In Traditional Chinese medicine, there's a saying “nourish yang in spring and summer, and nourish yin in autumn and winter.” When using tea for health, it's particularly important to choose different teas for different seasons.
During the winter season, consider trying these two teas, which not only warm the body and improve health but also help regulate metabolism and prevent certain cardiovascular diseases.
Ripe Pu'er
Ripe Pu'er is a type of Pu'er tea, contrasting with raw Pu'er. It undergoes artificial Fermentation, resulting in a dark color and a bright reddish-brown liquor.
As the saying goes, “store raw Pu'er, Drink ripe Pu'er, savor aged Pu'er.” Ripe Pu'er is excellent for lowering lipids and blood pressure, as well as nourishing the intestines and stomach, making it ideal for winter consumption.
Here are some tips to help you pick a good quality ripe Pu'er:
1. Dry Leaves | Uniform and Clear Strands
High-quality ripe Pu'er has plump and uniform dry leaves with a chestnut-red color.
2. Aroma | Rich and Fragrant Scent
A good ripe Pu'er has a noticeable aroma that is long-lasting and comes in various types such as lotus, floral, honey, camphor, woody, medicinal, and aged.
3. Liquor Color | Bright, Clear, and Lustrous
The liquor of high-quality ripe Pu'er should be bright, clear, and not murky, with a pure and glossy appearance.
4. Taste | Sweet, Thick, and Smooth
The most notable characteristic of a good ripe Pu'er is its smooth mouthfeel, sweet taste, and long-lasting aftertaste.
Aged White Tea
White tea is known as the “jewel among teas,” and its value increases with age. Aged white tea has a rich aroma, superb taste, and its nature gradually changes from cool to warm, making it perfect for warming up during the winter when brewed as a tea soup.
Aged white tea is highly resistant to brewing and can be steeped over ten times while still maintaining a pleasant flavor, making it ideal for winter brewing.
Follow these tips to select premium aged white tea:
1. Dry Leaves | Dark Brown and Downy
Aged white tea has a dark brown color with visible downy hairs.
2. Flavor | Fresh and Pure with Downy and Aged Nuances
When brewed, high-quality aged white tea has a fresh and clean downy aroma, along with layers of medicinal, aged, jujube, and floral scents that transform and evolve endlessly.
3. Liquor Color | Bright, Clear, and Lustrous
The liquor of aged white tea should have a rich red color that is pure and clear, with slight variations in hue.
4. Taste | Rich and Refreshingly Thick
The most important aspect of aged white tea's taste is the thick and smooth texture of the liquor, which is extremely gentle on the palate, smooth and delicate, without any bitterness or astringency.
Ripe Pu'er and aged white tea are both excellent choices for winter consumption. When the cold wind penetrates your body, a cup of these teas provides great comfort and solace. With cold air and cold waves bringing temperature drops, it's time to enjoy these fine teas!