Good tea doesn’t just taste good. It does good!

In the West, and quite often in Sweden where I come from, the potential in high-quality teas is often overlooked. People tend to choose tea based on added aromas rather than on the real quality of the tea itself. In classical East Asian traditions, however, high-quality tea is understood as something very potent and rich: a living substance that carries qi (氣 pronounced chee), the vital energy that gives aroma, flavor, and affects your physical and mental state. These are dimensions that come with high-quality teas.

Tie Guan Yin oolong tea. A semi-oxidized tea from Fujian province carries a rich, floral qi that supports both relaxation and alertness.

Understanding Qi in Tea

Unlike chemical components such as caffeine or polyphenols, qi is not something you can measure with a lab test. Instead, it is perceived through the tea’s aroma, taste, and the feeling it leaves after drinking it. High-quality teas often have a strong, balanced qi that promotes harmony and vitality. You genuinely feel high after drinking them!

What Makes a Tea Have Strong Qi?

Several factors interact:

a. Plant Vitality

• Old tea trees or deep-rooted bushes that have been planted from seeds

• Biodiverse environment, mineral-rich soil

• Slower growth in subtropical regions and/or at higher elevations

Healthy plants that thrive in a biodiverse environment store and structure energy differently than plantation teas in an intense, high-yield, maximum production and volume focused tea garden.

b. Skilled Harvesting and Processing

• Skilled pluckers who are paid for quality plucks and not volume

• Gentle, slow-paced withering

• Intentional oxidation

• Respect for leaf integrity

Over-processing often destroys qi even when the flavour. is agreeable

c. Aging (for post-fermented teas)

• Time allows sharp energies to integrate

• Qi becomes smoother, deeper, and more circulatory

This is why aged teas are prized for their strength, impact, and long-lasting impression.

 A fine tea from a high-elevation region or biodiverse environment often has a lively, fresh qi that energizes the body.

The Effects of Tea Qi on the Human Body

Physical Benefits

• Improved digestion: Tea qi can help balance digestive energy, easing discomfort and promoting nutrient absorption.

• Enhanced circulation: Certain teas with strong qi support blood flow and warmth in the body.

• Gentle detoxification: The energetic quality of tea can encourage the body to release toxins naturally.

In traditional tea ceremonies, the ritual of preparing and drinking tea is intended to enhance qi and mindfulness, while also appreciating the quality of the tea and its preparation.

Mental and Emotional Benefits

• Calm alertness: High-qi teas often create a state of relaxed focus.

• Stress relief: The harmonious qi in tea can soothe the nervous system and reduce anxiety.

• Mindfulness: Drinking tea with awareness of its qi encourages presence and mental clarity.

High-quality black tea from WildTeaQi, Yunnan, China. Produced by artisans from wild tea trees grown in a biodiverse environment.

How to Experience Tea Qi Yourself

You don’t need to be an expert in traditional Chinese medicine to start noticing the qi in your tea. Here are some tips:

• Choose high-quality, minimally processed teas: Look for teas from reputable sources, with as few middlemen as possible, that emphasize traditional growing and processing methods.

• Practice mindful tea drinking: Slow down and savor each sip, focusing on the sensory experience and your internal response.

• Avoid strongly flavoured teas with many different aromas: High-quality teas are typically flavored using traditional scenting methods, with real flowers, authentic spices, high-quality herbs, and fruits to enhance the overall blend, not to cover over.

• Pay attention to aroma and taste: Notice the freshness of the leaves, their color, the evenness of the leaves, the brightness and color of the infusion. You do not have to be able to name or describe the sensations to anyone else. Just observe and feel into the tea experience.

• How the tea makes you feel: After drinking, check in with your body and mind. Do you feel energized, calm, and balanced?

  

  Cupping different types of tea from various countries and regions can help you develop a sense of how qi varies and which teas resonate best with your body.

Quality Tea, Flavour, and Qi Interrelate

In traditional Chinese thought, qi is not mystical fluff; it is the felt quality of vitality and movement in the body. When applied to tea, qi refers to the way a tea affects you beyond taste:

• warmth or coolness spreading through the body

• clarity or calmness of the mind

• groundedness, alertness, or gentle upliftedness

• opening of breath or posture

Slowing down with high quality tea invites us to get out of our stressed minds and come back to our breath and bodies.

Why Tea Matters in Our Time

In the West, we are often overstimulated, fragmented, and live in our heads. High-quality tea with strong qi offers us to calm down and turn inwards:

• grounded alertness without jitteriness

• pleasure without excess or bad side effects

• connection instead of escaping

Rediscovering the qi–flavour–quality triad is not about adopting exotic beliefs. It’s about restoring sensitivity and coming back to the present moment, to our breath and our own bodies.

Wild Artisanal Biodiversity Moonlight White Limited Edition. This is a white pu-erh with a remarkable qi.

Why Qi is overlooked in the West:

• It cannot be isolated or quantified easily

• It requires slowness, repetition, and bodily awareness

• It only appears when the tea is good enough, prepared in a skilled way and the drinker is receptive enough

Explore different teas with an open mind and a curious palate. Notice the subtle energies they carry and how these influence your body and mind. This awareness can enrich your tea experience and help you discover new ways to slow down.

Using nice tea utensils enhances your tea drinking habit even more!

Why Qi Changes How You enjoy Tea

Once you perceive the flow of qi:

• You drink less but better teas

• You stop chasing short lived caffeine intensity

• You notice which teas are right for which days, seasons and time of day

• Strongly caffeinated drinks starts to feel crude by comparison This is somatic literacy, ie learning to listen to the deep wisdom you carry within, beyond your minds chatter.

My tea teacher Shana Zhang sniffing Ancient Artisan Moonlight White before steeping it in a glass gaiwan. Here you can read more about the ITA Tea Sommelier training!

Want to Learn More about Tea? Would you like to gain a solid foundation in your future tea career? Welcome to sign up for the next Tea Sommelier Diploma Course that will start ca October 2026! Seats are limited. I offer only one course per year. Read more about the course and what previous students say! Here you find recommendations to the Tea Sommelier course on my Linkedin page and here you can read more on the ITA Teacher Webpage!

Welcome to contact me to secure your seat for the next ITA Tea Sommelier Diploma Course starting in Autumn 2026!