Pu'er tea contains tannic acid. Drinking Pu'er tea immediately after a meal can cause undigested protein in the stomach to combine with tannic acid, forming indigestible coagulated substances, which then affects the digestion and absorption of protein.

Pu'er tea also interferes with the body's absorption of iron, reducing the absorption rate of iron. Over time, this not only affects digestive function but may even cause iron deficiency anemia.

Pu'er tea is best consumed two hours after a meal. This not only does not affect the absorption of nutrients but also helps with weight loss and fat reduction. This is because different food components have different gastric emptying times: carbohydrates are the fastest, about 1 hour; proteins take about 2 hours; and fats are the slowest, about 3 to 4 hours. Drinking Pu'er tea two hours after a meal helps speed up gastric emptying, allowing fat to be pushed to the colon before it has much time to be absorbed, and since the colon cannot absorb fat, this helps achieve fat reduction.

Cooking with tea to enhance flavor and reduce greasiness

Green tea is suitable for pairing with light-flavored dishes. Green teas such as West Lake Longjing, Huangshan Maofeng, and Biluochun are unfermented, with tender and fragrant tea leaves and a good taste, making them suitable for cooking fresh and delicate dishes like Longjing shrimp and green tea minced tofu. When making Longjing shrimp, first steep the tea leaves, then when the shrimp are 70% cooked, add the tea leaves and tea juice to the pan, along with a little rice wine and salt, and stir-fry until done. For tofu, simply sprinkle ground green tea on top of the prepared minced tofu dish.

Black tea is suitable for pairing with heavy-flavored and dark-colored dishes. Black tea is fully fermented, with Qimen black tea and Dianhong being the most well-known. Black tea has a slightly bitter and astringent taste, suitable for heavy-flavored and dark-colored dishes, helping to remove fishy smells and reduce greasiness. It also has some stomach-nourishing and protective effects, as seen in dishes like steamed mandarin fish with black tea and black tea chicken. When steaming fish, wash the tea leaves and place some inside the fish cavity and some on top of the fish along with other seasonings, then steam until done. For black tea chicken, stir-fry the black tea first and set aside, then add the stir-fried tea back to the pan when the chicken is almost cooked.

Oolong tea is suitable for pairing with greasy dishes. Oolong tea is a semi-fermented tea with a strong and lasting aroma, a sweet and refreshing taste, and has the effect of promoting digestion and reducing fat. It is also suitable for pairing with greasy and strongly flavored dishes, such as Tieguanyin braised duck. This dish uses tea soup, where the brewed Tieguanyin tea soup is directly added to the water for braising the duck.

Finally, it is important to note that the ratio of tea to ingredients should generally be controlled at about 1:100, and everyone can adjust according to their own taste.