what's the difference in meaning between
I prefer drinking tea
i prefer to drink tea

Dear Mr. Mazen
I prefer drinking (or any gerund) = general preference = I always prefer this.
I prefer to drink (or any to + inf.) = specific preference = In this situation (only) / this time only I prefer this.
Best Regards

Dear Mr. Mazen
I prefer drinking (or any gerund) = I prefer to drink (or any to + inf.) = general preference = I always prefer this.
I would prefer to drink (or any to + inf.) = specific preference = In this situation (only) / this time only I prefer this.
Best Regards

Correction

When we use verbs such as (like ) folowed by a gerund we mean that we want to talk about a general idea : (I like drinking tea .) means I enjoy it. and this does not mean that I want to drink it at the moment. But when we use to + infinitive ( I like to drink tea .) measns I want some tea now. so we usually use it when someone asks us if we would like to have a drink.

When we use verbs such as (like ) folowed by a gerund we mean that we want to talk about a general idea : (I like drinking tea .) means I enjoy it. and this does not mean that I want to drink it at the moment. But when we use to + infinitive ( I like to drink tea .) measns I want some tea now. so we usually use it when someone asks us if we would like to have a drink.