Cloud tea is like life; life is learning, wisdom is cultivation.
On the first day of the New Year, the first thing I do when I wake up is not to collect red envelopes—it is to boil water and brew tea. Our family tradition: the first pot on New Year’s Day must be raw pu-erh, and it must be a tea with substance. This year I chose the 2022 Old Ban Zhang Ancient Tree Spring Tea. Why Ban Zhang? Because Ban Zhang is bold and commanding, symbolizing a powerful start to the new year. It is not superstition; it is a sense of ritual. Every year on the first day, I use the same tea, as if making an appointment with the New Year. I have kept this habit for over a decade, never once breaking it. My family has grown accustomed to it—every New Year’s Day they ask me, “What tea are we drinking this year?”
After one rinse, the second infusion comes out golden and brilliant. The moment it touches your tongue, a surge of power rushes forward—a heavy bitterness that dissolves instantly, followed by an intense returning sweetness. After drinking it, your whole body awakens, and you greet the New Year with renewed energy. One by one, my family rises. My mother walks over and asks, “What tea is that? It smells wonderful.” I pour her a cup. She takes a sip and says, “Bitter!” Then another sip: “But so sweet.” That is the magic of Ban Zhang—bitterness gives way to sweetness, just like life itself. The journey from bitter to sweet is the finest omen for the New Year. Every year when I drink that first cup of Ban Zhang, I pay special attention to that transition from bitter to sweet, as if reminding myself: in the new year, keep working hard.
There is a benefit to drinking tea on New Year’s Day: the night before, after the lavish reunion dinner, a cup of raw pu-erh brings immediate relief. It cuts through the richness and aids digestion. From a traditional wellness perspective, the tea polyphenols in raw pu-erh can help digest the rich foods of the reunion dinner, easing the burden on the stomach. Every year I drink a pot of Ban Zhang on the first day and feel lighter and more energized. I have kept this habit for over a decade, and the effects are clear. Ban Zhang has tremendous tea qi; after drinking it, your whole body warms up. The weather on New Year’s Day is usually cold, and a pot of Ban Zhang warms your hands and feet immediately. This is not an exaggeration—it is the natural response of tea qi promoting blood circulation. Many friends ask me about New Year wellness. My answer is simple: no need for supplements; a pot of good tea is enough.
Tea has grades; all may enjoy it regardless of status.
By the fifth infusion, I begin to think about plans for the new year. The flavor of tea changes with each infusion, and life is the same—each stage has its own flavor. The first few infusions are bitter, the later ones sweet. That is what Ban Zhang has taught me. The New Year is a new beginning; no matter what happened last year, you can start fresh. I often feel that drinking tea is like experiencing life—each infusion brings a different insight. A pot of Ban Zhang, a New Year, a new beginning. That is the wellness wisdom and life philosophy that New Year’s Day brings me. Happy New Year. Drink a cup of tea and begin the new year. What this pot of Ban Zhang brings me, beyond the pleasure of taste, is a settling of the soul.
Make friends through tea, please enjoy a cup.
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Author: Old Tea Head · Lin Shen (LamSam)
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