2 September 2010

Wong Lo Kat Herbal Tea {by @NLi10} (Thai foods shop, Bromsgrove)


When I was in London I spotted a child in a Chinese restaurant with one of these bright red cans drinking away happily. I wondered what it was about that specific brand of tea that meant that it was drunk happily by children. On the streets later on (with my Mr. Kon Green Tea) I spotted a few more of these and realised it was a common brand.

A few weekends later I happened to be in Bromsgrove helping out in Oxfam Books & Music (mostly by buying large quantities of their stock), and on my lunch spotted this in the newish Thai foods store that has opened on the other end of the high street.

The side of the can says that it is manufactured using advanced scientific technique, but really it boils down to one important thing. It's the sweetest pre-made tea that I have tasted. If you made a cup of normal English tea, added 4 sugars and then let it cool it would probably be similar. Yes, there is a definite herbal taste and maybe something bitter hiding in there that is masked by the sugar, but it is all about the sweetness. I can see why it appeals to children and it makes western style colas look restrained by the amount of sweetness they offer.

Over and above this it's actually quite nice. It took a while to drink - it's certainly not a thirst quencher like the sweet lemon teas - but it is an enjoyable and fairly inexpensive drink compared to a lot of other imports. While I worry that my sensitive British palate will find teas too hard to tell apart with flavours as different and powerful as this I should be OK.
by @NLi10

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