At Dragon Boat Festival, rice dumplings take centre stage. But the tea beside them deserves just as much thought.
The right tea doesn't just quench thirst — it can draw out the flavour of the dumplings, cut through the richness, and give the afternoon gathering a quality of ease that lingers long after the meal. Chen Yu-Ting, president of the Chinese Tea Arts Research Association, shares her guide to tea at Dragon Boat Festival.
The Most Seasonal Tea for Dragon Boat Festival: Oriental Beauty
When asked about Dragon Boat Festival and tea, Chen Yu-Ting's answer comes without hesitation: Oriental Beauty — not simply because it tastes beautiful, but because it is born in this very season.
"In Taiwan, from the start of summer through the Major Heat period, the tea gardens are at their peak population of the green leafhopper," she explains. "When the leafhopper bites the tea buds, the plant produces a unique honey fragrance in response."
This honey fragrance cannot be manufactured or rushed. Oriental Beauty gardens must remain entirely pesticide-free — without the leafhopper, there is no honey fragrance. The harvest falls during Dragon Boat Festival season, one of the hottest and most demanding periods in the agricultural calendar.
"The tea farmers are picking this tea in such intense summer heat," Chen says. "And because the gardens can't use pesticides, there are all kinds of insects. When I think about how hard they work to bring this tea to us, I feel we should drink it slowly and appreciate it fully."
Oriental Beauty is a tea that asks to be savoured — and Dragon Boat Festival is the right moment to do exactly that.
What Tea Pairs Best with Rice Dumplings (Zongzi)?
Taiwanese rice dumplings are generously filled — pork, seafood, shiitake mushrooms, peanuts, salted egg — making for a rich and layered flavour. Chen identifies two distinct pairing approaches:
Approach One: A light tea to let the dumplings speak Choose a delicately fragrant green or lightly oxidised oolong. The tea steps back, providing a clean counterpoint that lets the complexity of the dumpling come forward.
Approach Two: A full-bodied tea to echo the dumpling's richness Choose a tea with depth and substance. Chen recommends Dong Ding Oolong in particular: "Dong Ding has a rich, grain-like fragrance — almost like roasted rice — that pairs beautifully with dumplings."
Oriental Beauty works well in this second approach too, its honey notes weaving through the savoury richness of the meal in a way that feels both celebratory and perfectly timed to the season.
Which Tea Helps Digest Rice Dumplings?
After a generous Dragon Boat Festival meal, tea becomes practical as well as pleasurable.
First choice: Green tea "The best option is an unfermented green tea," Chen says. "The polyphenol content is very high, which helps cut through oiliness. Bi Luo Chun from Sanxia and Longjing are both excellent choices."
Second choice: Yunnan Pu-erh Pu-erh is well known for its digestive properties, with a smooth, rounded character that settles well after a rich meal.
Brewing Summer Tea at Dragon Boat Festival: Heat Management is Everything
One principle above all others when brewing Oriental Beauty in summer: do not let the tea sit in continuously hot water.
Summer tea leaves contain higher concentrations of polyphenols due to the long daylight hours. If the water temperature stays elevated, astringency increases significantly. The solution is simple: choose a teapot that allows the liquor to cool naturally and quickly.
Chen's personal recommendation, without hesitation: NewChi's Drifting Clouds and Beloved.
Drifting Cloud White Porcelain Teapot The lidless design is the key. "These two teapots share one important characteristic — they have no lid," Chen explains. "The body of the teapot is itself the opening. So when you pour in the hot water, the liquor gradually cools on its own — reducing the astringency while letting the honey fragrance of Oriental Beauty fully express itself."
Beyond its brewing function, Drifting Clouds carries a quality Chen finds difficult to put into words: "There's a kind of clarity and ease to it. In summer, when the heat affects your mood, the sensation of holding it — the touch, the feel, the sight of it — gives you a sense of coolness and ease even in the most intense heat."
→ View Drifting Clouds
Pure Love White Porcelain Teapot Also lidless, with a quieter, more minimal presence. The same cooling effect, the same attentiveness to the tea — for those who prefer their teaware to speak softly.
→ View Beloved
The Cultural Meaning of Dragon Boat Festival Tea
"Dragon Boat Festival has a distinctly Eastern character," Chen reflects. "These seasonal festivals give our daily lives a sense of moving alongside history — of being in conversation with the past."
Zhang Chao, the Qing dynasty essayist, wrote in Shadow of a Dream: "For the Lantern Festival, drink with spirited friends; for Dragon Boat Festival, drink with beautiful friends; for the Mid-Autumn Festival, drink with serene friends."
端午須酌麗友 — At Dragon Boat Festival, drink with those who bring beauty into your life.
Bring Oriental Beauty. Choose the people who matter. In the warmth of the season, let a well-brewed cup be the wish for a better second half of the year.
Dragon Boat Festival Porcelain: Let the Vessels Be Part of the Ritual
A good tea deserves a vessel with presence.
NewChi's 2026 Dragon Boat Festival white porcelain collection brings together Heinrich Wang's dragon-form creations — from the Dragon's Ascent teapot and cup set, designed for exactly this kind of ceremonial summer brew, to the Glory Across Directions limited-edition heirloom box. Pieces that carry meaning beyond the festival, and remain long after the dumplings are gone.
Further Reading
What Tea to Drink in Summer? Oriental Beauty brewing techniques, the 1:100 cold brew ratio, and how to set a summer tea table that feels cool and considered — Chen Yu-Ting's complete summer tea guide. → Read the full article
