Ku Ding Tea (Ilex kudingcha) — Large & Small Leaf Bitter Herbal Tea, 500g

Ku Ding Tea (Ilex kudingcha, also Ilex latifolia) is the dried leaf of a revered traditional Chinese bitter herb known in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as Kǔ Dīng Chá (苦丁茶). For centuries, Ku Ding has been prized as a cooling, fire-clearing, and spirit-lightening herb, used to refresh the senses, clear heat from the head, and support the free flow of qi. Its nature is bitter, sweet, and cold, making it a brisk yet clarifying herb for soothing internal heat and restoring a sense of cool composure. This listing offers both Large Leaf (大叶) and Small Leaf (小叶) varieties, hand-selected and available as whole leaves or ground powder.

Key Selling Points

• Traditional heat-clearing bitter herb
• Both Large Leaf and Small Leaf varieties
• Hand-selected whole leaves or ground powder
• 500g value pack for daily brewing
• Food-herb ingredient for tea and cooking

Quality & Sensory

Each batch is hand-selected and dried to preserve the leaves' deep green color, crisp texture, and clean herbal aroma. When brewed, the leaves unfurl slowly and yield a clear, golden-green infusion with a distinctly bitter opening note that softens into a lingering, subtly sweet aftertaste. The ground powder form releases its character more quickly, producing a deeper color and a fuller, more immediate bitterness in the cup.

Technical Specifications

Usage Scenarios

• Daily bitter herbal tea
• Blended with chrysanthemum or honeysuckle
• Culinary use in soups and braises
• Cooling summer beverage
• Herbal tea blend ingredient

Traditional Uses

In folk herbal practice, Ku Ding is brewed as a daily tea to clear heat, refresh the mind, and support digestion after rich meals. It is often steeped alone in hot water, or blended with chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, and goji berry for a cooling seasonal infusion. In some regional kitchens, the leaves are simmered into soups and braises, where their bitterness is tempered by longer cooking and adds a clarifying note to the broth. The ground powder is traditionally stirred into warm water or added to cooking for convenience.

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