TCM Meets Coffee And Ice cream In Guangzhou

黄子昂

Inside a coffee shop in downtown Guangzhou，Guangdong province，there is not only a buying frenzy of coffee and desserts but also the practice of traditional Chinese medicine.

The shop，owned by Tsai Hsiching of Taiwan and his wife，has become a hot leisure and TCM treatment spot since it opened in October 2019.

“We not only make specially baked coffee but offer TCM treatments to our customers，”Tsai said. “Coffee shops are considered favorable places for business meetings，as well as platforms linking young people to TCM.”

Tsai and his wife became certified TCM doctors after completing their studies at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine about a decade ago.

“Young people like to try TCM treatment when they discover that such services are available in the coffee shop. Many have become regular TCM customers here，”he said.

Tsai's shop，Changtan Coffee，is located in the city's booming Tianhe district，where there are more than 1，000 coffee shops of different sizes and styles. Half of those are in the central business area—about 50 shops per square kilometer.

“There are many young people working around the shop. As a result，it is an ideal place to promote TCM by integrating medical treatment with coffee，”Tsai said.

廣州市中心的一家咖啡店内，不仅有大受欢迎的咖啡和甜点，还提供中医诊治服务。

这家咖啡馆自2019年10月开业以来，已成为休闲和中医诊疗的人气商店。店主是来自台湾的蔡曦庆夫妇。

蔡曦庆说：“我们不仅制作特别烘焙的咖啡，还为客人提供中医诊疗。咖啡馆通常是商务会谈的好去处，也是连接年轻人与中医的平台。”

蔡曦庆和妻子大约十年前毕业于广州中医药大学，成为了中医执业医师。

他说：“当年轻人发现咖啡店有中医服务时，他们愿意试试中医治疗。许多人已经成为这里的常客。”

蔡曦庆的长滩咖啡店位于繁华的天河区，这里有1000多家不同规模和风格的咖啡店。其中一半位于中央商务区，每平方公里约有50家店铺。

蔡曦庆说：“咖啡店附近有很多年轻人。因此，这里是将诊疗与咖啡结合起来推广中医的理想场所。”

In China，a growing number of TCM pharmacies have introduced coffees that combine TCM ingredients and coffee.

However，Tsai said they would not consider such innovative styles anytime soon.

“We will focus on making specially roasted coffee and promoting TCM treatment services，”he said.

In the shop，all coffee is prepared by hand，with beans roasted to light or medium levels.

“We don't bake the beans too deep because we want to avoid excess caramelization，”Tsai said.

Young people often suffer from sub-optimum health or diseases because of high pressure and irregular work schedules，so it is essential that they take care of their health in their daily lives and reduce their risks，he said.

In addition to specially roasted coffee，the shop also designs ice cream that is infused with TCM ingredients. It has found favor among young customers who appreciate healthy food.

Some years ago，Tsai's wife，Su Yun-ya，helped a special dessert shop in Taiwan formulate medicated ice cream. “So I began to make it by myself in my shop，”she said.

After matching TCM properties and making adjustments，three types of ice cream are on the menu，flavored by angelica sinensis，turmeric and longan.

“Ice cream integrated with medicinal ingredients of a warm nature tastes a little magical. It's very delicious，”Su said.

Packaged ice cream has become a hot seller in the shop.

“Ice cream with TCM properties can not only reduce the damage of ice products to health as much as possible but also satisfy the desires of young people，”she said.

According to Su，some customers who visited the shop during business trips to Guangzhou have developed an interest in TCM treatment.“They come here to drink coffee，but later become regular TCM customers，”she said.

The shop offers customers mainly with traditional TCM therapies，such as acupuncture and moxibustion.

在中國，越来越多的中药店推出了将中药成分与咖啡相结合的咖啡。

然而，蔡曦庆表示，他们短期内不会考虑这种创新风格。

他说：“我们将专注于制作特殊烘焙的咖啡和推广中医诊疗服务。”

在店里，所有的咖啡都是手工制作的，咖啡豆都是浅烘或中烘。

蔡曦庆说“我们不会对咖啡豆进行深烘处理，因为要避免过度焦糖化。”

他说，由于高压和不规律的工作安排，年轻人通常处于亚健康状态或疾病缠身，因此在日常生活中关注自己的健康并减少疾病风险至关重要。

除了特别烘焙的咖啡外，这家店还设计了掺有中药成分的冰淇淋。中药冰淇淋在喜欢养生食品的年轻顾客中很受欢迎。

几年前，蔡曦庆的妻子苏韵雅帮台湾一家特殊的甜品店制作中药冰淇淋。她说，“那之后我开始在自己的店里做”。

经过中药属性匹配和调整，菜单上出售三种冰淇淋，分别用当归、姜黄和龙眼调味。

苏韵雅说：“冰激凌融合了性温的中药成分，味道有点神奇，非常美味。”

包装好的冰淇淋成了商店里的畅销品。

她说：“中药冰淇淋不仅可以尽量降低冰制品对健康的损害，而且可以满足年轻人的喜好。”

据苏韵雅称，一些来广州出差的顾客光顾了他们的咖啡店后对中医产生了兴趣“他们来这里喝咖啡，后来成了中医的常客”。

这家咖啡馆主要为顾客提供针灸、艾灸等传统中医治疗。