What teas are easy on the stomach

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Webley
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Mon Dec 21, 2020 5:23 pm

I have an acid reflux problem and am trying to determine which teas, if any, would be easier on my situation. I know they all contain some amount of acids, but would be interested in knowing which ones contain less than others.
Probably the herbals and the rooibos teas rank among the gentler ones.maybe the tisanes I’d much rather drink the main Camelia Senesis ones but would like to know the order of acid content.
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Bok
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Mon Dec 21, 2020 8:16 pm

Webley wrote:
Mon Dec 21, 2020 5:23 pm
I have an acid reflux problem and am trying to determine which teas, if any, would be easier on my situation. I know they all contain some amount of acids, but would be interested in knowing which ones contain less than others.
Probably the herbals and the rooibos teas rank among the gentler ones.maybe the tisanes I’d much rather drink the main Camelia Senesis ones but would like to know the order of acid content.
It also depends on how you brew it. Some teas are easier on the stomach when brewed lightly. In any case make sure to have eaten properly about an hour before drinking tea. I would avoid any Japanese Sencha/Gyokuru and so fourth, Assam black teas for the most part and greener Taiwanese oolongs.

Japanese Kukicha should be fine.

Aged and roasted oolongs tend to be less acidic as well, but be careful with cheaper roasted oolongs.

My two cents.
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OCTO
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Mon Dec 21, 2020 8:54 pm

Bok wrote:
Mon Dec 21, 2020 8:16 pm
Webley wrote:
Mon Dec 21, 2020 5:23 pm
I have an acid reflux problem and am trying to determine which teas, if any, would be easier on my situation. I know they all contain some amount of acids, but would be interested in knowing which ones contain less than others.
Probably the herbals and the rooibos teas rank among the gentler ones.maybe the tisanes I’d much rather drink the main Camelia Senesis ones but would like to know the order of acid content.
It also depends on how you brew it. Some teas are easier on the stomach when brewed lightly. In any case make sure to have eaten properly about an hour before drinking tea. I would avoid any Japanese Sencha/Gyokuru and so fourth, Assam black teas for the most part and greener Taiwanese oolongs.

Japanese Kukicha should be fine.

Aged and roasted oolongs tend to be less acidic as well, but be careful with cheaper roasted oolongs.

My two cents.
Agree with @Bok. High caffeine content intake would also cost acid reflux. Do you consume strong coffee in addition to tea?? I had similar issues and had to complete stop both tea and coffee for a month or two. Then slowly trailing off on my coffee to keep my caffein level in check. No more reflux ever since.

It's also good to me mindful to not start any tea sessions with and empty stomach.

Cheers!
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pantry
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Tue Dec 22, 2020 5:40 am

Would adding milk/butter to a darkly brewed tea help?
Ethan Kurland
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Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:44 am

Members of my immediate & extended family have serious acid reflux problems that have required surgery and/or strong medication. The luckier ones such as myself only suffer sometimes & not as severely. I & they can drink aged roasted oolong without having problems ever. Our tea comes from me; so, I don't know whether tea that is aged but not roasted would work as well for us. (I don't sell any aged unroasted tea.)

I drink other teas daily but not nearly as many ounces of them as I drink of the aged roasted oolong. (I enjoy 20 ounces of it daily.)

I guess that cheaper teas are more likely to cause problems. I stopped selling a cheap, medium-oxidized oolong from Thailand because it almost always bothered me when I drank more than 6 ounces of it; &, sometimes even when I limit myself to 6 ounces, extra stomach acid concerns me for 15 minutes or so. (Not often enough for me to stop drinking this tea.)

Top suggestion: Aged, roasted oolong from Taiwan.

Note: Use of the words "cheap" & "expensive" can be misleading. One can get very lucky & find a good tea at a low price, though most often cheap & low-quality go together. Also, expensive, does not always mean expensive per cup, because some teas provide many more infusions than others.
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Baisao
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Wed Dec 23, 2020 10:27 pm

Shou and Liu Bao have always been easy on my stomach. Chinese white teas have also been generally soothing, especially after 6-7 years of aging.
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joelbct
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Thu Dec 24, 2020 4:04 pm

Darjeeling and Keemun seem to be the most mellow, of the teas I drink regularly.

For Darjeeling, I use Vahdam mainly, but I've been meaning to try thunderbolt and darjeeling tea boutique as well.
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Baisao
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Thu Dec 24, 2020 4:46 pm

Webley wrote:
Mon Dec 21, 2020 5:23 pm
I have an acid reflux problem and am trying to determine which teas, if any, would be easier on my situation. I know they all contain some amount of acids, but would be interested in knowing which ones contain less than others.
Probably the herbals and the rooibos teas rank among the gentler ones.maybe the tisanes I’d much rather drink the main Camelia Senesis ones but would like to know the order of acid content.
Emphasis added.

