This S’pore biz is turning TCM into milk tea—8 mths in, it now has 3 outlets & sold 150K+ cups

The founders spent S$250K to set up Amacha & launch its first outlet

Have you ever willingly reached for a herbal drink—not because you felt unwell, but because you genuinely wanted one?

That question underpins Amacha, a contemporary Chinese herbal milk tea brand founded by serial entrepreneur Sebastian Ang, 34, and his business partner Alex Ng, 33.

The business draws from the tradition of liang cha, or Chinese herbal tea, but repackages it for a younger, more commercially driven audience—eschewing the bitterness and overt medicinal framing that have long limited the category’s appeal.

For Sebastian, Amacha is as much a personal story as it is a business venture. We spoke with him to learn more about the brand.

Childhood memories sparked the business idea

The idea for Amacha was inspired by Sebastian’s grandmother, his Ah Ma, who cared for him as he grew up. Like many households, hers was one in which liang cha was regularly brewed—not just as a remedy, but as a form of care. Those early memories stayed with him.

“When I was young, I would secretly spit out the liang cha because I hated the taste!” Sebastian joked. “But now, I drink it every so often.”

Long before Amacha took shape, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) had also already woven itself into Sebastian’s life. Growing up near a Chinese medicine hall, he was exposed to the sight and smell of dried herbs in his everyday environment. That proximity sparked a curiosity about herbs, wellness, and more unconventional approaches to healing.

As with his other ventures (speakeasy bar Mama Diam, which hides behind the facade of a mama shop, and TCM-inspired bar Synthesis), Sebastian did not want to replicate what already existed. To honour his Ah Ma’s legacy, he envisioned a herbal drink concept that people would reach for not because they had to, but because they wanted to.

Liang cha, however, has long carried an image problem. To many, it is associated with strong, bitter, medicinal flavours. However, with changing attitudes around wellness, Sebastian saw Amacha as an opportunity to modernise it for a younger generation.

“A lot of people now are starting to pay more attention to their health,” he explained, so he sought to create the brand to fit into that lifestyle.

Making herbs drinkable

Sebastian started Amacha with Alex, whom he met while running Synthesis, where the latter was the bar’s manager

According to Sebastian, Alex, a seasoned F&B professional, stood out for his sharp palate and instinctive understanding of taste profiling and recipe estimation. Sebastian recalled that Alex could seemingly conjure a recipe to match any flavour profile on the spot.

Together, the duo set out to modernise Chinese herbal drinks without stripping them of their cultural roots. To do this properly, they went back to the source. In Jan last year, the duo travelled to China for a two-part TCM course, spending a week studying the theory behind TCM herbs—their properties, functions, and applications—before learning how to brew specific Chinese herbal teas in Guangzhou and Hunan.

During the trip, they sampled a wide range of herbal drinks rooted in yang sheng (養生), an ancient Chinese practice centred on “nourishing life” to promote health, vitality, and longevity. Rooted in Daoism and TCM, yang sheng emphasises preventative care over curing disease.

Sebastian also noted that yang sheng is still widely practised among young people in China, many of whom regularly consume herbal teas and seek wellness treatments such as acupuncture and tuina (推拿) therapeutic massages.

After returning from the trip, the duo launched Amacha in Apr 2025, investing S$250,000 to open its Pagoda Street flagship outlet.

Strong footfall

Although Sebastian wasn’t very confident about the concept, he still decided to take the leap.

“Back then, I wasn’t sure that people would be receptive to this concept,” Sebastian reflected. “But I just wanted to try.”

It turned out to be a hit—footfall was strong, and business picked up quickly, especially as its outlet was located at the heart of Chinatown, tucked behind a statue of a Samsui woman—an unplanned coincidence that later aligned neatly with the brand’s visual identity and logo.

For its brand aesthetic, Amacha draws inspiration from the classic Chinese phrase wan shou wu jiang (万寿无疆), meaning “boundless longevity.” Commonly seen on red-and-gold porcelain from Jingdezhen during the 1960s to 1980s, the phrase symbolises long life and prosperity. These motifs are easily recognisable on Amacha’s cups today.

Within the partnership, Sebastian oversees operations and sales, while Alex leads drink development—allowing each founder to focus on what they do best.

The brand carries 20 drinks across its menu, typically costing around S$5.90.

One example is the Respira Bloom, a drink marketed to relieve cough symptoms. It contains ingredients such as lily bulb, dried pear, and red dates, paired with jasmine green tea. While the beliefs behind these herbs remain rooted in tradition, the flavour profiles are deliberately refined for a modern audience.

To commemorate his Ah Ma, Sebastian also created Grandma’s Remedy—Amacha’s signature drink. It is a modern reinterpretation of a liang cha recipe he learned by shadowing his grandmother while growing up.

Scaling to three outlets

Today, Sebastian shared that most of Amacha’s customers are working adults, “but they are slowly influencing other age groups to consume them.”

From his observations, a significant number of male customers purchase drinks for their families, and even children under the age of 10 are being introduced to herbal beverages through their parents.

Riding on this demand, Amacha has since expanded to three outlets. While social media played a key role in gaining traction, Sebastian is clear that it is not what sustains a business in the long run.

“For a business to sustain, it’s not just about marketing anymore,” he said. “The product itself has to be good to make customers stay and keep buying more.”

As such, the brand its herbal drinks in-house early every morning, with preparation times ranging from four to six hours depending on the beverage. The meticulous process relies on premium ingredients and naturally costs more than typical milk tea operations.

To that end, the team prepares all of Amacha’s herbal drinks in-house each morning, with preparation times ranging from four to six hours depending on the beverage. The meticulous process uses premium ingredients, which naturally costs more than typical milk tea operations.

To keep pricing fair, Amacha offers drinks without toppings at lower price points. When the Tampines outlet opened in Nov, the team adjusted prices downward by about 15%. As ingredient costs were spread across more outlets, Sebastian believed it was important to pass those savings on to customers.

That focus on product quality and fair pricing has paid off. Sebastian describes Amacha’s progress as relatively smooth, with the brand selling more than 150,000 cups since opening.

Maintaining consistency & expanding the business

As the brand expands, Sebastian admitted that maintaining consistency is his biggest concern. With more outlets comes greater operational complexity, but he has learned to lean on his growing team of 17 employees and to check in regularly to ensure standards are upheld.

“No one is good at everything, not even founders,” he said. “Sometimes, you can’t do everything yourself and have to let people do what they are best at.”

Before Amacha, Sebastian made business decisions across his other ventures that he now views as costly—both financially and strategically. While he didn’t go into detail, these experiences shaped his more cautious and deliberate approach this time around.

“I had made a lot of wrong decisions along my entrepreneurial journey,” he said. “But all of that made me more careful and decisive with Amacha.”

In fact, Sebastian even returned to school, completing a business management course last year, before opening Amacha.

Looking ahead, customers can expect familiar favourites, alongside new creations at Amacha.

“Alex and I are always looking to create drinks that spark curiosity among Singaporeans, while balancing the wellness benefits in them,” Sebastian said.

The duo hopes to introduce more TCM-inspired offerings and eventually bring Amacha overseas. A fourth outlet at Capitol is also slated to open in 2026.

Featured Image Credit: Amacha