What the Qi of Tea Actually Is

Anyone fond of tea will have heard the phrase “the qi of tea.”

It gets used for the kind of expression that is neither aroma nor taste — something along the lines of “florid,” or “dense.” People say “this tea has strong qi,” or “the qi feels right today.” It is vague, but it is useful for describing the relationship between yourself and a tea.

In this lesson we dig into that. We will try, as far as we can, to make the relationship between you and the tea clear from the standpoint of neuroscience. And we hope you will take what emerges — what the qi of tea actually is — as a mirror of yourself, and use it in building a better life with tea.

What is qi to begin with?

The word is used for a person’s mood: motivation, seriousness, listlessness, low spirits. It is used for material things in a space: air, exhaled breath.

In traditional Chinese medicine, qi is placed as an important factor acting on every level of body and mind. A disorder of qi has adverse effects on the immune, circulatory and nervous systems. Indian traditional medicine likewise teaches the importance of settling the qi. The word yoga, well known as it is, means the joining and harmonising of the self with the world.

Even with all of this, understanding clearly what qi is may still be difficult. Trying to break it into parts and analyse it finer would probably make it harder still. But that is in fact part of the nature of qi: it is dynamic, and it is always in motion.

Two sides of the qi of tea

Here we take the view that “the qi of tea” has two sides: the qi of the tea itself, and those elements of tea that act on the qi of the person drinking it.

The qi of the tea itself divides broadly in two.

First, the phytochemicals — polyphenols such as EGCG, together with pigments such as chlorophyll and beta-carotene. The sum and balance of these form a particular electrical state. The measure known as ORP is used to identify that state scientifically.

Second, the aroma compounds. What makes the strongest impression of a tea are its aromatics — linalool, geraniol and the rest — and it is these that play the lead in the qi of the tea itself.

Meanwhile theanine, the savoury compound, and caffeine, which brings stimulation and alertness, act on the qi of the person only after being taken into the body and processed. We regard this as part of the qi of tea as well.

Various polyphenols, EGCG and quercetin among them, are known to have a range of effects. Alongside antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action, neuroprotective action has been shown.

Nor is it only these. Every element of tea that the five senses take in may bear on qi. Aroma compounds by way of smell, savoury compounds by way of taste, information about shape and colour by way of sight, sensory information from the skin, tongue and palate by way of touch — all of it passes through particular organs and tissues, is integrated, and produces a momentary mood.

The qi of tea, in other words, arises only after passing through the integrative processing particular to the person drinking. Which is exactly why it becomes a mirror of your own here and now.

What in a person acts on the qi of tea?

Nutritional and physiological condition. After an all-you-can-eat barbecue, for example, the satiety centre is active and the taste of the tea may come out blurred. The same tea as always sends different signals to the brain, and you perceive a different flavour. Inflammation in the gut is known to affect the sharpness of the senses by way of the nervous system.

Neurological balance. When chronic stress upsets the balance of neurotransmitters, signals from the sense organs are not properly registered. You can drink an excellent tea and still find yourself thinking “I don’t quite get it, it feels far away” — the physiological response, the qi of the tea, is dulled.

Time of day and season. The workings of the body sit under the control of circadian rhythm, a dynamic and frankly cosmic algorithm. Across the day and across the year, the suprachiasmatic nucleus at the centre of the body clock governs the rhythms of hormones and the autonomic nervous system, and that in turn affects the balance of neurotransmitters. When this is broken by such things as late-night work, a life without sunlight, or jet lag, neural balance falls apart.

Genetics, and epigenetics. A person’s genes are a decisive factor in the qi of tea they experience. So too is the genetic individuality that a person’s life and environment have produced in their genes over time — that is, epigenetic change. To take an easy example: for someone with caffeine intolerance from a genetic variant, tea will keep the volume in the head from coming down unless it is caffeine-free. Conversely, someone with a genetic background giving high sensitivity to theanine may enjoy the relaxing effect of tea more deeply.

How far such variants are expressed shifts with everyday diet, patterns of behaviour and environment. That is the epigenetic element. Long-term eating habits, smoking and stress can change how the genetic switches are set, so that the metabolic capacity a person ought to have is not fully available.

Taking all of this together: what the qi of tea actually is, is a mirror reflecting where you currently stand.

Why ritual exists

The Japanese tea ceremony has a great many forms, and the process leading up to drinking is largely prescribed. This lets you concentrate on the experience of the tea and on feeling its qi, and so arrive at a perception of where you presently are. The cultural rites and ceremonies found across the world probably share much the same aim.

What can be done

What can you do to get a better experience of tea, to improve its qi?

First, keep the variables of qi at their best — which is to say, look after the health of body and mind. A deeper world of tea lies beyond good health. Genetic factors come into this too; knowing your own genetic individuality lets you choose more precisely.

Second, secure better tea. If the leaf that is the source of the qi does not have the quality, the constituents and the qi to begin with, nothing else stands up.

Fortunately there is a great deal of good leaf in the world. Take your time and look for the leaf whose qi agrees with yours. If you cannot find it, make it yourself.