tea belongs to Fire.

According to the "Later Five Elements Annals": "Fire is the essence of Yang, and its nature is to burn." Fire has the characteristics of heat, rising, and brightness. Things or phenomena with warm, rising, or bright properties are attributed to Fire.

Black tea belongs to Fire, and Fire enters the Heart. The Heart governs blood and vitality. Therefore, drinking black tea can dilate blood vessels and promote blood circulation. This is why black tea can warm the body.

Finally, because it is a warm tone.

"Color temperature" makes people have different psychological feelings towards different colors, prompting instinctive emotional responses. Some colors make you feel calm, some make you feel cool, and some make you feel warm and passionate.

The bright red liquor of black tea is a standard warm tone. When you hold a cup of black tea, you will surely think of the winter sun, autumn wheat fields, summer sunflowers, and spring wildflowers. This is why black tea can warm the heart.