Yuan Er-Jian, 7th generation patriarch of Yuen Kut Lam Herbal tea, talks about his family's business history. (Photo: CGTN/Mao Dan)
In Hong Kong, "a little box of tea" or Hap Zai Cha , is a medicinal herbal tea that was once a staple item in almost every home. But despite its proud history and household name, tea producing company Yuen Kut Lam has been having a hard time ensuring the relevance of the centuries-old business in the modern era.
Up until the 70s, "drink a little box of tea" was a common saying, and practice, in Hong Kong. The medicinal herbal tea is believed to help cure colds and the flu, and help keep health when drink in small quantity.
The little box of tea is in effect a kind of ready-to-drink traditional Chinese medicine. The tea is made by blending 28 kinds of herbs, with its recipe remaining unchanged for centuries.
The procedure to make the little box of tea: cook the herbs, extract the juice, soak the tea in the juice and then dry it in the sun. After that, soak the tea again, and repeat the process nine times. It's called "Nine Soaks and Nine Dries." The whole process takes one week.
