First, memorize the tea-drinking mnemonic I spent months compiling:
First, memorize the tea-drinking mnemonic I spent months compiling:
**Prefer warm over hot; prefer fermented over raw;
Prefer aged over new; prefer fully ripened over under-ripe;
Prefer early over late; prefer tea snacks over drinking alone;
Prefer light over strong; prefer moderate over excessive.**
Spending months doesn't mean the content is difficult; it's to make these lines symmetrical and memorable, so I revised several versions.
If you have a better expression, please message me privately, and I'll revise again.
1. Let me explain the mnemonic.
1. Prefer warm over hot.
It's easy to understand, but also the easiest to overlook.
Our esophageal mucosa is actually very "delicate," only 0.5-1 mm thick.
According to my research, experimental data shows temperature damage gradients:
50-60°C: Mucosa begins to show reversible damage
65°C: WHO's carcinogenic warning line
70°C: Contact for 1 second can cause irreversible damage
Above 75°C: Immediately causes necrosis and shedding of mucosal surface cells
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), under the World Health Organization (WHO), reported that hot drinks above 65°C may increase the risk of esophageal cancer. Hot drinks above 65°C are listed as Group 2A carcinogens. The esophageal mucosa is fragile and delicate, with a normal tolerance temperature of 40-50°C.
When drinking tea, don't rush; wait 2 minutes. In fact, many things in life are like this, aren't they?
2. Prefer fermented over raw.
Like bananas and persimmons, they taste better when ripe and don't harm the body.
Post-fermented foods: fermentation doesn't only refer to ripe tea, but also includes black tea, oolong tea, and aged teas.
Many tea industry peers and super enthusiasts of Pu'er tea love the strong, intense flavor of new raw tea, and the bitterness that turns sweet. Drinking such tea for a long time has caused health problems for many; drinking tea affecting health is not worth it.
"Raw" refers to cold and raw, and green impurities. Newly made green tea has green impurities, and new raw tea that isn't fully processed is severely cold.
By drinking more fermented and post-fermented teas, we ingest much less coldness.
3. Prefer aged over new.
Tea actually becomes more fragrant with age; this fragrance not only refers to taste and aroma, but also to being milder, less irritating, and more comfortable to drink.
Everyone chases new Longjing, but master tea makers will tell you that newly made Longjing should not be drunk immediately; it's better to wait a month.
Aged Pu'er tea has a large audience; many tea friends and industry peers who have had problems with new tea prefer aged tea.
Not only Pu'er, but also black tea and oolong tea with age have a unique flavor and become more "fragrant" with age.
Some say ripe tea nourishes the stomach and isn't damp-cold; this is problematic. No tea nourishes the stomach; it's just less irritating. Many low-end ripe teas are still irritating and cold; drinking aged ones is much better.
4. Prefer fully ripened over under-ripe.
Drink more fully ripened tea, not half-cooked tea. In recent years, I've cooperated with some Chinese medicine practitioners to solve the problem of tea's coldness. During testing, we found that 99% of Pu'er teas on the market are cold in nature; if the spleen and stomach's transformation capacity is insufficient, problems arise. Fully ripened tea is warm in nature, and new tea can also be drunk.
"Fully ripened" doesn't mean ripe tea is fully processed; it means all teas should be fully processed, including raw tea, black tea, white tea, etc.
Regarding the full ripening of Pu'er tea, I've written many articles; for further reading, please refer to my other articles in the "Paper Talk on Tea" series.
Fujian people drink tea for a long time without problems because the teas they mainly drink are roasted oolong teas. Tieguanyin and oolong are all roasted; roasting is a quick way to heat and fully ripen tea, making it less cold. In recent years, lightly roasted oolong has become popular, but be cautious: if the tea maker lacks experience and doesn't fully ripen it, it can still cause damp-cold in the body.
5. Prefer early over late.
There is individual tolerance for drinking tea. Some people may have sleep affected by drinking tea at night, leading to insomnia. The closer the tea drinking time is to bedtime, the greater the impact. This is because tea contains alkaloids that have cardiotonic, diuretic, and nerve-stimulating effects. These substances excite the central nervous system, increasing brain cell activity, putting the body in a more excited state, which affects sleep and can cause insomnia.
For long-term tea drinkers, drinking a cup of tea at night can help eliminate fatigue and improve sleep. Such people can drink tea at night, but should arrange it 3-4 hours before bedtime. When drinking tea at night, choose light tea and select fully fermented, less irritating teas, such as ripe tea, black tea, oolong, and aged tea.
For most of us, it's best to drink tea in the morning or afternoon, and not at night or only a little.
6. Prefer tea snacks over drinking alone.
Pairing tea with snacks has been practiced since ancient times.
"寡茶" refers to drinking tea without snacks; many people can't handle it.
Having some snacks while drinking tea adds to the enjoyment and prevents tea drunkenness from drinking too much.
This is also why tea snacks have developed rapidly.
Appropriate tea snacks can complement the tea liquor without masking the tea's true flavor.
Common tea snacks include fruits, pastries, candies, raisins, etc.
7. Prefer light over strong.
As "Cai Gen Tan" says: Rich, fatty, spicy, and sweet are not true flavors; the true flavor is plain.
Light tea retains the beneficial components in tea leaves, allowing you to enjoy tea happily without ingesting too many irritating substances.
Antioxidants like tea polyphenols and catechins are still present in light tea; caffeine content is lower, so it's less likely to cause palpitations; light tea is less irritating to the stomach, suitable for most people, especially the elderly with declining gastrointestinal function.
Tea is more like "functional water."
Many high-end ingredients are also light, like deep-sea seafood and sashimi, where you taste the ocean's charm and sweetness. If you make these ingredients Sichuan-style, not to mention whether it's tasty, isn't it a waste of precious ingredients?
Light but not bland—this is the flavor of good tea I often emphasize. The first "light" refers to a mild, non-irritating taste; the second "not bland" refers to a tight, round mouthfeel, rich flavor, and full charm.
Don't drink strong tea; light tea is good.
8. Prefer moderate over excessive.
Based on my observations, sensitive tea friends can drink one brew a day, not at night, without much impact on the body.
Most people can drink two brews a day without much impact.
There's no limit to the number of infusions per day; the tail water of good tea can be steeped continuously, and its clear, sweet, and mild taste is very beautiful.
If you particularly like tea and the tea is good, you can drink more infusions, but please note:
Tea cannot replace water; tea is only an effective supplement to water.
2. For those who need to taste teas.
Senior tea friends and tea industry professionals need to taste teas, but they also need to control themselves. Because tea is their work, many need to taste and quality-control teas long-term; they have no choice but to drink, sometimes dozens of kinds a day. There are techniques; I'll use myself as an example. In the initial selection phase, I keep the tea in my mouth, only tasting without swallowing, and spit it out. This way, the body is less harmed.
3. Extra words.
Drinking tea can be healthy, but you need to drink it in an orderly way: don't drink strong tea, and don't drink too much.
We've known how to eat since childhood, and we should also know how to drink tea. Don't blindly believe in tea masters; if you admire them, they're eyeing your wallet.
Trust yourself: if a certain tea makes you uncomfortable, don't drink it.
No matter how expensive, aged, or famous a tea is, if it smells pungent and tastes uncomfortable, you should discard it.
Once you drink tea, you can't take it out.
This is the thirty-ninth article in my "Paper Talk on Tea" series. Click to read more "Paper Talk on Tea" articles.
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