TeaChat

Hello - I used to drink a lot of tea, for many years. About a year ago, when I would drink tea I started getting pains in my stomach, unless I either brewed the tea very very weak or drank the tea after a heavy meal. It feels like the tea is burning away at my stomach. Oddly, coffee does not have this effect, so I've switched to that drink. But, I'm sick of coffee, like tea much better. Anyone have any ideas on what's going on with my stomach, and any ideas on how I can go back to drinking tea that isn't very very weak?

Thanks.

What tea are you drinking?
Type, black,green,oolong ?
And where is the source?

+1 Blacks can cause me problems.

Eat before drinking, like 30 minutes before so your palate is cleansed ...

There are a few that do that to me, Assams in particular. I have also had problems with some "flavored" teas that use oils for the flavoring. Good luck, I hope you can find the source and get back to tea soon!

geeber1 wrote:There are a few that do that to me, Assams in particular.

Yes, Assams especially for me as well!

Really, all types of tea do it for me. Generally, black teas are worse, but it still happens with green/white.

Also, it sometimes happens when I drink red wine. Anyone know what red wine and tea share in common that could be causing it?

Thanks for the replies!

Also, the source doesn't seem to matter...tea from Adagio, cheap junk that the local diner serves...doesn't make a difference.

What chip says is right on the money. also, the acidity present in tea can gradually wear away the lining of the stomach, or so i've heard. just eat some food before hand and/or talk to a doctor about it.

This is slightly related to the topic: I will notice a sort of mild sore throat after drinking tea and tisanes sometimes. I think it is mostly with herbal drinks though. It may be some acidity in the teas.

Christoph-

I understand what you mean. an acid rich diet (tomatoes, salad with vinegar based salad dressing, so on) will amplify the acid feeling in the throat/esophagus/stomach area. I can definitely say as my friends have told me - there is a balance to it all.

I'd also advise you to try drinking more water.

I notice that tea is rougher on my stomach when I'm dehydrated. When your body is in balance, you'll usually (not always) keep your stomach acidity in balance.

But bottom line...listen to your body. If you feel bad after drinking something, stop drinking it! Different people respond differently to various substances and you may never know why...all you can do is trial and error, and seeing what makes you feel better.