There are four seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and tea also has differences in cold, heat, warm, and cool properties. Therefore, there are specific considerations for drinking tea in each season. Many people choose tea only based on personal taste, but fail to take advantage of seasonal changes to allow different types and effects of tea to better regulate and enhance the body. In early winter, it is advisable to drink Qing tea (Oolong tea) or Pu'er tea.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that autumn and winter are characterized by dry and cool weather. At this time, the air gradually becomes dry, and people are prone to discomfort in the skin, nasal cavity, and throat. Oolong tea (Qing tea) is green in color, rich in aroma, neither cold nor drying, and can help moisturize the skin, relieve dryness, promote fluid production, moisten the lungs, clear heat, and cool the blood. Pu'er tea can remove grease, cleanse the intestines, relieve constipation, aid weight loss, lower blood lipids, lower blood sugar, and regulate blood pressure. Both are very beneficial for health maintenance in autumn and winter.
Oolong tea is a fermented tea. Most people believe that pre-Qingming tea (i.e., spring tea) is the best, but for Oolong tea, autumn tea has a thicker body, and its aroma and flavor are more mellow. Taking Tieguanyin as an example, its chemical components and mineral elements can provide special effects such as anti-aging, clearing heat and reducing internal heat, anti-arteriosclerosis, refreshing the mind, and improving mental alertness.
Pu'er tea is a fermented tea, which can be divided into raw tea and ripe tea according to the production method. The liquor brewed from raw tea is greenish in color, while that from ripe tea is golden red. Ripe Pu'er tea warms the stomach, so it is recommended that beginners first try ripe Pu'er tea. As for raw Pu'er tea, it must be aged, at least for over five years. Pu'er tea has similar health benefits to Oolong tea. In addition, it can also help reduce fat and aid weight loss, protect teeth and oral health, protect and nourish the stomach, resist radiation, relieve hangovers, and beautify the skin.