Cloud tea is like life; life is learning, wisdom is cultivation.
Dragon Boat Festival is here again, and the streets are filled with the fragrance of bamboo leaves. I have been in the tea business for decades, and every Dragon Boat Festival I have a fixed ritual — after eating zongzi, I always brew a pot of raw pu-erh tea. It is not to follow a trend; it is a genuine bodily need. I remember when I was small, my grandmother would wrap huge batches of zongzi every Dragon Boat Festival — guo zheng zong, savory meat zongzi, red bean paste zongzi, all sorts. My favourite was guo zheng zong because it had a whole salted egg yolk inside, and your mouth would be greasy after eating one. Grandmother would say: “Have a cup of tea after you eat, otherwise your stomach will feel bloated.” Back then I did not understand; I thought drinking tea was something old people did. Only when I entered the tea trade did I realise that the wisdom of the elders is the most practical kind.
This Dragon Boat Festival I prepared the 2023 Jingmai Ancient Tree Raw Pu-erh. Jingmai Mountain is in Lancang County, Pu’er City, Yunnan, at about 1,400 metres elevation. Its ancient tea gardens have over a thousand years of history. Jingmai raw tea is distinguished by its prominent orchid fragrance, light bitterness, and fast returning sweetness. After drinking, your whole mouth is filled with floral notes. This tea is a perfect match for oily zongzi — the crisp tea liquor washes away the greasiness in your mouth, while the orchid aroma balances the saltiness of the zongzi.
Why is raw tea such a good match for zongzi? From tea science, raw tea is rich in tea polyphenols and catechins, which can promote fat breakdown and aid digestion. In traditional Chinese understanding, raw tea is cooling in nature, clearing heat and resolving toxins, balancing the warming nature of zongzi. So when the ancients said “eat zongzi, drink tea,” they were not speaking without reason — this is wellness wisdom accumulated over thousands of years of experience.
This year the Dragon Boat Festival weather was especially hot. After eating guo zheng zong, I was sweating all over. I sat at the tea table, first warming the pot with boiling water, then adding about eight grams of Jingmai raw tea. One rinse, and the second infusion came out golden and bright. The moment it entered my mouth, that orchid fragrance rose up. By the third infusion, the feeling of fullness in my stomach had clearly diminished. By the fifth infusion, the returning sweetness was particularly strong, my whole mouth feeling sweet. Eating another bite of zongzi at this point, I found the taste had changed — the greasiness was reduced, and the glutinous rice fragrance of the zongzi seemed more pronounced.
Drinking raw tea for digestion during Dragon Boat Festival is not just a dietary habit; it is also a life attitude. Modern life moves fast, meals are rushed, and few people pause to savour a cup of tea. But on Dragon Boat Festival, I deliberately slow down — brewing slowly, drinking slowly, feeling the changes in each infusion. The first few infusions are bitter, the middle ones sweet, the later ones light — like life itself, each stage has its own flavour.
Tea has grades; all may enjoy it regardless of status.
After eating zongzi and drinking tea, there is another small habit — wash the bamboo leaves clean, dry them in the sun, and use them as a tea scoop next time you brew. The fragrance of bamboo leaves mixed with tea aroma creates a unique experience. A Dragon Boat Festival afternoon, sitting by the window brewing raw tea and watching people pass by on the street — this leisurely pace is a pleasure unique to the festival. The elders say Dragon Boat Festival tea can ward off evil and disease. I do not know if that is true, but after drinking tea I certainly feel refreshed — that much is real.
Dragon Boat Festival brings me not just a meal of zongzi, but also the time for a pot of good tea. In this traditional festival, pairing zongzi with raw tea has become my annual ritual. Every Dragon Boat Festival I celebrate the same way — a pot of raw tea, a few zongzi, the whole family gathered together. These simple things are life’s most authentic happiness.
Make friends through tea, please enjoy a cup.
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Author: Old Tea Head · Lin Shen (LamSam)
Zen Tea Manor ZENTEA MANOR
Tianying Supply Chain Company
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