Can black coffee for cold and cough replace medical treatment?

Milk tea chains including Heytea, Nayuki, Shanghai Auntie and Mixue Bingcheng launched so-called COVID special drinks built from vitamin C-rich fruits such as orange, lemon and snow pear. Social media discussion climbed after lockdowns lifted, and some stores showed the items sold out. The drinks offer comfort and vitamin C, but they are not medicine.

There is no clinical evidence that these fruit teas treat a sore throat or hoarseness; the relief reported is largely short-term soothes from warm, sweet liquid. Compared with home remedies, they mainly save effort. The same caution applies to black coffee for cold and cough, a common folk idea that cannot replace medical treatment when symptoms are severe.

After canned yellow peaches were jokingly called for inclusion in medical insurance and electrolyte water sold out, young people have now set their sights on the "COVID special drinks" from various milk tea brands. When your throat hurts like swallowing razor blades and buying medicine is difficult, a cup of orange, lemon, and snow pear tea rich in vitamin C has become a comfort for many. Related products from brands like Heytea, Nayuki, Shanghai Auntie, and Mixue Bingcheng have seen soaring popularity, with some stores even sold out. Can these drinks really relieve sore throats and hoarseness? This article takes you through the logic behind the popularity of "COVID special drinks," representative products, and whether they are merely psychological comfort or actually beneficial. Follow Coffee Workshop for more professional coffee knowledge and Front Street Coffee recommendations.

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Just as canned yellow peaches were being called on by netizens to be written into medical insurance, and electrolyte water became so popular it sold out, now young people's attention has turned to the "COVID special drinks" launched by various milk tea brands. Your throat hurts so much you're crying out "Baojuan, my throat," but you can't buy medicine, and you don't want to endure the agony of swallowing like a knife cut; or you hesitate over a single lemon costing dozens of yuan—at times like this, milk tea shops have stepped up.

Since the pandemic lockdowns were lifted, discussions about "COVID special drinks" on social media have been climbing steadily. Some netizens reported that when they opened the online stores of Heytea and Nayuki, they found the "COVID special drinks" already showing as sold out, which shows just how popular they are.

Of course, this special drink is not that special drink. The so-called "COVID special drinks" are mainly tea beverages made from vitamin C-rich fruits like pears, oranges, and lemons. They can supplement vitamin C, taste more appealing than Sichuan pepper stewed pear or orange water, and the key is you don't have to make them yourself, so young people have crowned them the "COVID special drinks."

Judging from netizens' shares on social platforms, Heytea's "Big Orange Paints Pear," Nayuki's "Bold Silver Ear Stewed Pear," Shanghai Auntie's "Freshly Stewed Whole Pear," and Mixue Bingcheng's Smashed Fresh Orange and Snow Pear Silver Ear have all become pillars of the current COVID special drinks thanks to their "moisturizing and nourishing" features.

It's worth noting that most of these "COVID special drinks" were already on the market before the trend arrived, not new products launched recently; some are even basic items that stores have been selling for years.

For example, Heytea's "Big Orange Paints Pear" was originally a drink launched on October 21 in collaboration with Empresses in the Palace. Now, in this cold winter surrounded by Baojuan, Jianqiu, and Big Fat Orange, Heytea has instead become the biggest winner. When "Big Orange Big Pear" was first launched, the promotional tagline was "Refreshing Moisture CP" and "Full of Hot Vitamin C." Now that it's been pushed onto the throne of COVID special drinks, Heytea probably never expected its product to be associated with COVID.

Of course, to keep up with this trend, some brands have rushed out new items. Lemon tea brand LINLEE launched a "Vitamin C Explosion Set" on December 19, including Orange Dolce Iced Lemon Tea, Kiwi Iced Lemon Tea, and other vitamin C-rich products. Its Xiaohongshu promotional page even reminded workers to "urgently circulate."

One can only say that this netizen behavior has made tea beverage brands a fortune. The brands themselves probably didn't expect that some basic store items would ride the popularity of "COVID special drinks" and see a resurgence during this special period. Whether it's "COVID special drinks" or canned yellow peaches, is it really useless for young people to pursue them so fervently, even tagging them with the "COVID special drink" gimmick?

That's not entirely fair to say. In the cold winter, with a high fever, relentless coughing, barely able to pour a cup of hot water, and enduring body aches and swallowing like a knife cut, at this time you only need to tap your fingers to order and get a full cup of vitamins. Relying on these foods to ease emotions can also achieve a psychological comfort effect.

Actually, everyone understands in their hearts that what's truly effective are various symptomatic medications. No matter how miraculous the "COVID special drink" is, it is ultimately not medicine. If you feel especially unwell, you should still seek medical attention promptly!

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