Cloud tea is like life; life is learning, wisdom is cultivation.
Besides eating zongzi and watching dragon boat races, the Dragon Boat Festival also has a tradition stretching back thousands of years: hanging mugwort. When I was a child, my mother would buy a bundle of fresh mugwort from the market before the festival, tie it with red string, and hang it on the front door. She said mugwort could ward off evil and disease, keeping the family safe. I thought it was superstition then, but growing up, I came to understand the practical wellness reasoning behind this tradition. Mugwort itself is traditionally believed to repel mosquitoes and have antibacterial properties. The weather around Dragon Boat Festival is damp and muggy, and hanging mugwort can indeed help purify the air.
The weather around Dragon Boat Festival changes dramatically: hot in the morning, a rainstorm in the afternoon, cool again at night. People easily catch colds. At such a time, a cup of warm black tea is the body’s best line of defense. Every Dragon Boat Festival, I prepare a pot of Fengqing ancient-tree Dian Hong, pairing it with the mugwort tradition for a healthy and warm holiday.
Fengqing is a county under Lincang, Yunnan, and the homeland of Dian Hong. Fengqing ancient-tree Dian Hong is characterized by its prominent honey-sweet-potato aroma, bright red liquor, and warm, sweet taste. Unlike ordinary Gongfu black tea, ancient-tree black tea has more tea energy; after drinking, the whole body feels warm. Dragon Boat Festival weather fluctuates, and the spleen and stomach are easily affected. Black tea is warming, gently protecting the stomach and spleen, easing the impact of weather changes on the body.
This year, before Dragon Boat Festival, I specially went to the market and chose a fresh bundle of mugwort and calamus. Back home, I tied them with red string and hung them on the door, then started brewing. First I warmed the pot with boiling water, then added about six grams of Fengqing ancient-tree Dian Hong. This tea does not need rinsing, being a new tea with few impurities. The first infusion produced a brilliant red liquor, as beautiful as a ruby. The honey-sweet-potato fragrance immediately filled the entire mouth: sweet but not cloying, warm but not drying.
Drinking black tea at Dragon Boat Festival has an advantage: it is warming but not drying. Not as heavy as ripe tea, not as stimulating as raw tea. The warmth of black tea is a gentle warmth, suitable for times of great weather fluctuation. Sometimes I add a slice of ginger to the black tea. Drinking ginger tea at Dragon Boat Festival is an ancient custom. Ginger is traditionally believed to promote perspiration and release exterior pathogens. Combined with the warming effect of black tea, it is particularly effective against the weather changes around Dragon Boat Festival. The spiciness of ginger and the honey sweetness of black tea blend into a unique flavor. After drinking, the body perspires lightly, and the whole person feels relaxed.
From a traditional wellness perspective, the theaflavins and thearubigins in black tea are traditionally associated with antioxidant properties that may support the immune system. Dragon Boat Festival weather fluctuates, and people easily catch colds. A cup of black tea not only warms the stomach but is also traditionally believed to support the body’s natural defenses. This is not just my opinion; there is scientific basis. But after decades in tea, what I trust most is not scientific data but my own bodily sensations. Every Dragon Boat Festival, after drinking black tea, I genuinely experience fewer colds.
Tea has grades; all may enjoy it regardless of status.
Dragon Boat Festival evening: the mugwort is hung, the black tea is drunk, and the family sits together discussing the dragon boat race results. Children play with mugwort at the door; elders drink tea and tell stories in the hall. This traditional festival atmosphere is something no high technology can replace. I sometimes think: modern people are obsessed with efficiency, even rushing through holidays. But if you can slow down, hang a bundle of mugwort, brew a pot of black tea, and sit together with your family, these simple things are the most precious part of Dragon Boat Festival.
The sweetness of Fengqing ancient-tree Dian Hong changes across infusions. The first three infusions are honey-sweet; the middle infusions highlight the sweet-potato aroma; the later infusions turn light with a clean returning sweetness. Like the atmosphere of Dragon Boat Festival itself: the morning bustle of hanging mugwort, the afternoon excitement of watching dragon boats, the evening tranquility of drinking tea. Each time has its own flavor, and each is an indispensable part of the festival.
Make friends through tea, please enjoy a cup.
Author: Old Tea Head · Lin Shen (LamSam)
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