The story of Iced Tea Becomes the Drink of Millions of People in Indonesia

Whatever the food, it goes well with iced tea. Yep, this drink has become the drink of millions of people in Indonesia and is definitely available in almost every place to eat. What is the history of iced tea in the country?

Whatever food you order, iced tea will definitely be the first thing to consider. Yep, now iced tea has become the drink of millions of people in Indonesia. Not only refreshing, this drink is also cheap. However, do you know the history of iced tea in Indonesia?

The story of iced tea is related to the Dutch colonialism in Indonesia. This was revealed by Professor of Food Science and Technology UGM Prof. Dr. Ir Murdijati Gardjito. At that time, the Dutch, who were active in trading spices in Maluku, introduced tea to the people of Java.

In the 17th century, the Dutch brought the first tea in Java when they landed on Sukabumi Beach. Well, in West Java, it turned out that tea could thrive. Tea plantations were growing rapidly there to reach 131 locations. After that, tea spread in Java and Sumatra, especially in South Sumatra.

"Actually, it was the people of West Java who drank tea first, which eventually spread to Sumatra, Central Java and East Java," said Professor Murdijati, Wednesday (20/1/2021).

The Dutch, who knew that the best part of tea was in the buds, then sold this part to Europe. The rest, in the form of tea stems, was used here. Fortunately, ancient people were so skilled that they were able to make even tea stem extract into a delicious drink.

According to Professor Murdijati, for the Dutch, tea stalks were considered just waste or trash, but could be used as tea which could be given free of charge.

"That's why hot plain tea can be free at Sundanese restaurants, but you're paying for it elsewhere. The problem is that the people are not educated to drink tea,” she continued.

A similar thing happens in Central Java. The skills of its citizens make them able to create delicious green tea drinks. Understandably, if you make black tea, you have to go through a fermentation process, while making green tea only requires a much simpler process of roasting tea leaves.

In addition, the people of Central Java were also able to make tea mixed with jasmine flowers. The taste? Until now, it is known throughout the country as one of the most popular tea variants.

The existence of sugar factories that were growing in Central Java also makes people accustomed to drinking iced tea with a mixture of the lowest or third quality granulated sugar with a brown grain color. Since then, sweet tea has become familiar to residents of Central Java and East Java. So, where does the sugar with the good quality go? Of course, exported to the Netherlands.

The arrival of ice cubes then changed the habits of Indonesians to drink sweet tea. Understandably, the air temperature in Indonesia is fairly hot, so sweet iced tea is considered as an antidote to thirst as well as the sultry weather.

Translated by Aprianti from inibaru.id

The Excellence of Indonesian Tea that is not Owned by Other Teas in the World

Jakarta - Indonesia is the 7th largest tea producing country in the world. Indonesian tea is even said to have a higher antioxidant content than tea from other countries.

World Tea Day is celebrated every May the 21st. Please note that originally World Tea Day was celebrated on December 15th every year. Since 2019, the United Nations has changed it to May 21st.

That is because some tropical countries start producing tea at the end of May to early June, as stated by Rachmad Gunadi, the Chairman of the Indonesian Tea Council in a Webinar titled 'Let's Drink Healthy Indonesian Tea' (21/05)

"Because May is considered as the production season for all tea producing countries around the world. Maybe Indonesia will not experience that because we can produce it anytime," said Rachmad Gunadi.

As a tea producing country that undergoes no seasons, Indonesia is ranked 7th as the largest producing country in the world. But unfortunately, tea consumption in the country is very low.

In fact, Indonesian tea contains much higher antioxidants than tea from other countries. This was conveyed by Dr. Rohayati Suprihatini as the Principal Researcher of PT Research Perkebunan Nusantara.

"The antioxidant content of our tea is higher, at least 13%. Unlike the usual imported teas, they only reach 6-10%. Indonesian tea has polyphenols reaching 31.80% and catechins reaching 18.90%," said Rohayati Suprihatini.

Furthermore, Rohayati Suprihatini also described the benefits of drinking tea. Starting from preventing cancer, preventing the risk of stroke and heart disease, increasing the immune system, anti-virus and others.

So, how many cups of tea should be consumed to get the healthy properties? According to Rohayati, you can consume 3 to 5 cups a day. Consuming that amount, the body will feel healthy, fit and productive.

"Indonesian people are expected to increase their consumption of tea produced by Indonesia. From the initial 0.5 cups per day to 3-5 cups per day," said Rohayati Suprihatini.

Therefore, Indonesian people are expected to drink tea regularly. Given that tea also has many types ranging from green tea, black tea, oolong tea, white tea and others.

