east valley
Volume 5 Issue 11 Mesa, AZ
September 25, 2022
Mesa shop offers array of rare Chinese teas BY SRIANTHI PERERA Tribune Contributor
R
IN THE BIZ
ongChan (Fanny) Tan cleared the clutter on a small table in the middle of her herbal shop –Tan Hua Inc. at Mesa’s Mekong Plaza – and placed a teapot on it. Brewing inside it was a floral concoction of jasmine, chrysanthemum, rose, honeysuckle and dandelion. She retrieved a couple of glass tumblers, gave the pot another good stir and pours a clear amber liquid. “Drink,” she said. The tea is fragrant, bubbly and palatable. Tan pours cup after cup. She has a handout with details: Natural Chrysanthemum tea is good for the liver and eyesight and acts as a diuretic. Tan socializes with her customers as much as she dispenses advice on herbs. Her tongue is expressive in Chinese but faltering in English. She proceeds slowly with her hesitant speech, a little miming and some Google translation. At one point, she called a friend, who translated for her: Use dendrobium and American ginseng for high blood pressure; goji berry is good for the eyes; and natural rose king, produced without pollution in Lijiang Yulong Snow Mountain, has an effect on beauty and looks after youthful vitality, she said. Tan Hua could well be placed in Shanghai as it is in Mesa. The store has a distinct Oriental ambiance and carries dried herbs and seafood, various types of teas, powders and Public Notices ............... page 2 © Copyright, 2022 East Valley Tribune
portions. The seafood come in many types; dried sea cucumber, sea scallops and braised abalone for starters. There are plant items such as aged tangerine peel, and dried mushroom, American ginseng that comes from Wisconsin, bird’s nest, dried fish stomachs and other unusual items, culled from out of state as well as China, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and other farflung countries. Bird’s nest, wrapped and sealed in an attractive box, fetches a whopping $800. Dried fish stomach, used for soups, costs on average $158 per pound. Judging by the stocks at Tan Hua: stacked close to the ceiling in some spots, filling glass cabinets and spilling from sacks, her business is thriving. Tan began an outpost of her family’s business, first established 52 years ago in China by her father Tan Hua, who subsequently exported it to San Francisco Chinatown. The family in 2016 opened the store at Mekong Plaza in northwest Mesa’s burgeoning Asian Business District. At the five-year mark, Mesa Mayor John Giles visited and bestowed a certificate of recognition. The Mesa Chamber has done the same. Many framed certificates hanging on the walls bear witness to these occasions. “We donated Chinese masks and herbal medicine, soup mix bags to everyone during the three-year pandemic,” Tan said. “Health is very important.” Tan also sold dozens of bags of Chi(USPS 004-616) is published weekly
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Covered with leaf and tied with string, in bottles and bins, these teas are awaiting discovery at Tan Hua. (Srianthi Perera/Tribune Contributor) nese medicine herbal soup during the pandemic. It helped many to recover, she said, and they returned to express their gratitude. “I very happy,” she said. “I hope to help people. It is my greatest wish to see my guests recovering from our medicated diet. It’s my greatest joy to see them come back healthy.” Tan grew up drinking these herbal soups, so she knows their medicinal values. Different medicinal materials have different medicinal values, and the needs of each person are different according to the physical condition of each person, she explained. Besides herbs, Tan Hua stocks a good array of teas, familiar varieties such as black tea, green tea, jasmine, Ginseng Oolong and Puer. There’s also the lessSubscriptions are $26 for 2 years, $14 for one year. Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ 85026.
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