I read this again and noticed you asked specifically about acid content. To my knowledge, Camellia sinensis tea (hereafter, tea) doesn’t actually contain tannic acids. Also, many of us use alkaline waters to brew our teas which would attenuate any inherent acidity in the tea. I suppose this is why I jumped straight to presenting soothing teas rather than elaborating on the how and why.

I had this condition for decades but resolved it with a few steps, one of which seems paradoxical.

1) Beverages didn’t contribute much to the condition but certain foods disagreed with me. For me the worst offenders were sugary beverages, alcohol, pasta, and non-sourdough breads. (Real, homemade sourdough will breakdown FODMAPs and is more easily digestible) I haven’t cut these out but definitely eat them with much more temperance. These foods seem to sit in my stomach and my body tries to digest them to little avail.

2) I stopped eating 3 hours before laying down to sleep (naps included). This gave food time to exit my stomach, prevent it and stomach acid from entering my esophagus.

3) I tapered off of antacids after making the changes above. Antacids have a paradoxical effect of preventing thorough digestion in the gut leading to the problem I was trying to avoid in steps 1 & 2. Antacids disrupt the normal, periodic functioning of the gut.

After about a month I no longer had to take meds and could drink anything.

I had this problem since I was in middle school and for two decades after but solved it with the steps above. Haven’t needed an antacid in years.

I am obviously not a doctor and don’t play one on tv. I am assuming you have consulted your physician. If you haven’t, you should. These steps may not work for you but they worked for me. These are practical steps with little risk and no woo.

Best of luck to you!
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Webley
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Thu Dec 24, 2020 9:13 pm

Thanks for the advice. I have a gastroenterologist that I see when necessary and will consult with him soon. Hopefully we’ll
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aet
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Thu Dec 24, 2020 10:17 pm

I'm not a doctor neither scientist but just from personal experience , as I also have sometimes issues with to acid stomach ( especially after spring harvest ) , light infusions of shu puerh ( like red color, not black ) or Liu Bao. Basically I stay away form anything "green" like stuff.
Sometimes in shu I also put some old orange skin " Lao Cheng Pi " .
hope that helps.
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belewfripp
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Fri Feb 19, 2021 7:39 pm

I also have reflux and have had different medications as well as self-medicated changes to diet and sleeping habits. Mine was somewhat more difficult to detect because it produced no real "heartburn" issues and wasn't diagnosed until I started having trouble swallowing. The advice you've already gotten echoes much of what I would say - Baisao's advice about not eating 3 hours before bed is one that I have practiced for over a year and it works very well for me. Your doctor may also (or may already have) recommend sleeping on your left side and/or sleeping with a special wedge that elevates your torso during sleep. I'm not a doctor and can't speak for your condition, but those are things I was advised to do and they have helped me continue to be able to drink tea.

As for your specific question, in my experience young raw/sheng puer is right out - even if I don't get heartburn from it, it really tears my stomach up. Unaged Chinese black teas can also cause discomfort for me. As others have mentioned, "green" teas of any kind are worth watching out for, though I have had some unroasted Anxi oolongs that agreed with me ok. Roasted oolongs, ripe/shu puer and just about anything with 7-8 years on it has been no problem for me - I especially find that traditionally "wet-stored", aged or semi-aged raw puer sits on my stomach fine. White teas also have been ok for me. I'm speaking entirely about Chinese teas, as I don't drink much else right now.

I should also note that potentially what works for you could depend on your specific type of reflux - I have LPR rather than GERD. Hopefully you can find some real tea that works for you (and your doctor).
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Webley
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Fri Feb 19, 2021 9:46 pm

Things have been pretty stable for a few months now with my GERD. I’ve found that not eating for at least 3 hours before retiring has made a huge difference. Also, watching my meal portions has helped enormously.
As far as teas are concerned, I’m careful not to drink them on an empty or almost empty stomach. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. These little tweaks have really helped to enable me to continue to enjoy my teas.
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OCTO
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Sat Feb 20, 2021 9:26 am

Webley wrote:
Fri Feb 19, 2021 9:46 pm
Things have been pretty stable for a few months now with my GERD. I’ve found that not eating for at least 3 hours before retiring has made a huge difference. Also, watching my meal portions has helped enormously.
As far as teas are concerned, I’m careful not to drink them on an empty or almost empty stomach. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. These little tweaks have really helped to enable me to continue to enjoy my teas.
Great news!! Happy you can continue drinking and enjoying your teas!!
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Bok
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Sat Feb 20, 2021 9:41 am

Excellent!
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