When to choose which tea – A compass for the right moment

From lightness in the morning to depth in the evening

Tea has many faces. Some are gentle and clear like a winter morning, others round and warm like the light just before sunset.
What we drink changes how we feel – and vice versa. But when is the right moment for which type of tea?

Our overview shows that not every tea suits every mood. Some teas promote clarity, others tranquility. Some open the day, others bring it to a quiet close.

A tea for every moment

To better understand taste and effect, we have harmoniously categorized our teas according to their sensory characteristics and time of day:
(○ = low, ● = high)

Here is the overview in your format (scale: ○ = low, ● = high):

tea	sweetness	Floral	Freshness	Body	reverberation	Best time
Downy Silver Needle	●●●○	●●●○	●●○○	●●○○	●●●○	Morning / Afternoon
Huang Ya Yellow Tips	●●●○	●●○○	●●○○	●●●○	●●●○	Late morning
Silver Pearls	●●○○	●●○○	●●●○	●●○○	●●○○	Morning / early afternoon
Pai Mu Tan	●●○○	●●●○	●●○○	●●●○	●●●○	Morning / Afternoon
Snow Silent (Snow Buds)	●●○○	●●○○	●●○○	●●○○	●●○○	Morning / early afternoon
Moonlit Sencha	●●○○	●○○○	●●●○	●●○○	●●○○	Late morning
Lung Ching (Dragon Well)	●●●○	●●○○	●●○○	●●○○	●●●○	Morning / Afternoon
Chun Mee	●●○○	●○○○	●●●○	●●○○	●●○○	Late morning
Mao Feng	●●○○	●●○○	●●●○	●●○○	●●●○	Morning / Afternoon
Tie Guan Yin (Qing Xiang)	●●●○	●●●●	●●○○	●●○○	●●●○	Morning / early afternoon
Milky Oolong	●●●○	●●○○	●●○○	●●●○	●●●○	Morning / Afternoon
Da Hong Pao (Wuyi Rock)	●●○○	●○○○	●●○○	●●●○	●●●●	Afternoon / Evening
Darjeeling Grey	●●○○	●●●○	●●●○	●●○○	●●●○	Morning / Afternoon
Benifuuki (Black, JP)	●●●○	●●○○	●●○○	●●●○	●●●○	Morning / Afternoon
Special Golden Black (Yunnan)	●●●○	●○○○	●●○○	●●●●	●●●●	Afternoon
Keemun OP (Anhui)	●●●○	●●○○	●●○○	●●●○	●●●○	Morning / Afternoon
Muscatel Dragon (Hybrid)	●●●○	●●●○	●●○○	●●●○	●●●●	Afternoon

How tea and time of day interact

Our bodies follow rhythms – and so does tea.
In the morning we seek clarity, in the afternoon warmth, and in the evening peace.
The ingredients, aromas, and textures of a tea can support this natural rhythm.

In the morning: Fresh, light teas (Sencha, Silver Pearls, Chun Mee) gently activate.
At midday: Full-bodied oolongs (Tie Guan Yin, Milky Oolong) promote balance.
Afternoon & Evening: Deep, roasted or black teas (Da Hong Pao, Golden Black, Muscatel Dragon) bring calm and stability.

From taste to mood

Each category in the graphic – sweetness, florality, freshness, body and aftertaste – reflects not only taste but also effect:

Sweetness: conveys security, balance and contentment.
Florality: opens the senses, awakens lightness and creativity.
Freshness: revitalizes body and mind, creates presence.
Body: centered, stabilized, gives off heat.
Aftertaste: that which remains – a kind of memory in the taste.

A compass, not a recipe

This overview is not intended to dictate, but to guide.
A tea meant for the afternoon can be just right in the morning – if your body craves it. As with any practice, it's about awareness: tea as a reflection of the moment.

Why isn't every tea suitable for every time of day?

Each type of tea has a different effect on body and mind. Light, fresh teas like Sencha or Silver Needle contain more L-theanine and caffeine – they clarify and energize. Darker teas like Da Hong Pao or Golden Black contain more roasted polyphenols – they have a more grounding and warming effect. In this way, tea supports the natural rhythms of the day.