Unlike other people, experienced tea drinkers are ready to have a cup of their beloved artisan tea in virtually any season. Indeed, once a person embarks on their tea journey, they soon discover that tea can be enjoyed year-round. While preferences towards one or another tea are strictly a matter of personal taste, each of the six main tea types has unique properties that reveal themselves best in a particular set of circumstances. As most of us living in the Northern hemisphere are amid wintertime, let's dive deeper into the most suitable teas to have during those colder days of the year.
The Benefits Of Tea In The Wintertime.
Tea is, without a doubt, a great drink to have year-round. It accompanies us in our daily lives, providing soothing comfort, replenishing our strengths, and helping us gain clarity and concentration in our busy lives. Whether one enjoys a teabag steeped in a big mug or prefers a gong fu cha style infusion, its benefits are apparent. Some people start their day with a steaming hot cup of green tea to clear their minds and get that antioxidant boost at the very start of their day. Some like to satisfy their sweet tooth or meet up with a friend over a cup of black tea. Some reach out for their preferred tisane as a first-aid remedy for a cough, runny nose, or any other seasonal malaise. Whatever the reason, everyone feels the goodness the tea ritual brings into our daily lives.
Tea has been revered as a medicine since the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 CE) and the Sui dynasty (581-618) in Ancient China. It has become an integral part of Traditional Chinese Medicine and has evolved and developed over the ages. Hey, it's no other than the father of the TCM, the divine farmer Shen Nong, who gets the credit for discovering tea, so it can't be a coincidence, right?
TCM has clear recommendations on suitable foods, drinks, tonics, and preventive measures that follow seasonal cycles to counter the dangers each season poses to human health and keep the body balanced and in the best possible shape. Wintertime can be particularly challenging across China's vast territories of China. The wet, windy winters in southern provinces lead to excessive cold and moisture accumulation in the body. The snowy blizzards in the north shorten the farming season and limit plant nutrient intake in higher-altitude regions. Through the ages, tea has helped address these problems, along with many others. It's no wonder it earned a highly respected status among other TCM remedies as "a cure for 10,000 illnesses". Now let's dive deeper into the Chinese teas that hold the most benefits for the human body during wintertime.
Which teas are most appropriate to drink during the winter? In a nutshell, these are teas with a higher degree of oxidation, fermentation, and aging time.
According to TCM, summer is a time to nourish Yang; winter is for preserving and replenishing Yin. According to TCM, Yin-Yang are the counteracting life forces that sustain the vital energy, or Qi, in all living and non-living things. Keeping those forces in proper balance is a prerequisite for being healthy. The winter teas need to possess a balanced, mild inner character to exert a warming, restorative effect on the human body and sustain its vital energy.
The highly oxidized and fermented teas fight the accumulation of excessive cold during the winter months and make up for vitamins and phytonutrients loss. Aged teas' balanced inner character gently warms the body and supports the functioning of the main digestive organs and systems.
1. Black Tea
According to TCM, Europe's long-time favorite is the go-to tea for wintertime.
Black tea – also called "red" throughout Asia ("hong cha" in China) – is one of the six main tea types and the only one where the tea leaves undergo complete oxidation to create the finished product. After picking, the tea leaves undergo a phase of rolling (or kneading, also called róuniǎn), where the walls of cells in the tea leaves are torn or crushed mechanically, with the help of a machine or by hand. This serves both functions of extracting the excessive water and speeding up the process of enzyme activation and subsequent oxidation. While this dramatically reduces the levels of fresh antioxidants in the leaves, the byproducts of this process retain their healing and restorative properties for the human body.
Black tea is rich in complex sugar compounds (polysaccharides) and has a widespread reputation for gently assisting the digestive system without irritating the sensitive stomach mucus. So much so that this is the tea recommended for a morning drink in China, where people tend to avoid drinking highly stimulating teas (like many green teas) on an empty stomach. Black tea is credited with warming the abdomen, aiding the digestion of heavier, greasier foods that dominate our menus during the colder months, and enhancing the body's resistance to the common cold. All of the black tea's goodness comes in an addictive bouquet of flavors. It is precisely black tea that has earned its spot in the Top 3 of most fragrant teas globally! Its overflowing aroma covers the whole spectrum from honey and sweet flowers to the deep, authentic notes of classic Lapsang Souchong from the core production area of TongMuGuan in Fujian's WuYi Mountain.
2. Hei Cha (incl. Shou Pu-erh)
Another favorite for the chilly season, hei cha (or "dark tea") is a special kind of fermented tea common in China. It has a long history inextricably intertwined with the Chinese state from ancient times. The unique production method involves fermentation on top of oxidation, producing a special kind of tea that the rest of the world is just starting to appreciate. Hei Cha dominated the bustling tea trade in the bordering regions of the kingdom, catering to the needs of the local minority groups. This helped turn dark tea into a staple product; it provided much-needed warmth during the long, cold season and made up for the deficiency in vitamins and phytonutrients.
Border minorities have traditionally inhabited high-altitude areas, where the climate is harsh and food is scarce. In the unwelcome mountainous realms, few – if any – crops could survive. As a rule, people from those regions have been subjected to a poor and unvaried diet, dominated by heavier, harder-to-digest foods and lacking essential nutrients. Enter the dark tea. Its one-of-a-kind fermentation process creates a unique combination of good bacteria that breaks down accumulated fat and balances the intestinal microbiome. It is those minority groups that invented the well-known proverb "Better three days without food than a single day without tea."
Due to its unique ingredients, Hei Cha has assisted people through the ages in regulating digestion, helping decompose heavier foods like meat and dairy, and eliminating the accumulated waste and toxins in the intestinal tract.
Hei Cha is highly appreciated by Chinese immigrants who set off for Southeast Asia's neighboring countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore, creating a unique culture around this kind of tea. Apart from its health benefits, its unmistakable aroma has ignited sweet memories for centuries and remained a symbol of love and nostalgia for the beloved homeland.
The participation of water in this tea-making process creates a unique aromatic blend not found in other teas. Those who haven't tried it before might want to give its distinctive, earthy, mossy flavor a few tastings. Hei Cha tends to be an acquired taste, and your palate might need some education before you can fully appreciate it. However, this tea type has one of the most ardent fan bases among all six tea types. Its complex, constantly evolving nature and a vast array of subtypes will never cease to surprise you. You can discover how it unveils its aroma layers one by one within the same tasting session. You can also track how it evolves over each year of storage and never get tired of tasting its many expressions, each carrying its signature bouquet of flavors and aromatic nuances.
To know this special fermented tea, try Liu Bao Hei Cha, Guangxi's signature dark tea, with its deep earthy undertones and hints of red date and tobacco that gradually evolve through the years. For a more advanced experience, why not have a taste of a ripe Pu'erh from ancient trees with a bouquet of ripe fruits and berries, and its wonderfully spicy and slightly earthy aroma.
Next time, in part two of this blog post, we'll dive into the rest of the teas recommended to drink in wintertime. Meanwhile, put knowledge into practice, brew a pot of black tea or shou pu-erh, and let us know how it worked for you!