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

Daily Charge readers, what does tea mean to you? Do you see it as just that beverage that you drink at dim sum after every dish on the table has been finished? Or is tea more like an afterthought ? that one beverage that is way past its time and should be retired in the hall of fame, and in its place overtaken by the omnipresent coffee. Whatever your train of thought is, hold them back for a second. ?Be prepared to see tea under new light, because there is more to tea than just leaves sitting in a cup of water ? check out these 12 things that will probably change the way you know and think about this Asian product that was first introduced around 10^th century BC.

Never drink tea on an empty stomach:?Always drink tea during or after a meal, as the acid in our stomachs will mix with the alkaline, resulting in a bloating effect.
Drink white tea if you are a smoker: White tea is good for the lungs and throat ? a cup of white peony tea can help clear all the phlegm in the throat, as well as cure any coughs.
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 their customers? preference ? usually tea that tastes richer and looks darker. However, the fact is that pure white tea itself hardly has any flavour or color in relation to other teas.
Screw shaped green tea is only served at fine dining Chinese restaurants:?The highest grade of green tea, the screw shaped green tea, can sell upwards to HK$380 per 75 g bag. A product of Jiangsu Province?s Dong Ting Mountain, it is the rarest green tea in China with only 1,000 kg produced a year. The expensiveness, along with its particular taste that not everyone may like (its more bitter than most) are some reasons why this tea is only served at fine dining Chinese restaurants or hotels.
Pu erh tea is like a digestible detergent that flushes grease away: Pu erh should be paired with oily food, as it helps rinse all the grease from the food you eat out of your system. It also aids digestion, blood circulation, and lowers cholesterol levels, not to mention it can double as your dish washing detergent at home too.
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 to control cholesterol levels and break down fat. Most teas are best brewed in boiling water; however green tea only requires 75 to 85 degrees to produce ? otherwise water that is too hot will result in the second brew?losing the same fragrance.
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.
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 can help release body heat that comes from eating fried food.
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.
There?s no such thing as good pu-erh tea at dim sum restaurants: Why??It simply would not be cost-efficient because 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 reduces the original fragrance and flavour. To test for good pu-erh tea, the tea should look very smooth and deep red, not black, and should not leave any stain on your cup.
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 and more solvent, and daffodil is the purest of them all.
The best moments of tea enjoyment are when you have time:?Drinking tea, and how enjoyable it is depends on the mood. Despite the many rules about tea, whether it be the temperature or colors that define good tea, the bottom line is that drinking tea is a personal experience. Whether you like to have it boiling hot or lukewarm, stronger or lighter ? everyone just needs the find the time to brew, experiment, and enjoy the perfect cup of tea that fits themselves.

As tea gains more traction and attention in North America, it serves to know more about tea drinking ? especially when there are so many health upsides to it. Whether you?re trying to stay healthy, lose weight, or calm your nerves, drinking tea provides these benefits and more. So what are you waiting for ? grab some friends and go yum cha (Cantonese for ?go drink tea and eat dim sum?)! Foodie Fridays demands you do!

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