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Different from the British tea culture,
the Chinese one adds the idea of
Shi Chen (meaning two hours) in their
day/night drinking.
Divide Time with Three Cuppas
Life is about tea. Canton has to be
mentioned here. Different from the British
tea culture, the Chinese one adds the idea
of Shi Chen (meaning two hours) in their
day/night drinking.
Cantonese drink tea three times a day:
in the morning, afternoon and evening, among
which the morning tea is the most elaborate.
Teahouses start their business at four o’clock
in the morning, offering a wide variety of
snacks and hot tea. Although it is just a break-
fast, tea is important and indispensable. The
common tea drinks are scented tea, Oolong
tea, Tieguanyin, chrysanthemum tea and
Pu’er. The family normally sits around a table,
eating and drinking until satisfied before
kicking off the new day with full energy.
Friends, family gatherings or retirees take the
morning tea as a chance to kill time. Canton-
ese call their way of tea drinking “savoring
tea”, and the aroma of tea, along with the
exquisite, delicious snacks, have long been
integrated into their life.
Cantonese are good with all kinds of tea,
and very open-minded to all categories of tea.
This is inseparable from the rich production
of all kinds of fermented tea in the province
due to its geographical environment. The local
tea includes unfermented Zhanjiang steamed
green tea (湛江蒸青绿茶), semi-fermented
Phoenix Dancong (凤凰单丛), and the Yingde
black tea (英德红茶, one of the world’s four
high fragrance black tea). The extent of fer-
mentation is a key factor in shaping the flavor
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of different types: green tea (unfermented),
oolong tea (semi-fermented), black tea (fully
fermented) and black tea (post-fermented).
Therefore, Cantonese boast the taste buds that
have long been accustomed to the stimulation
and enjoyment of varied tea.
elaborate. Older people can choose the gentle
The tea that goes with snacks can also be
Pu’er to warm their stomach. Scented tea, also
known as jasmine tea and belongs to green tea
category, is made by adding jasmine flowers
to green tea; It has the effect of removing oil
and grease. Chrysanthemum tea is cold in
nature and can help to cool down the heat in
hot summers or balance the body heat. Oolong
tea is a mild choice and best for the taste.
In addition, we can take into consider-
ation the production season when we make
choices. The seasonal tea would be fresher,
and the local tea is relatively mature in the
production process. We can also introduce the
idea of the 24 solar terms, which are embraced
in the four seasons and rotates in turn with
the time. Choosing suitable tea according to
the solar terms can also play a multiplier effect
of health.
The 12 Shi Chen of the day, like the four
seasons of the year, goes on and on with the
rotation of yin and yang.
We can also introduce the idea of the 24
solar terms, which are embraced in the
four seasons and rotates in turn with the
time. Choosing suitable tea according to
the solar terms can also play a multipli-
er effect of health.
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