While Westerners love coffee, Chinese people often Drink Tea.
Both beverages share one thing in common: no matter how rich and fragrant the coffee or how clear and refreshing the tea, they both carry a hint of bitterness. People savor this taste, relishing it endlessly.
However, the difference lies in that Westerners tend to add sugar to their coffee, whereas Chinese people rarely mask the bitterness of tea.
The original nature of tea is bitter, which is why it was once called “bitter tea.”
To say that people have always liked this bitter beverage would be a lie.
If you give a small amount of tea water to an innocent child, they will likely refuse it.
Teenagers prefer cola over tea for the same reason.
Before tea became a customary drink, people were naturally averse to it.
For example, when ethnic minorities on the borderlands drink tea, they add milk and sugar; in West Asia and North Africa, people add mint, spices, and sugar to their tea. Essentially, these practices stem from an inability to accept its inherent bitterness.
So why did Chinese people eventually tolerate and even come to like the bitterness of tea?
This development involved a gradual process of acceptance.
According to Traditional Chinese medicine, “bitterness enters the heart, helps to purge fire, and dry dampness.” When consuming bitter foods and beverages, people may subconsciously recognize certain effects that can achieve heat-clearing and detoxification or meet other needs. Despite the bitterness, they are willing to accept it, and over time, it becomes habitual.
Tea was not always consumed directly as a beverage.
From being used in combination with other medicinal herbs to form prescriptions, to Lu Yu advocating the addition of salt to tea during the Tang Dynasty, it wasn't until after the Song Dynasty that tea was drunk plain. At this point, the custom of drinking tea gradually formed, and the bitterness of tea was generally accepted, becoming a true indulgence.
People's willingness to accept the bitterness of tea also stems from the long-term development of tea-making techniques, which improved its bitterness.
For instance, during the Ming Dynasty, pan-firing replaced steaming on a large scale, which to some extent masked the bitterness of tea with its aroma, making it more accessible to ordinary people.
Modern tea-making techniques, such as the withering of green teas and the shaking of Oolong teas, have also reduced the bitterness of tea to some degree.
Furthermore, after long-term storage, the bitter and astringent substances in Pu'er tea gradually degrade, transform, or even disappear, making the tea liquor smoother, sweeter, and richer.
The taste of tea is, in fact, a complex blend of flavors.
A good tea always delivers sweetness after bitterness, and salivation after astringency…
The amino acids and other substances in tea do indeed dissipate the bitterness, gradually returning sweetness and providing pleasure to both the palate and the spirit.
Once people develop a taste dependency and habit while drinking tea, the bitterness ceases to be an issue.