Songdehao July Hot Drink Recommendations: From White Tea to Black Tea, There's One for You

July — the hottest time of the year. The dog days haven't officially arrived yet, but the summer heat is already bearing down.

Many tea friends ask me: drinking hot tea in this heat, isn't it too hot?

Actually, it's quite the opposite. Drinking hot tea in summer makes you sweat a little, and your body surface temperature actually drops. Iced drinks only feel good momentarily — after finishing, your stomach feels cold and you end up feeling even more stuffy. The ancients said "drinking hot tea in summer best relieves the heat" — and they weren't wrong.

Today I'm recommending a few teas perfect for hot drinking in July, from white tea to black tea to raw Puer — each with its own merits. This isn't a hard sell; it's based on the teas I personally drink most during summer. For each tea, I'll explain its taste profile and suitable scenarios, so you can pick what suits your palate.

1. Jinggu White Tea: Clean, Sweet, and Refreshing — Aged White Tea Has Richer Honey Notes

White tea is what I drink most in summer.

Our Jinggu white tea is made from the Jinggu large-leaf varietal. Compared to the small-leaf varietal used in Fuding white tea, Jinggu white tea has a fuller body and more pronounced sweetness.

New tea — white tea from the current year has a clean, sweet, and refreshing taste with a subtle downy aroma. In summer, brew it in a gaiwan with 85-90°C water, pour quickly, and you get a crisp, refreshing cup that's incredibly comfortable. Brew a pot in the morning and it'll last you all morning. Jinggu large-leaf white tea has a thicker mouthfeel than Fuding small-leaf white tea, with more pronounced sweetness that lingers.

Aged white tea — our warehouse has aged white tea from 2018, 2019, and 2021, totaling over 300 kilograms in stock. Aged white tea is a completely different experience from new tea: the honey notes have emerged, the mouthfeel has become mellow, and it drinks warm and soothing. White tea has the saying "one year tea, three years medicine, seven years treasure" — aged white tea really does taste distinctly different. The 2018 vintage is now 8 years old; brewed by boiling, it has rich honey aroma and a silky smooth mouthfeel. On a summer day when you've been sweating a lot, a pot of this both replenishes fluids and feels wonderful.

Brewing advice: new tea at 85-90°C, aged white tea can use 95°C or even boiling water. Aged white tea is highly infusable — ten steeps or more is no problem, and the later steeps can be boiled.

Best for: everyday drinking tea — great for the office or at home. Boiling aged white tea is especially wonderful; coming out of an air-conditioned room and having a bowl warms the stomach and quenches thirst.

2. Lincang Sun-Dried Black Tea: Neither Bitter Nor Astringent, Great Hot or Cold

Sun-dried black tea — the full name is sun-dried black tea.

What makes it different from regular black tea: regular black tea's final step is high-temperature oven drying, while sun-dried black tea is dried by the sun. Don't underestimate this difference — sun drying preserves more active compounds, resulting in a smoother taste, and the tea can continue to age and transform, getting mellower over time.

Our Lincang sun-dried black tea uses ancient tree raw material. Its biggest characteristic is that it's neither bitter nor astringent. Many people who don't drink tea regularly can accept it on the first sip. It's sweet on entry with a hint of floral and fruity aroma, without the astringency of regular black tea. The liquor is a bright orange-red — very beautiful.

Brew with 90-95°C water. Pour quickly for the first three steeps, then extend each subsequent steep by a few seconds. For summer hot brewing, a cup in the afternoon is neither cloying nor drying. Sun-dried black tea's liquor is smoother than regular black tea — it doesn't have that "scratchy throat" feeling.

This tea also works cold-brewed — put a few grams in a cold water pitcher, refrigerate for 4-6 hours, and you get a clean, sweet cold-brewed black tea. But don't only drink it cold — hot brewing is the way to fully appreciate its complete aroma and mouthfeel.

One more thing: sun-dried black tea can be aged. The sun-drying process gives it room to continue transforming — store it for two or three years and the taste will become even mellower. Regular high-temperature dried black tea only fades with age, but sun-dried black tea doesn't.

Best for: afternoon tea, after meals, entertaining friends. Also recommended as a starter tea for beginners — it has the highest acceptance level.

3. Mangfei Raw Puer: Heat Relief with Ancient Tree Quality

Mangfei is located in Yongde County, Lincang. Mangfei Mountain ancient tree tea has an annual supply of over a hundred jin at our shop — excellent value. It's not one of those famous mountain origins that costs thousands per cake, but the quality is genuine ancient tree material.

The most immediate sensation of drinking raw Puer in summer is — heat relief. One sip and your mouth waters, your whole body feels refreshed. The characteristics of Mangfei tea are strong tea energy and quick sweetness return. New tea has some bitterness and astringency, but it dissipates quickly, leaving a mouthful of sweetness.

For summer raw Puer, I recommend brewing it on the lighter side. Use 95-100°C boiling water, pour in and out quickly, don't steep too long. First few steeps at 5 seconds, then gradually extend. Lighter-brewed raw Puer has less bitterness and astringency, with the clean sweetness more pronounced — better suited for summer.

Mangfei ancient tree tea has another advantage: it's highly infusable. Ten steeps or more is no problem, and the later steeps are as sweet as sugar water. One person brewing a pot for an afternoon is plenty.

Best for: summer heat relief, tea gatherings with friends, when you want a mental pick-me-up. Friends with sensitive stomachs should drink it after meals, not on an empty stomach.

4. Ripe Puer: For Friends with Sensitive Stomachs

If your stomach is on the sensitive side and you'd rather not drink raw Puer in summer, ripe Puer is also an option.

Ripe Puer is warm in nature, with a mellow, silky smooth taste that's gentle and non-irritating. A bowl of hot ripe Puer in summer warms the stomach, and sweating a little actually feels comfortable. The color of ripe Puer is a deep, clear red — it looks warming just looking at it. In terms of taste, it lacks the bitterness of raw Puer and the crispness of white tea — it's that thick, sticky, comforting kind of feeling.

However, I don't recommend drinking too much ripe Puer in summer — one or two sessions a day is enough. Ripe Puer is quite infusable; 7-8 grams per session can last most of the day. Brew with boiling water, pour quickly for the first two steeps to rinse and awaken the tea, then start drinking normally from the third steep.

Best for: friends with cold stomachs, when there's a big temperature difference between morning and evening, or when you've been in an air-conditioned room too long and want to warm up.

Summary

To recap July's recommendations:

• Everyday drinking: Jinggu white tea (new tea is clean and sweet, aged tea has honey notes)
• Beginner-friendly: Lincang sun-dried black tea (neither bitter nor astringent, good hot or cold)
• Heat relief: Mangfei raw Puer (ancient tree quality, quick sweetness return)
• Stomach-warming choice: Ripe Puer (warm and mellow, just don't overdo it)

When it comes to tea, there's no standard answer. What others find good, you might not enjoy. The best approach is to try several and find that one taste that's "just right" for you.

If you want to try any of these or aren't sure what to choose, let's chat on WeChat.