Why is americano drink coffee on a Chinese medicine menu?

Tonghanchuntang, a traditional Chinese medicine brand with a 237-year history, opened its first trendy wellness tea drink shop in Shanghai's Yuyuan Mall and now serves more than 30 beverages, including two wellness coffees. One is an americano drink coffee, the other a ginseng honey latte, and customers can add ingredients such as ginseng and goji berries. Prices run from 20 to over 30 yuan, with bird's nest items above 100 yuan.

The shop began a trial opening at its Chenghuang Temple store in Yuyuan Mall in December, then launched the full drink line before the Spring Festival. Milk teas there use ginseng, goji berries, donkey-hide gelatin, monk fruit, and kudzu root rather than standard syrups. The move follows Tongrentang, another century-old medicine brand that entered coffee earlier, part of a wider cross-industry trend.

In recent years, cross-industry ventures have become a popular trend, and even century-old traditional Chinese medicine shops are joining the beverage market. Following Tongrentang, Tonghanchun Tang, with a history of 237 years, has also tested the waters of trendy wellness tea drinks in Shanghai Yuyuan Mall, launching over 30 beverages including wellness teas, fruit teas, milk teas, sparkling water, and coffee. Among them, the wellness milk teas are infused with ingredients such as ginseng, goji berries, and donkey-hide gelatin, while the two wellness coffees focus on Americano black coffee and ginseng honey latte, priced between 20 and 30-plus yuan, with the most expensive bird's nest product exceeding 100 yuan. Whether these time-honored brands can win consumer favor through innovation is worth watching.

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Cross-industry operations have evolved into a common phenomenon across different sectors.

Earlier, the century-old traditional Chinese medicine brand Tongrentang ventured into the coffee sector, and recently, another traditional Chinese medicine brand with a century-long history announced its entry into the beverage market.

This time-honored brand is Tonghanchun Tang.

In December last year, Tonghanchun Tang's Chenghuang Temple store in Shanghai Yuyuan Mall began a trial opening, and before the Spring Festival, it launched its first Tonghanchun Tang trendy wellness tea drink shop.

It is reported that the tea shop offers more than 30 beverages, including wellness teas, fruit teas, milk teas, sparkling water, and coffee.

Unlike common milk teas on the market, Tonghanchun Tang's milk teas are wellness tea drinks, incorporating ingredients such as ginseng, goji berries, donkey-hide gelatin, monk fruit, and kudzu root.

In addition, the shop has launched "wellness coffees," including a wellness Americano black coffee and a ginseng honey latte, where customers can choose to add ingredients like ginseng and goji berries.

In terms of pricing, the beverages range from 20 to over 30 yuan, with the two most expensive bird's nest products priced over 100 yuan.

Public records show that Tonghanchun Tang has a history of 237 years and enjoys high recognition both domestically and internationally. According to Baidu Baike, Tonghanchun Tang Chinese Pharmacy was founded in the 48th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1783) as the Shanghai Tonghanchun Tang Chinese Pharmacy, a century-old and famous shop in Shanghai. From its initial single-bay storefront, through generations of the Tong family's hard work, continuous improvement of product quality, expansion of business operations, strengthened internal management, and adherence to quality service, it has thrived for over two hundred years, earning a reputation among consumers as a "golden signboard" trusted shopping destination, ranking among the four major houses in Shanghai's traditional Chinese medicine industry and becoming a leader in the field.

In fact, this is not the first pharmacy to sell beverages across industries.

Previously, the century-old brand Tongrentang also combined Chinese and Western elements to launch a series of wellness herbal coffees, including goji berry latte, motherwort rose latte, and hawthorn tangerine peel Americano. At that time, Tongrentang also stated that it would continue to launch wellness coffees. This time, as another pharmacy entering the beverage industry, the difference is that this pharmacy's cross-industry products are mostly milk teas, with only two coffee items.

As mentioned earlier, as a time-honored brand, if one remains obsessed with past glories without innovating, it will soon be eliminated by the market. Nowadays, more and more time-honored brands are choosing to "cross industries." What is worth considering is that no matter what brand crosses into what field, the most important thing is still to ensure product quality.

Finally, will consumers buy into "milk tea with a traditional Chinese medicine taste"? (Curious about what it tastes like, want to give it a try hahahaha)

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.