Herbal Tea (Leung Cha)

Leung cha is a herbal drink brewed across Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau from many medicinal herbs—honeysuckle, self-heal, chrysanthemum, microcos leaf and more—most often bitter-sweet and taken to clear heat, detoxify and dispel dampness, a daily tonic passed down through generations.

Herbal tea grew from the Lingnan folk wisdom of coping with a hot, damp climate, and Hong Kong's streets are lined with herbal-tea shops where formulas such as twenty-four-flavour tea, five-flower tea and tortoise jelly are handed down; in 2006 it was jointly nominated by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau and entered the first national ICH list.

Bought fresh at herbal-tea shops and drunk warm or chilled from a small bowl, or taken home in bottles, Hong Kong people reach for it after too much fried food, a sore throat or a late night, a cooling remedy woven into everyday life.

The compound blending of many herbs, the bitter-sweet taste that lingers, and the street-corner tradition of brewing fresh in a tea shop are what distinguish Hong Kong herbal tea.