Based on years of research and practice, Academician Chen offers seven suggestions for drinking tea.
Different teas for different body constitutions. Green tea is cooling, so it is recommended for people with poor stomachs to drink black tea, and new green tea can be consumed after being stored for a while. People with obesity issues are advised to drink oolong tea and dark tea.
Different teas for different seasons. It is recommended to drink more green tea in the spring and warming black tea in the winter. However, personal preference should be the main guide.
Steep tea two to three times a day. Do not drink the same pot of tea all day long. When the tea becomes weak, it should be discarded and re-brewed. Two to three brews a day is ideal.
Do not drink tea that is too strong. It is not recommended to drink strong tea, especially before bedtime. The polyphenols in it can interfere with mineral absorption and are highly stimulating to the nervous system. It is recommended to use 3 grams of tea leaves for 150 ml of water.
Brew dark tea and black tea with boiling water. Some believe that to avoid destroying tea polyphenols, water at 80°C should be used for brewing, but this is not necessarily true. Academician Chen suggests that tender, one-bud-and-one-leaf teas can be brewed with lower water temperatures, while dark tea and black tea can be fully brewed with boiling water.
Do not drink overnight tea. No studies have shown that overnight tea causes cancer, but after sitting for a night, the tea is inevitably exposed to microbial contamination, and its hygiene cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, drinking overnight tea is not recommended.
Store tea in sealed, low-temperature containers. Academician Chen fills his tea canisters to the brim, seals them with a lid, and then places them in a special small refrigerator for tea storage. Sealing and low temperatures prevent the oxidation of tea polyphenols and avoid flavor mixing. When stored this way, the tea's flavor will not diminish for six months to a year.