Slight Cold, the twenty-third solar term of the year.
From today onwards, we enter the coldest period of the year. Slight Cold marks the lowest temperatures, with only a few historical instances where Great Cold was colder than Slight Cold.
Now that it's cold, brewing tea is probably what tea lovers look forward to every autumn and Winter. In the freezing cold, gathering around a stove to brew tea with a few friends, whether discussing poetry and philosophy or not, the sound of boiling water and swirling tea leaves brings out the words that float from the teapot mouth. These are the words brewed by the tea maker all winter long. A gentle fire burns away to bring forth the next spring. Drinking Tea, regardless of social status or wealth, is always part of people's leisure lives.
Drinking Tea
Selecting the right tea to drink should be based on the season and environment. Warming and heat-repelling fermented teas are typically black tea, dark tea, ripe Pu'er, Liubao tea, and aged white tea.
Warming and Heat-Repelling Fermented Teas
As a fully fermented tea, black tea undergoes enzymatic oxidation due to the action of oxidase on tea polyphenols, converting much of it into tea red pigment, theaflavins, thearubigins, and others. Therefore, its nature is mild, and its stimulating effect is small, making it very suitable for those with poor digestive systems or those who fear the cold.
Pu'er tea has the effects of promoting digestion, relieving greasy feelings, and protecting the Digestive system. For those who enjoy hotpot in winter, moderate consumption of Pu'er tea can speed up the operation of the digestive system, allowing undigested fats to be directly expelled through the colon.
In addition to black tea and Pu'er tea, post-fermented dark tea, white tea aged for more than three years, and Liubao tea are also very suitable for drinking in winter.
Drink Green Tea When Feeling Heaty in Winter
While winter tonification is beneficial, it is not suitable for all constitutions. For instance, those with damp-heat constitutions may experience symptoms like heatiness and constipation from excessive tonification.
A cup of green tea can help cool down the body, quench thirst, aid digestion, and even promote healing in mild cases of gastric ulcers. As an unfermented tea, green tea contains high levels of tea polyphenols and caffeine, making it relatively cold in nature. However, those with weak and cold digestive systems should drink it with caution to avoid discomfort.
Select Oolong for Moisturizing and Dehydration Relief
Oolong tea lies between black and green tea, being a partially fermented tea. In terms of taste, it combines the freshness of green tea with the richness of black tea, neither too cold nor too hot, making it perfect for relieving dryness and quenching thirst.
The Slight Cold solar term is well-suited for gathering around a stove to brew tea, reflecting on past events in the warmth of the rising steam, letting them dissipate without lingering regrets.
Life is filled with intertwined joys and sorrows, but only plants and trees hold true emotions, offering comfort to all beings. At this time, appreciating flowers, sipping tea, reading books, and sitting in silence can all serve as forms of self-healing.
The end of the year approaches, and difficult times will pass; there is still beauty to look forward to. May you and I remain humble in good times and resilient in adversity, always joyful and at ease, with light in our hearts to illuminate the rest of our lives.