Professor Irmanida Batubara, as the Head of the Center for Tropical Biopharmaceutical Studies from LPPM IPB also said that the benefit of drinking tea is no joke. She stated that drinking tea is good for people with stomach acid because it is good for digestion.

"When drinking tea that contains polyphenols, the microbial population in the intestine will be maintained, so if the microbiota is good, it will inhibit the growth of bad bacteria in the intestine," said Irma Batubara.

In addition to nourishing the body, drinking tea also contributes to the environment conservation. Rohayati Suprihatini said that tea plantations have a good impact on the environment.

One hectare of tea garden usually has 13,000 to 15,000 tea plants. When the tea plant grows it can prevent floods and landslides.

"Drinking original Indonesian tea means helping tea production in the country. By drinking tea, we are healthy, the environment is protected and tea farmers are also prosperous," said Rohayati.

Translated by Aprianti from food.detik.com 

Walini Tea's Journey to Be the Best in Indonesia

In the webinar A Flavorful Journey to Indonesia -Tasting Event and Mini Expo organized by Archipelago Store on 19 November 2021, Teh Walini is present as one of Indonesia's key players in the tea sector.

Walini is a well-known national tea brand in West Java owned by PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) VIII. This tea has a wide range of premium and medium products and has its own loyal customers.

In the Coffee, Tea and Cocoa - Tasting Event and Mini Expo, Walini joined to present the history, culture of Indonesian tea and also their great work in producing sustainable products that are also beneficial for surrounding people and future generations.

Together with Hafidz Fikri, International Marketing Team of Walini who presented directly from Bandung, West Java. The following is a complete explanation of the seriousness of PTPN VIII in creating quality tea products.

Through the history of tea presented by Hafidz Fikri, Indonesia is known to have many high quality teas which have even been exported to Europe since 1824.

In Indonesia, Parakan Salak Bogor was the first private commercial tea plantation in 1884. Three years later, the third generation of owners of Parakan Salak Bogor planted Camellia Sinensis Assamica or a plant whose shoots are commonly used as tea drinks around Bandung which have been found to this day.

The growth of tea exports in Indonesia continued to increase in the 1990s. In 1945, the Indonesian government took over all tea plantations owned by private parties which are nowadays managed by PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN).

Indonesia is known to not have a thick central point for serving tea like Japan and China.

However, because Indonesia has a long history and culture of tea from a long time ago, people, especially the Sundanese, usually consume tea in a tradition called Ngariung.

Ngariung is the Sundanese word from "Riung" which means to gather to discuss anything.

"Gathering at coffee shops, gathering at factories and many more. So there is no special ritual" said Hafidz Fikri in his presentation on November 19, 2021.

As the tea producer in Indonesia, PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) VIII produces tea by managing 19 productive plantations with an area of 19,000 hectares and the tea leaves are processed directly in 22 tea factories, you know!

PTPN VIII does not only focus on history but also on the quality of the products offered.

They have several products such as Orthodox Tea, CTC Tea and also White Tea.

PTPN VIII conducts tea tasting process that evaluates the appearance of the color, the aroma and the infused leaves.

"We do three tasting processes in each period to produce Orthodox Tea, CTC Tea and also White Tea to ensure the quality of the products that we can serve to the public," said Hafidz.

Not only focusing on their products, PTPN VIII also cares about the environment, proven by certification stating PTPN VIII as a company that is responsible for environmental sustainability.

From the activities of planting to processing product, PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) VIII comes up with tea product called Walini.

Walini is a premium tea leaf packaged in a pouch with 3 variants, namely White Tea Silver Needle, Green Tea and Black Tea.

Walini also presents practical products in the form of tea bags, which have six flavors. The flavors offered are Black Tea, Green Tea, Lemon Tea, Lychee Tea, Jasmine Tea and Blackcurrant Tea.

What makes Walini Tea more special than others? Hafidz Fikri explained that Walini has the freshness of production quality because it is processed immediately after harvesting, guys!

"PT Perkebunan Nusantara VIII has its own plantation, its own factory. So right after harvest time, usually at 1 pm, the tea leaves are sent directly to the factory and processed there. 2 days later the processed is done and the tea is ready to serve" he explained.

PT Perkebunan Nusantara VIII is also known to have experts in the field since the 1960s.

Well, that's a complete explanation of the seriousness of PTPN VIII in creating quality and environmentally friendly tea products based on the history of tea in Indonesia since a long time ago.

Translated by Aprianti from kuyou.id