drinking tea according to the seasons

I am all for seeking balance by adjusting what we eat, drink and do. In my tea drinking, I drink black (a.k.a. “red”) teas year round, choosing heartier varieties like Yunnans and Keemuns in colder weather, and lighter ones like Ceylons when it’s warm. I tend to drink oolong more often in the spring and summer, but I drink green tea every day (nothing fancy, just the bagged stuff provided at work).

I tend to take the approach of just listening to what I’m craving, and paying attention to how my body reacts.

But obviously, the climate where you live plays a big role too. I live in Los Angeles, so our “cold” is not the same as cold elsewhere, nor is it overcast and rainy very often.

I tend to drink a Moroccan Mint, Lapsang Souchong, and flavored Whites in the summer. But if I really want something, I’ll drink it anytime.

Indeed, Chinese traditional medicine suggests that there are definite benefits from drinking teas that are appropriate for each season. But most tea drinkers didn’t pay much attention to this or consider too much about this when enjoying a cup of tea, because the just enjoy the teas which can satisfied their taste buds, that’s enough. Here is the brief information about this:

Spring – scented teas

Summer – green teas

Autumn – Oolong and White teas

Winter – Black and Pu’erh teas

Also the link introduces why Chinese traditional medicine think we should drink different tea in different seasons: http://www.teavivre.com/info/proper-drinking-time/

Nice blog Chris. I’m not a super deep into Chinese medicine but I find much of what they believe in very logical. I’m interested in how Chinese people pair tea with food nowadays. Pu’er has long been a favorite with dim sum. I wonder what’s popular in other regions!