There is an old Chinese saying: "The seven necessities of running a household are firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea." This saying illustrates that tea is an indispensable part of the life of the Chinese people. However, while people know that drinking tea is enjoyable and beneficial to human health, they are often unaware that there is also an art to it. For instance, the choice of tea for different seasons is of great importance. Traditional Chinese medicine advocates: drinking scented tea in spring, green tea in summer, oolong tea in autumn, and black tea in winter. Spring: Drink Scented Tea
Most of China has a monsoon climate, with distinct seasons: mild spring, hot summer, cool autumn, and cold winter. In spring, the spring breeze revives the land, and yang energy begins to grow, bringing vitality to all things. However, people often feel drowsy and lethargic, a phenomenon known as "spring drowsiness." Drinking scented tea can alleviate the adverse effects of spring drowsiness. Scented tea is sweet, cool, and possesses a fragrant, pungent, and dispersing nature, which helps to dispel the cold evil that has accumulated in the body during winter and promotes the generation of yang energy. It refreshes the mind and spirit, naturally dispelling "spring drowsiness."
Scented tea is a treasured variety of tea that combines the flavor of tea with the fragrance of flowers. "Flowers enhance the tea's aroma, and each brings out the best in the other." It is made by mixing tea leaves with fresh flowers and scenting them, utilizing the ability of baked green tea and other types of tea to absorb flavors and the characteristic of fresh flowers to release their fragrance. Jasmine tea is the most famous of these. This is because the fragrance of jasmine is pure and gentle, and when infused in tea, it produces a rich, mellow, and refreshing taste that is pleasant and appealing. To brew high-quality scented tea, a transparent glass cup with a lid should be used. Place 3 grams of scented tea into the cup and brew it with freshly boiled water that has cooled to about 90°C. Immediately cover the cup to prevent the aroma from escaping. After two or three minutes, it is ready to be enjoyed. One will immediately be greeted by a rich fragrance that is both refreshing and invigorating. Summer: Drink Green Tea
During the hot summer, the scorching sun makes people sweat profusely, leading to significant physical exertion and low spirits. At this time, it is best to drink green tea. Green tea is an unfermented tea and is considered "cool" in nature. As the saying goes, "coolness clears heat," making it most effective for reducing internal heat, promoting the production of saliva to quench thirst, aiding digestion, and resolving phlegm. It can also accelerate the healing of oral and mild gastric ulcers. Furthermore, it is rich in nutrients and has medicinal values such as lowering blood fat and preventing vascular hardening. When brewed, the tea liquor is clear and cool, with a delicate aroma and a fresh taste. Drinking it regularly in the summer can clear heat and relieve summer heat, while also strengthening the body. Fine varieties of green tea include Longjing from Lion Peak in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, which has a jade-green liquor and a pleasant fragrance, acclaimed as the "finest of Chinese green teas"; Biluochun from Taihu Lake in Jiangsu, with its jade-green, tender leaves and rich aroma; and Huangshan Maofeng from Anhui, known for its delicate fragrance.
To brew green tea, use water at 90°C. For high-quality green teas and delicate famous varieties, the buds and leaves are tender, and their aroma is often a delicate, low-boiling-point type. These should be brewed with water at 80°C. When brewing, do not cover the cup to avoid creating stuffy steam, which would affect the freshness of the tea liquor. Autumn: Drink Oolong Tea
In autumn, the sky is high and the clouds are light, the autumn wind is bleak, and flowers and trees wither. The dry climate often causes a dry mouth, a parched tongue, and chapped lips—a condition in Traditional Chinese Medicine known as "autumn dryness." At this time, it is advisable to drink oolong tea. Oolong tea, also known as Wu Long tea, is a semi-fermented tea, lying between green and black tea.
It has a bluish-brown color. After brewing, the middle of the leaves can be seen to be green, while the edges are red, earning it the beautiful name "green leaves with red edges." It possesses the delicate fragrance and natural floral notes of green tea, as well as the mellow taste of black tea. It is neither too cold nor too hot, but temperate, making it suitable for moisturizing the skin and throat, promoting the production of saliva, clearing internal accumulated heat, and helping the body adapt to the changing natural environment. Well-known varieties of oolong tea include Fujian oolong, Guangdong oolong, and Taiwan oolong, with Wuyi Rock Tea from northern Fujian and Tieguanyin from Anxi in southern Fujian being particularly famous. However, oolong teas are often categorized by the tea plant variety, including Tieguanyin, Qilan, Meizhan, Shuixian, Taoren, and Maoxie. Oolong tea is traditionally consumed strong, with an emphasis on savoring the aroma. It should be brewed with 100°C boiling water. After brewing for a moment, the tea from the pot is poured into small cups. When sipped, the aroma is rich and lingers in the mouth. Winter: Drink Black Tea
In winter, the weather is cold and the ground is frozen. All things lie dormant, and cold evil invades the body. Physiological functions decline, and yang energy gradually weakens. Traditional Chinese Medicine believes: "In the depths of winter, the vital energy of all things is conserved, and the body's physiological activities are in a state of inhibition. The key to health preservation lies in warding off cold and keeping warm." Therefore, black tea is the best choice for winter. Black tea is sweet and warm, which helps nourish the body's yang energy. It is rich in protein and sugar, generates heat to warm the abdomen, enhances the body's ability to resist cold, and also aids digestion and removes greasiness. During processing, black tea undergoes full fermentation, causing the tannins to oxidize, which is why it is also known as a fully fermented tea. The fresh tea leaves are oxidized to form red oxidative polymerization products—theaflavins, thearubigins, and theabrownins. Some of these pigments are water-soluble, creating the red tea liquor when brewed. Traditional famous black teas include Hunan Black Tea (Hu Hong), Yichang Black Tea (Yi Hong), Jiangxi Black Tea (Ning Hong), Fujian Black Tea (Min Hong), Taiwan Black Tea (Tai Hong), and Keemun Black Tea (Qi Hong), with Keemun from Qimen County, Anhui, being the most renowned. To brew black tea, it is best to use freshly boiled water and cover the cup to prevent the aroma from escaping. The British customarily drink "afternoon tea," often blending Keemun with Indian black tea and adding milk and sugar. In some parts of China, there is also a custom of drinking black tea with sugar, milk, or sesame seeds. This practice not only generates heat and warms the abdomen but also adds nutrition, strengthening the body.