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
