Winter tea drinking must-know: How to drink tea to nourish the stomach?

People's constitutions can be divided into dry-heat type and deficiency-cold type. Different tea categories, due to different processing techniques, also have cool or warm properties. People with a dry-heat constitution should drink cool-natured tea, while those with a deficiency-cold constitution should drink warm-natured tea. Among common teas, green tea and Anxi Tieguanyin (a type of oolong tea) with a low degree of fermentation are cool-natured teas; oolong teas such as oolong tea and Dahongpao are neutral teas, while black tea and Pu'er tea are warm-natured teas.

People who smoke or drink alcohol tend to suffer from internal heat, so they should drink more cool-natured tea like those with a dry-heat constitution (e.g., overweight individuals). For those with a weak gastrointestinal system who feel bloated after eating bitter melon or watermelon, or those with a weak constitution (i.e., deficiency-cold type), they should drink more neutral or warm-natured tea. Elderly people are suitable for drinking black tea and Pu'er tea. However, special attention should be paid to kuding tea, which is highly cool-natured and has stronger effects in clearing heat, detoxifying, softening blood vessels, and lowering blood lipids. It is most suitable for people with a dry-heat constitution, but absolutely not suitable for those with a deficiency-cold constitution.

Urban dwellers in a sub-healthy state may benefit from drinking more neutral or warm-natured teas such as Dahongpao, black tea, and Pu'er tea. Adding milk to the tea to make milk tea may enhance the effect. If blood sugar is not high, sugar can also be added to the tea. For those with poor absorption, drinking milk tea may cause diarrhea, so they should only drink ripe Pu'er tea (highly fermented), as the fermentation process produces many trace elements that can promote appetite and absorption.