Riding the South China teas

• Source: Global Times
• [10:07 July 22 2010]
• Comments

Put the kettles on: Zheng Lide Herbal Tea store. Photo: Cai Xianmin

By Huang Yunwen

For many people in Shanghai, enjoying a "healthy" drink involves purchasing a can of wang lao ji from a convenience store. The ubiquitous red and yellow logoed tin markets itself as a herbal tea, despite the fact it contains only slightly less sugar than most sodas. But increasingly more and more of the city's informed citizens are remembering an ancient truth: "a good medicine has a bitter taste." And as people have become disappointed with the hyperbolic claims of commercial beverages, they have instead turned to more authentic herbal teas.

"It's long been known that herbal teas are not just teas as such, but are also traditional Chinese medicines," said a tea store owner surnamed Zheng, whose family are fourth-generation successors to the Zheng Lide Herbal Tea, a brand originating from Beihai in Guangxi province.

Deeply rooted in the area known as the Five Ridges (the biggest trans-province mountain range in southern China), herbal teas have a history dating back two hundred years. In such a hot and humid climate, people have often worried about re du - the body being afflicted by too much "internal heat." Over the years, numerous preparations have been prescribed to combat mani-festations of re du, symptoms such as aching gums, sore throats, coughs and mouth ulcers. And these recipes have been passed down from generation to generation, almost like heirlooms.

Many of these family-run businesses have moved to Shanghai during the last few years in search of bigger markets - but it hasn't always been easy trying to accommodate local tastes and habits. For Zheng, the natural bitterness of herbal tea has been a problem in trying to make it palatable to the typically sweet-toothed Shanghainese customers. To counteract this, flowers, plants and fruits with sweet tastes and fragrances, such as jasmine, chrysanthemum, cane, mung bean and pear, are combined with other ingredients to reduce the bitterness.

Although they are meticulously mixed and boiled, these kinds of herbal teas usually cost only 4.5 (to $0.66) 6 yuan per cup in Shanghai, meaning it is afford-able for most people on a daily basis. A woman surnamed Zhou who works close to the Zheng Lide store is a loyal fan of herbal teas, particularly when, as now, she is suffering from a cold. "Though I know it's not necessarily effective all the time, I still want to have a try. At least, it's better than taking drugs," she said.

Herbal teas are offered in several Chinese restaurants in Shanghai while the most authentic ones are preserved in small stores scattered throughout the city. Here are three of the best:

Zheng Lide Herbal Tea

Quite possibly the most authentic herbal tea store in Shanghai. All the ingredients are purchased, mixed and boiled by the store-owner himself. Fresh herbal teas are prepared three hours before opening time every morning, which means the herbs have been decocting since 4:30 a.m. The Zhengs boast of an exclusive product yu zao gao, a transparent jelly-like herbal dessert in peppermint tea which has a slighty fishy taste. Also highly recommended is the Herbal Tea King made from more than 30 sorts of herbs. Avoid the morning peak-hour rush if you don't want to get caught in long queue.

Add: Outside Exit 2 of the Hongqiao Road metro station, at the junction of Hongqiao Road and Kaixuan Road.