Through long-term exchanges with friends about how to drink tea correctly and how to choose tea, I have found that many wrong tea-drinking methods not only fail to let you enjoy the beauty of tea or achieve the purpose of health preservation, but also cause harm to the body. Here are several wrong tea-drinking methods that everyone should be careful about.

▶ The most common wrong method 1: A handful of tea leaves in a big cup, drinking all day!

This method is especially common in northern regions. People at work use a large enamel mug, teachers use a large thermos cup filled with tea leaves during class, and bus drivers always have a big covered cup at hand. Drinking from morning till night is probably how many Chinese people imagine tea drinking. In fact, this is the most harmful practice. Tea leaves should not be soaked in water for too long; if they are, harmful substances enter the water, making such tea drinking harmful rather than beneficial.

▶ Wrong tea-drinking method 2: Not rinsing new tea

No matter what type of tea it is, most should be rinsed. "Not drinking the first infusion" is the correct practice. Rinsing tea has two purposes: one is to wash away dust, and the other is to open the tiny pores on the leaves. Since the leaves have not yet opened, the first infusion does not taste good. The first infusion should be poured out. The steeping time for the first infusion varies: Pu'er tea takes 4 seconds, while Dianhong (Yunnan black tea) takes 1 second.

Wrong tea-drinking method 3: Drinking freshly made tea, thinking the newer the better

Different teas have different fermentation levels. Generally speaking, tea needs to be stored for a period of time to undergo natural fermentation before it tastes best. How long to store depends on the type of tea. For example, raw Pu'er tea should be exposed to air for 2 months to "awaken" before drinking, while Dianhong tea reaches its best mellow flavor after half a year, and green tea also needs 2 weeks.

▶ Wrong tea-drinking method 4: Drinking raw Pu'er and green tea every day

Raw Pu'er tea and green tea have a fresh fragrance and a sweet aftertaste, which many people love, and some insist on drinking them daily. In fact, both are unfermented teas. Although they retain more beneficial substances from the tea leaves, they are also cold in nature. They can be consumed occasionally but should not be drunk every day. Dianhong, a fully fermented tea, has a mild nature and can be drunk daily.

Wrong tea-drinking method 5: Women drinking tea every day

Women should avoid drinking tea during menstruation and pregnancy. Even when drinking tea at other times, they should avoid making it too strong. For example, some online claims suggest steeping Dianhong tea in boiling water for 2 minutes, which is definitely wrong. The correct method is to use water at 85°C (cooled after boiling) and steep for 1-3 seconds. The tea liquor should be golden yellow. If it appears wine-red, it means it is too strong.

▶ Wrong tea-drinking method 6: Drinking the same type of tea all year round

Raw Pu'er tea is excellent, and some friends say they love it and drink it every day all year round. However, Chinese health preservation emphasizes seasonality. Different seasons call for different teas, and even different times of the day call for different teas: black tea in the morning, green tea at noon, Pu'er in the afternoon, and Dianhong in the evening. The same applies to seasons: in autumn and winter, drink more black tea; in summer, drink some green tea.