过口甘，喝时口腔充斥苦涩，滑过喉咙却泛起甘甜，这款保健茶因此得名。过口甘于90年代期间风靡全马，广告宣传在各大电视台热播，甚至远销至国外。如今保健饮品市场多元化，过口甘逐渐没落，只能在一些药材店里才会见到，或拜访其发源地——万茂（Mambau）。
万茂是森美兰州芙蓉市近郊的一个小镇，二十世纪初橡胶业崛起时开辟了大面积园丘，新村于50年代成立，村里的约200户居民多数以割胶维生。万茂新村地理位置优越，村口曾设有输送物资往返波德申港的货运铁路（如今已停用并拆除），村子毗邻连接芙蓉与波德申的联邦53号公路。芙蓉波德申高速公路（SPDH）未建立前，联邦53号公路是前往波德申的必经之路，游客一般会沿途停靠万茂歇息、吃饭。
坐落在大路旁的万茂客家酿豆腐食肆，外表简陋，却是过口甘诞生的摇篮。已故创办人简栊䥽原本从事建筑行业，80年代期间遭逢金融风暴而转战颇感兴趣的餐饮业。在经济萧条的环境里，他为养家日夜辛勤劳作，健康亮红灯，找出祖先南下时带来的一纸药方调理才渐渐改善病情。领教了保健茶的功效，他决意要将其推广，让更多人受裨益。
草药熬制的保健茶滋味苦涩，因此简栊䥽潜心投入研究，配制出适合大众饮用、喝了过后回甘的保健茶。过口甘的主要成分有山茶、银针茶和菊花。其中的银针茶需经过处理工序以降低刺激性酸味：收割后日晒风干、除去茎梗只留叶子、再发酵百日方能使用。为方便顾客冲泡，过口甘采用独立小包装，各个材料按照配方分量均匀拌合后放入纱袋茶包中密封。
过口甘刚面世即在酿豆腐食肆里贩售，简栊䥽也把盒装茶包托给朋友的咖啡店寄卖。当时保健饮品市场未起步，直销的进口保健品价格高昂，几乎不见普通厂家生产零售。他凭敏锐的商业直觉推出价廉物美的过口甘，市场反响热烈，进驻药材店之余也招揽全国各地的代理商。手工包装无法应付剧增的销量，于是简栊䥽以机器提高产量效率，设立了小型工厂方便作业和贮存。
简栊䥽辞世后，儿子简汉松和简汉龙接手食肆以及过口甘，不让光顾几十年的熟客失望。无奈保健饮品竞争日趋激烈导致过口甘渐渐没落，近年来市场结构变化更是雪上加霜，年轻一代热爱营养较为匮乏的奶茶，能接受保健茶的只有少数。简汉龙并没有因此裹足不前，根据时代进步转换销售方式，利用电话和网络电商平台开拓新商机。
简氏兄弟身为土生土长的万茂居民，过口甘也是父亲由此发扬光大，他们与这座小镇早已建立非常密切的关系，留在故乡将家庭式企业细水长流地经营。无论如何，保健茶并非灵丹妙药，简汉龙温馨叮咛大家不要单纯依赖保健茶，应运动锻炼、调整作息、注重饮食健康，从日常生活细节中调理好身体。
Ko Hou Kam herbal tea, the first sip fills the mouth with bitterness, yet yields a lingering sweetness once it slips down the throat, hence its name meaning sweetness after consumption. A nationwide popular beverage back in the 90s, Ko Hou Kam advertisements were aired on various television stations, and even distributed abroad. With a superfluity of health drinks available nowadays, Ko Hou Kam eventually diminishes, and can only be found at certain traditional Chinese medicine store or its place of origin – Mambau.
Mambau is a small town on the outskirts of Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. At the beginning of the 20th century, as the rubber industry flourished, large-scale plantations were developed in Mambau. The village was established in the 50s, the majority of the 200 households were rubber tappers. Due to its strategic geographical location, the rail freight route from Port Dickson pass through the border of Mambau village (now demolished), and so does the Federal Route 53 linking Seremban and Port Dickson. Before the construction of Seremban–Port Dickson Highway, Federal Route 53 is the main road leading to Port Dickson, tourists usually stop by Mambau for rest and refreshments.
Located just off the main road, Mambau Khek Yong Tau Fu may have a shabby appearance, however it is the birthplace of Ko Hou Kam herbal tea. The founder, the late Mr Kum Loong Poh, used to work in the construction industry. However, business failure due to the global economic recession of the early 1980s caused him to seek new opportunities in the food and beverages industry. In order to finance the household, Mr Kum worked long hours till the point that he suffered from health complications. After consuming a herbal tea prepared according to a prescription which his ancestors brought over from China, his condition improved. Since the herbal tea has proven health benefits, Mr Kum decided to promote it so that others can enjoy improved health too.
The original herbal brew has a bitter aftertaste, therefore the late Mr Kum Loong Poh researched and developed an ideal herbal tea formula suitable for general consumption as well as offering a lingering sweetness. The main ingredients of Ko Hou Kam herbal tea are camellia, silver needle, and chrysanthemum. Silver needle tea leaves are subjected to processing in order to neutralise acidity: sun-dried after being harvested, stems removed, and the tea leaves are then fermented for 100 days. Ko Hou Kam herbal tea comes in individually sealed tea bags for ease of consumption.
Ko Hou Kam herbal tea was initially sold in Mambau Khek Yong Tau Fu as well as a friend’s coffee-shop. Back then, the health drink market just started to grow, imported health drinks were expensive, and there were barely any local manufacturers. Mr Kum Loong Poh’s savviness in launching Ko Hou Kam herbal tea at an affordable price instantly gained market popularity, hitting the shelves of medical stores as well as being distributed nationwide. As manual packaging became inefficient due to increasing demands, he set up a small factory and invested in an automated packaging system to ease operations and storage.
After the passing of the late Mr Kum Loong Poh, his sons Kum Han Soon and Kum Han Loong took over the operations of Mambau Khek Yong Tau Fu and Ko Hou Kam, thus prevented disappointing regular customers. However, intensifying market competition led to business decline, structural market changes dealt another severe blow – younger generations prefer to consume unhealthy beverages such as bubble milk tea, only a few would appreciate herbal tea.
（Full text: https://uniness.gallery/ko-hou-kam-he...
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文 Text/ 潘慧雯 Pua Hui Wen
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