Foodie Fridays: 12 Things You Need to Know About Drinking Tea at ...

What does tea mean to you? Is just that beverage that you drink at dim sum after all food has been downed? Or is it more like an afterthought ? a beverage that is way past its time and unnecessary with the advent of coffee. Well, prepare to see tea under a new lens, because there is more to it than just tea leaves sitting in a cup of water ? here are 12 things that would probably change the way you know about this Asian product that was first introduced in about 10^th century BC.

1. Never drink tea on an empty stomach:?Always drink tea during or after a meal, as the acid in our stomachs mix with the alkaline to give a bloating effect.
2. Drink white tea if you are smoker: White tea good for the lungs and throat ? a cup of white peony tea can help clear all the phlegm in the throat, as well as curing coughs.
3. White tea quality can?t be judged by its color:?Most restaurants mix white peony tea with black tea to add color and flavour to match customers? preference for tea that tastes richer and looks darker. However, pure white tea itself hardly has any flavour or color in relation to other teas.
4. Screw shaped green tea is only served at fine dining Chinese restaurants:?The highest grade of green tea, screw shaped green tea can sell upwards to HK$380 per 75 gram bag. A product of Jiangsu Province?s Dong Ting Mountain, it?s the rarest green tea in China with only 1,000 kg produced a year. The expensiveness and its particular taste that not everyone may like (its more bitter than most) are reasons why it is only served at fine dining Chinese restaurants or hotels.
5. Pu-erh tea is like a digestible detergent, flushes grease away:?Pair oily food with this tea, as it helps rinse all grease from the food you eat out of your system. It aids digestion, blood circulation, and lowers cholesterol levels, and can also double as your dish washing detergent at home.
6. Green tea goes best with sweets:?Sweet food is best paired with tea that is bitterer, and loong cheng green tea helps moderate the sweetness of deserts, as well as help cholesterol levels and break down fat. Most teas are best brewed in boiling water; however green tea only requires 75 to 85 degrees ? if it is too hot the second brew will lose the same fragrance.
7. Teh kuan yin goes best with spicy food:?Spicy foods are best paired with teh kuan yin because it has a bittersweet effect. If you?ve visited a Chiu Chow restaurant, you?ll notice they serve teh kuan yin tea, with their spicy dishes. Chiu Chow city also borders Shantou city and Fujian province, which is known for harvesting teh kuan yin.
8. White tea goes best with fried food:?Any fried food goes well with white tea, as fried food is considered ?dry hot? in Chinese medicinal terms. White teas like white hair peony help release body heat.
9. Smell quality: Aside?from pu-erh tea, which is almost odourless, quality tea should always give off a fragrant smell ? if not, it has probably expired.
10. No good pu-erh tea at dim sum restaurants:?It wouldn?t be cost-efficient as pu-erh is like wine ? the longer you store it, the richer it becomes. Regular pu-erh teas served at restaurants have generally been modified during the fermentation process, which reduces storage time but also the original fragrance and flavour. To test, good pu-erh tea should look very smooth and deep red, not black, and should leave no stain on your cup.
11. Teh kuan yin, daffodil, and oolong are all the same at dim sum restaurants:?Whichever?you order, all dim sum restaurants will serve you low grade daffodil tea. All three come under the same oolong tea category, but are very different in flavour. Teh kuan yin tastes more clear and fragrant. Oolong is stronger more solvent. And daffodil is the purest of them all.
12. The best moments of tea enjoyment are when you have time:?Drinking tea is a matter of mood. Despite the many rules about tea, from temperature to color, the bottom line is that drinking tea is a personal experience. Whether you like it boiling hot or lukewarm, stronger or lighter ? everyone just needs the time to brew and enjoy the perfect cup of tea.

As tea gains more traction and attention in North America, it serves to know more about tea drinking ? especially when there are so much health upsides to it. Whether you?re staying healthy, want to lose weight, or just need to calm your nerves, drinking tea provides the benefit. So what are you waiting for ? grab some friends and go yum cha (Cantonese for ?go drink tea and eat dim sum?)!

Sources: 1, 2

Student at Simon Fraser University. Vancouverite with the heart of a Hong Konger. Loves to eat, ball, win. Experiments with anything that thrills.

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daffodil, drinking tea, green tea, oolong, pu erh, teh guan yin, white tea Columns, Daily Charge

Source: http://ax3battery.com/2012/11/02/12-things-you-need-to-know-about-drinking-tea-at-dim-sum/

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