Suan Mei Tang Herbal Soup Pack (Old Beijing Style) — Smoked Plum, Hawthorn & Rose Hip Summer Brew

Suan Mei Tang Herbal Soup Pack is a pre-portioned Old Beijing–style summer brew kit built around Wu Mei (乌梅, smoked plum, Prunus mume) and Shan Zha (山楂, hawthorn, Crataegus pinnatifida), blended with Rose Hip (玫瑰茄, Hibiscus sabdariffa), Chen Pi (橘皮, aged tangerine peel, Citrus reticulata), Bo He Ye (薄荷叶, mint leaf, Mentha haplocalyx), Gan Cao (甘草, licorice root, Glycyrrhiza uralensis), and edible Osmanthus (食用桂花, Osmanthus fragrans). In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this classic pairing is prized as a sour, sweet, and gently cooling summer formula traditionally used to generate fluids, quench thirst, harmonize the middle, and ease the heaviness of hot, humid days. Each 100 g pouch holds two 50 g ready-to-boil portions, so a single bag makes two full pots of authentic old-style sour plum drink at home.

Key Selling Points

• Authentic Old Beijing Suan Mei Tang recipe with eight traditional food-herb ingredients
• Built on Wu Mei (smoked plum) and Shan Zha (hawthorn) — the classic sour-sweet summer duo
• Pre-portioned 50 g × 2 sachets: one bag brews two full pots
• Cold-extraction (冷萃) processing preserves bright aroma and clean sourness
• Sugar comes only from the ingredients themselves — no added sweeteners

Quality & Sensory

Each sachet holds whole, visibly identifiable pieces: dark wrinkled smoked plums, deep-red hawthorn slices, crimson rose hip calyces, curled strips of aged tangerine peel, dried mint leaves, licorice root slices, and a scatter of golden osmanthus buds. The dry blend carries a bright, tart plum aroma layered with citrus peel and a faint floral note of osmanthus. Once simmered and chilled, the liquid turns a clear garnet-red, releasing a rounded sour-sweet fragrance with a cool mint finish. The taste is brisk and mouth-watering up front, softening into a gentle caramel sweetness from the rock sugar and a long, clean osmanthus aftertaste — never cloying, never flat.

Technical Specifications

Usage Scenarios

• Chilled summer drink for hot and humid days
• Home brewing of classic Old Beijing sour plum beverage
• Afternoon tea or dessert-table refreshment for gatherings
• A cooling accompaniment to rich or greasy meals
• A light, tart base for homemade herbal iced tea blends

Traditional Uses

In folk herbal practice, Suan Mei Tang is one of the most beloved summer decoctions of northern China, sold from street stalls and simmered in family kitchens once the weather turns hot. The classic method is simple: rinse one 50 g portion, add it to about 1.5–2 liters of water, bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 20–30 minutes until the liquid deepens to a garnet red. The brew is strained, sweetened to taste if desired, and chilled before serving. In old Beijing households it was poured into clay pots and kept on ice for guests; in modern kitchens it is often made in batches and stored in the refrigerator for two to three days. The same blend is sometimes simmered with a little extra hawthorn for a tarter cup, or with a few dried jujubes for a rounder, sweeter pot.

FAQ Q&A