How does american coffee culture compare with herbal tea trends?
Herbal milk tea has gone viral on Chinese social media as part of the new Chinese-style wellness trend, and health teas dispensed by hospitals and TCM clinics draw steady interest. Data cited in the coverage shows more than 70 percent of consumers are more willing to buy herbal teas and are satisfied with their functional effects. Several pharmaceutical companies have launched wellness coffee and herbal drinks.
Herbal tea mixes Chinese medicinal herbs with tea leaves or uses herbs alone, prepared by decoction or brewing, so it keeps the medicinal value while offering the enjoyment of tea. The pattern echoes american coffee culture, where a daily drink is tied to lifestyle and identity. Experts advise moderation and stopping once the illness is cured, since overuse can backfire; the same caution applies to is coffee bad for you questions.
In recent years, with the rise of the "national trend" culture, the "new Chinese-style" wellness concept has quickly become popular among young people. After bidding farewell to bad habits such as staying up late, smoking, and drinking, more and more young people are turning to traditional Chinese medicinal diets and herbal teas. On social media, herbal milk tea frequently goes viral, and health teas dispensed by hospitals and herbal drinks launched by traditional Chinese medicine clinics through cross-industry collaborations are highly sought after. Data shows that over 70% of consumers are more willing to buy herbal teas and are satisfied with their functional effects. Many pharmaceutical companies have entered the market, launching innovative products such as wellness coffee and herbal teas. However, experts also remind that although herbal teas are beneficial, they should be consumed in moderation, following the principle of "stopping once the illness is cured," to avoid counterproductive effects.
With the rise of "national trend" culture, the "new Chinese-style" trend has swept across multiple industries including fashion and dining, and the wellness sector is no exception—"new Chinese-style" wellness has won the favor of young people. Contemporary "fragile young people," after saying goodbye to staying up late, smoking, drinking, and binge eating and other bad habits, have become obsessed with wellness medicinal diets and started drinking herbal teas.
"I never expected that what would beat bubble tea is herbal milk tea," "Tasty and healthy, and super cheap," "I thought it would be bitter, but the taste is actually not bad"—since the beginning of this year, herbal teas with a rich "medicinal aroma" have gone viral on social media, deeply favored by this generation of young people.
It is understood that herbal tea is a healthy beverage that combines traditional Chinese medicine principles with tea culture characteristics. It is prepared by mixing Chinese medicinal herbs with tea leaves or using Chinese medicinal herbs alone in specific proportions, and prepared through decoction or brewing. It retains the medicinal value of Chinese herbs while providing the drinking enjoyment of tea, aiming to achieve health preservation, treatment, and disease prevention through daily consumption.
What young people first set their eyes on are health teas dispensed by hospitals. These single-dose packaged teas are easy to carry and simple to use—whether at the office or traveling on business, you just tear open the bag and brew it.
According to hospital introductions, each tea bag has different effects and suitable populations. For example, the heat-clearing tea mainly contains honeysuckle, hyacinth bean flower, and ageratum, suitable for outdoor workers; the fat-reducing and slimming tea mainly uses rose and lotus leaf, suitable for those with high blood lipids and obesity; the ginseng tea mainly uses American ginseng and reishi mushroom, suitable for elderly people with weak constitutions; and the pharyngitis tea containing boat sterculia seed and chrysanthemum is popular among teachers.
From the "Dark Plum Sweet Dew Drink" at the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine being sold out, to the dark plum lotus leaf drink at Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine selling 1.15 million portions in 24 hours, plus various traditional Chinese medicine clinics selling "milk tea" across industries, herbal tea is now on the rise.
According to data from iiMedia Research's survey on "Consumer Behavior in China's Herbal Tea Industry," more and more consumers are paying attention to and trying herbal teas, with purchase intention continuously rising. 75.47% of consumers said they are more willing to buy herbal teas compared to traditional teas. In addition, over 70% of consumers are satisfied with the functional effects of herbal teas.
Businesses certainly won't miss this booming blue ocean. Through self-research or collaborations, many pharmaceutical companies have launched herbal teas focused on health: Tongrentang's online retail brand "Zhima Health" has launched a series of "wellness coffees" including motherwort rose latte, goji berry latte, cinnamon cappuccino, and monk fruit americano; Sinopharm Group and Guangdong Yifang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.'s herbal tea brand "Yifang Siji" combines traditional Chinese medicine culture with tea, having developed over 40 light wellness teas; Dong'e Ejiao collaborated with Nayuki to launch "Nayuki Dong'e Ejiao Milk Tea"; Gubentang opened Xiaohongshu sharing notes on herbal milk tea preparation and launched herbal teas such as chrysanthemum cassia seed tea; Lanzhou local brand Fangha collaborated with Foci to launch new products including rose ginger mother milk tea and rose honey pomelo ginger tea.
As more and more young people are willing to pay for health and drink herbal teas, Deng Manjing, chief pharmacist at Changsha Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, reminds: "Herbal teas have certain health benefits, but excessive or long-term improper consumption may also cause adverse effects on the body. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes 'stopping once the illness is cured'—stopping when the therapeutic effect is achieved. The same applies to herbal tea wellness. Pay attention to the dosage and timing when drinking, otherwise it may be counterproductive.
Image source: Internet
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
