Can Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Shui Americano be consumed? The practice of mixing traditional Chinese medicine with coffee is dangerous!

The Unconventional Coffee Trend

"Gulp! Glug~~~~~~~~ Glug glug~~~~~~~~"

Based purely on that sequence of onomatopoeia, in which situation do these sounds occur? A) A sip of espresso mixed with banlangen (isatis root) B) A sip of iced bansha cooling tea C) A sip of iced Americano with huoxiang zhengqi water

If you think all three are correct, you should pick the longest answer! Yes — the answer is C. Many of you are probably already frowning.

People have always gone to extraordinary lengths in pursuit of stimulation. First it was mental stimulation, which gave us coffee with alcohol; then taste-bud stimulation, which gave us specialty coffee; now it is gastrointestinal stimulation, which has given us... medicated coffee.

At some point, "Chinese patent medicine + coffee" became a trend everyone imitated. Starting in March this year, "iced Cantonese style" (cooling herbal tea over ice cubes) suddenly went viral, and plenty of friends in Guangdong followed along.

The craze got so out of hand that when you bought cooling tea, the auntie at the shop would say: "Drink it while it's hot! Adding ice will make you sick!" (Translation: add ice to cooling tea and you will become a projectile warrior.)

Soon, cooling tea over ice was no longer enough for the novelty-seekers. Cafés began stirring Chinese patent medicine granules straight into their coffee extractions, creating the "Guangdong March special" that leaves everyone speechless.

Everyone assumed these were passing fads. But no — more and more people started adding Chinese patent medicines to coffee, and not mild ones either. Huoxiang zhengqi water, of all things.

Recently — perhaps because the weather has simply been too hot and iced Americano's cooling power no longer feels sufficient — some people started "stacking buffs" on their iced Americano by emptying a bottle of huoxiang zhengqi water into it.

"For the price of an Americano, you get one more reason to use your medical insurance card." Maybe that is the logic — whatever it is, more and more people joined in, and no coffee brand's iced Americano was safe from a shot of huoxiang zhengqi water.

A Critical Warning

But.

This is medicine. Medicine! Medicine cannot be taken casually!

Huoxiang zhengqi water is meant to prevent heatstroke, and its ingredients can irritate the gastrointestinal tract. Mixing it into coffee may not be toxic, but it can easily trigger gastrointestinal spasms — abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and worse.

Whether the goal is attention for a brand or buzz for coffee itself, curiosity is one thing — but these medicine-plus-coffee stunts have gone too far. Innovation and imitation both need limits!

Image source: Internet

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Craving a genuinely refreshing iced Americano? Skip the medicine cabinet — the right bean does the job safely and deliciously. From FrontStreet Coffee's Americano lineup:

FrontStreet Classic Blend — a traditional Italian-style recipe of Indonesian Mandheling, Brazil Red Bourbon and washed Vietnam. Low acidity and mellow, with herbal-woody depth and a buttery, nutty, dark-chocolate aroma — wild character and thick crema whether you pour it over ice or milk.

FrontStreet Black Cocoa Base Blend — the value pick: Yunnan arabica plus Brazil Cerrado, delivering nut, chocolate and cream aromas with a soft ripe-plum acidity. Gentle, wallet-friendly, and a favorite first choice for cafés.

FrontStreet Strawberry Candy Espresso Blend — a medium roast that unites washed, natural and honey-processed arabicas from Colombia, Costa Rica and Ethiopia. Low bitterness and gentle acidity with rose aroma, and grape, dried blueberry, sweet orange and candy notes in the cup — a refreshing iced Americano needs nothing else.