Chinese herbal tea prevalent worldwide in scorching summer

(ECNS) -- As the northern hemisphere is hit by high temperatures in summer, Chinese herbal tea has witnessed increasing export to the rest of the world.

Known as Leung Cha, herbal tea originated from China’s Guangdong province, famous for its unique herbal recipes. It is popular both at home and in Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, the U.S. and some European countries, according to Guangzhou Customs.

In a production workshop located in Liwan District, Guangzhou, plant raw materials undergo multiple processing procedures on the assembly line to become instant cooling tea bags. These tea bags, worth 220,000 yuan ($30242.63), are then exported to markets in Singapore, Malaysia, and other countries.

"Humid and hot weather is an excellent opportunity for the sales of cooling beverages like herbal tea," stated a company representative. In the first half of this year, Liwan Customs, affiliated with Guangzhou Customs, supervised the export of herbal tea products worth 6.82 million yuan (about $0.94 million), marking a year-on-year increase of 214 percent.

Enjoying the fame of “the city of Chinese drinks”, the Sanshui district of Foshan located in South China’s Guangdong Province boasts of China’s largest food and beverage park. Recently, about 20 metric tons of tea drinks from a local company were sent to Hong Kong.

The company reported that from May to June this year, beverage exports reached 3.983 million yuan ($0.55 million), a year-on-year increase of 112 percent, more than doubling. As it is currently the peak season for beverage exports, the company anticipates that this growth trend will continue.

In the first half of the year 2024, enterprises supervised by Guangzhou Customs exported a total of 357 million yuan of alcohol and other beverages, with the value of exports reaching 790 million yuan ($108.61 million) in June, a year-on-year increase of 20.94 percent, according to data released by Guangzhou Customs on Monday.