Description
A pitch-black health tea brewed from mint, mesona, and multiple herbs, offering freshness and bitterness. The ultimate folk drink to 'cool body heat (fire)' in Taiwan's sweltering summer.
Restaurants serving Taiwanese Herbal Tea
Researching
We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Multiple Taiwanese herbs (Mesona
- Mint
- etc.)
- Water
- Rock sugar(tiny bit)
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- [Herbal Blend (Secret)] Ratios vary by shop, but primarily prepare dried Taiwanese herbs (Qingcao) that 'lower heat (Tui Huo)', like Mesona, Mint (Bohe), Bidens, and Wedelia, blending several to over a dozen types.
- Put massive water and these herbs in a giant pot, bring to boil on high.
- Simmer slowly on low for hours until the water is pitch-black like ink and intense herbal aroma rises.
- Strain firmly through a cloth to remove herb dregs.
- Originally unsweetened (very bitter), but generally sweetened with a tiny bit of sugar (or rock sugar) to make it drinkable.
- Chill ice-cold in fridge, serve in an iced cup. The intense minty coolness and complex bitterness pass through the throat.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Intense mint freshness and herbal aroma
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Store-bought Qingcao Cha PET bottled drinks (slightly sweet)
Pairing
All stall fried foods
Trivia
[Hardcore] Specialty shops line 'Qingcao Lane (Herb Street)' right next to Longshan Temple. The intense Chinese-medicine-like bitterness is a high hurdle for Japanese, but no other drink makes you feel 'I'm doing something good for my body' this much.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Endure the intense 'grass taste' and bitterness of the first sip, and enjoy the minty freshness rising softly from your stomach after swallowing, amidst the summer heat!
Allergen
None