Cloud tea is like life; life is learning, wisdom is cultivation.
The Chongyang Festival is the day for climbing heights. The ancients wrote, “On the ninth day of the ninth month, I think of my brothers in the east”—climbing high, gazing into the distance, drinking chrysanthemum wine, wearing dogwood sprigs. These traditions have been passed down for thousands of years. And I, this old tea head, always bring a pot of raw tea when climbing for Chongyang. Drinking tea on a mountaintop feels completely different from drinking at home—the air is fresh, the view is expansive, and the tea somehow tastes even better.
This Chongyang, I went to Baiyun Mountain with a few old friends. It is not a very tall mountain, but it is the favorite destination for Guangzhou residents during the festival. We set out at six in the morning, carrying a thermos of freshly brewed Jingmai ancient tree raw tea. Why Jingmai? Because Jingmai raw tea has prominent orchid fragrance, light bitterness, and fast-returning sweetness—perfect for drinking after exercise. Hiking is physical work; you sweat a lot and need to replenish fluids and minerals. The minerals and trace elements in raw tea can help the body recover, and the polyphenols can help relieve fatigue.
Halfway up the mountain, everyone was sweating and breathing hard. I stopped and poured a few cups of Jingmai raw tea. My old friend took a sip and exclaimed, “Wow, this tea is so fragrant!” Drinking tea on the mountain, because of the fresh air and lower temperature, makes the aroma more pronounced. There is a scientific basis for this—at lower temperatures, your sense of smell and taste become more acute. So drinking the same pot of tea on a mountain tastes much better than drinking it at home.
We reached the summit at about eight o’clock. The sun was out, but the temperature was still comfortable. We found a pavilion, took out our tea set, and brewed a fresh pot. This time I used Bing Dao ancient tree tea, because sweet tea is the finest enjoyment at the summit. One rinse, and the second infusion poured out golden and luminous. In the sunlight, it looked like liquid gold. The first sip filled the mouth with a rock-sugar sweetness, followed by a powerful returning sweetness. After drinking, everyone felt energized, and most of the fatigue vanished.
There are several benefits to drinking raw tea during the Chongyang hike. First, it refreshes and invigorates the mind. Hiking requires stamina and alertness; a cup of raw tea restores your energy. Second, it aids digestion. Chongyang usually involves festive foods like Chongyang cake and roast meat, and raw tea can help digest them. Third, it replenishes fluids. Hiking causes much sweating, and you need to drink a lot. Tea water is better than plain water because it contains minerals and electrolytes.
Drinking tea on a mountaintop has another special feeling—you are closer to the sky. Looking up, the blue sky and white clouds are crystal clear. Looking down at the city, the skyscrapers seem as small as building blocks. Taking a sip of tea at this moment, you feel very small. Yet also very full—because a pot of good tea, a few good friends, and fine weather make the perfect Chongyang Festival.
Tea has grades; all may enjoy it regardless of status.
By the fifth infusion, the sweetness of the Bing Dao tea reached its peak. My old friends began to chat, talking about their youth. One said his first climb of Baiyun Mountain was as a child, brought by his father. Another said the last time he climbed was ten years ago. I remember that my first time drinking tea on a mountaintop was in my twenties, when I was still a tea farmer working on the tea mountains of Yunnan. The tea was not as fine then, but the feeling of drinking it on the summit, I still remember to this day.
On the way down, everyone agreed to come again. I said I would bring more different teas next time and hold a small tasting on the summit. My friends agreed. This is the joy of Chongyang hiking—it is not just exercise but also a social activity, a way of connecting with nature. A pot of good tea makes the experience even more perfect.
What Chongyang brings me is not just the experience of climbing, but the memory of a pot of good tea. Drinking tea on a mountaintop feels different—fresh air, expansive views, richer tea fragrance. This is the magic that nature brings to tea.
Make friends through tea, please enjoy a cup.
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Author: Old Tea Head · Lin Shen (LamSam)
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