Loquat, or more commonly known as 枇杷 (pei4 paa4 or pípá ), is used in many Chinese households as a cure for cough. A popular supplement is the Pei Pa Koa like the one in this link. Traditionally, they come in the form of a thick liquid to be taken neat or mixed with water. In recent years, they also started to come in the form of sweets/lozenges and in this case, a cube form to be mixed with water. It’s the Eu Yan Sang Loquat Black Sugar Cube.
I mixed mine with hot water, closed my eyes and took a sip.
I was in a mine, dark and smoky. These mines are the deepest in the world. They are also extremely dangerous. The earth can collapse at any time, trapping us inside. We are risking our life for a gem that will give us the right to marry the girl that we love.
I took my axe and started chipping softly on the wall. One needs to be careful not to hit too hard and causing the whole wall to collapse. That would be bad.
Ah, got one! It’s a black square. Now, I need to confirm if this is the real thing or something else. I took out my flask of hot water. I chipped a bit of the gem away and put it into the hot water. Stirred a bit and drunk it.
The drink tasted slightly sweet. There is a definite taste of loquat. After drinking it, it leaves a cool sensation in my mouth, the same effect as mint. Overall, it was nice and very similar to the normal Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa.
This is the real thing. Right, now to quickly get out and get this to the goldsmith. This will make a fantastic ring.
Oh, did I not tell you? The girl won’t drink this. Drinking is just to confirm that it is the real gem. Do you think we will just drink something that is so valuable and difficult to find? Must be crazy! We will set this cube on a gold ring, which will be presented to the girl as an engagement ring. In some other cultures, they use diamond. But for us, that’s too cheap and easy to find.
I bought this using my own money from Eu Yan Sang, Singapore.