Cloud tea is like life; life is learning, wisdom is cultivation.
On New Year’s Eve, the reunion dinner leaves you so full you can barely move. Roast chicken, roast pork, steamed fish, fat choy with dried oysters, tang yuan—everything is delicious, but afterward your stomach is inflated like a balloon. What you need most at this moment is a pot of ripe pu-erh. It is not just for digestion; it is also for staying up late to welcome the New Year—drinking a pot of good tea while awaiting the arrival of the new year.
Drinking ripe tea on New Year’s Eve is an old habit of mine. I remember when I was young, after the New Year’s Eve dinner, my grandmother would brew a pot of ripe tea. I did not drink tea then, only soft drinks. My grandmother would say, “Drink tea. Soft drinks make you more bloated.” I would not listen, and sure enough, I would be so bloated I could not sleep. Later I learned better and started drinking my grandmother’s ripe tea. After drinking it, my stomach felt fine immediately, and I slept much better.
This New Year’s Eve I have prepared a 2015 Menghai ancient tree ripe tea, aged for ten years. The aged aroma of this cake is already very prominent—a blend of jujube and medicinal notes, with a deep red, translucent liquor. After the reunion dinner, the whole family sits in the living room watching the Gala show, and I begin to brew. First, I warm the pot with boiling water, then add about eight grams of ripe tea. I rinse it twice, because an aged ripe tea needs an extra rinse. The third infusion comes out deep red and bright. It enters the mouth mellow and smooth, with prominent jujube notes. After drinking it, the stomach feels comfortable immediately, and the bloated sensation eases considerably.
Why can ripe tea aid digestion? From a tea science perspective, ripe tea undergoes a wet-piling fermentation process, during which it develops rich beneficial microorganisms and enzymes. These substances are traditionally believed to promote healthy digestion. Moreover, ripe tea is warm in nature and gentle on the stomach lining; after drinking it, your whole stomach feels warm. In traditional Chinese tea culture, ripe tea is said to “aid digestion, warm the middle, and harmonize the stomach.”
The food at a reunion dinner is usually quite rich—roast pork, roast chicken, braised pork belly, cured meats—all high-fat dishes. After eating, your whole body feels greasy. The polyphenols in ripe tea can help break down fats and lighten the body’s burden. The warming nature of ripe tea also helps balance the richness of the reunion dinner, bringing the body to a more comfortable state.
Staying up late on New Year’s Eve is a Chinese tradition. It means staying awake to welcome the New Year. But staying up requires stamina, especially after a big meal when drowsiness sets in easily. A cup of ripe tea restores your alertness. Although ripe tea has less caffeine than raw tea, it still has a gentle invigorating effect. And the warmth of ripe tea keeps your body comfortable even in the cold weather.
This New Year’s Eve, my family and I drink ripe tea while watching the Gala show. After a few cups, the elders say, “So comfortable. I think I will sleep well tonight.” The children have a small sip and say, “It’s sweet!” then run off to play. My father and I sit at the tea table, drinking slowly, chatting. He talks about celebrating New Year in the village when he was young, about taking me to pay New Year calls as a child. I have heard these stories many times, but each time I hear them, there is a new feeling.
Tea has grades; all may enjoy it regardless of status.
By the fifth infusion, the sweetness of the ripe tea becomes even more refined. It is past eleven o’clock; in another hour it will be the New Year. I brew another pot, preparing to welcome the New Year with this tea. At midnight exactly, the fireworks outside begin, and the countdown on television ends. I take a sip of tea and feel my whole body relax. The new year has begun.
New Year’s Eve night, a pot of ripe tea, a family staying up together. This is the most authentic happiness of New Year’s Eve. The richness of the reunion dinner combined with the gentle warmth of ripe tea makes a perfect New Year’s Eve. In the new year, continue drinking tea, continue living life.
Make friends through tea, please enjoy a cup.
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Author: Old Tea Head · Lin Shen (LamSam)
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