Top 17 Indonesian Tea – Characteristic & Benefits

Indonesia with all of its nature and the prosperity land, makes Indonesia becomes agrarian country with the richness of its biodiversity. The geography of Indonesia as the tropical country, makes Indonesia have a constant temperature and humidity on its highland which is very ideal for some plant to grow well. One of all those plants is tea plant.

Tea plant is originally from China. However, although tea plant is not originally from Indonesia, Indonesia has became the fourth largest tea producer in the world on 2104>Moreover its currently become the seventh largest tea producer in the world.

As we all know, tea is one of the most popular beverages in the world. It has been spread out in everyplace all over the world. It is even not overstate to say that everybody has tasted the tea. Moreover, tea from Indonesia has been exported since 19^th century. Indonesian tea known as the premium tea with the highest chatechins (natural antioxidant) in the world.

Terminologically, every beverages which is processed by pouring boiled water on, are considered as a tea. It is not confined by tea leaves, tea can be made from fruits like lychee and berries and even can be made from flowers like rose, jasmine, rosella and etc. Furthermore, in Indonesia there’s some special tea made from another tree leaves like teak tree leaves, Bay leaf, Moringa leaf, Breadfruit leaf and etc.

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History

Based on the history, Tea was introduced in Indonesia for the first time is in 1684 by a German biologist, Andreas Cleyer as a decorative plant in Jakarta. Then, in the 1826 tea plants planted in the Bogor Botanical Garden to complete the garden’s collection.

In the 1828, the tea tree massively planted in Wanayasa and Raung, the expected success of that tea industry leading to the cultuurstelsel or enforcement cultivation system by Netherlands to Indonesian people. Then, in the early twentieth century, tea from Indonesia exported to Europe and gain popularity for its high premium quality. By the time goes by, tea industry in Indonesia keep growing and makes Indonesia one of the top tea producer in the world.

There are several types of Indonesian Tea, as follows:

• Daun Kopi Tea

Daun is bahasa for leaf in English and kopi is for coffee. So, Daun kopi tea is a tea made from coffee tree leaves. Coffee tree leaves picked, withered, rolled then heated just like making usual tea. There are so many benefit we can get by consuming coffee leaves tree, that are :

1. Cure Maag.
2. Prevent Heart Disease.
3. Reduce dizziness.
4. Enhance Respiratory Tract, Coffee tree leaf able to cure sore throat by adding the tea with ginger.
5. Anti-inflammatory.

A research in the Europe show that coffee tree leave contains more antioxidant that black tea. It is definitely good for the body because antioxidant is used to prevent free radical. The last but not least, Coffee tree leaf has the ability to help lower the sugar level on the blood. It is optimally lower the risk of diabetes, which is caused by the high sugar level on the blood. Drink the coffee tree leaf without sugar addition routine is so good for the sake of our health.

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• Daun Jati Tea

Jati is bahasa for Teak tree in English.Teak tree is known for its strong stem as the most expensive raw materials furniture. More than that, it’s leaf contains an Anthranoid compound that able to stimulate intestines contraction. The benefit of Teak leaf tea are,

1. Help to Cleanse the Dirty Blood.
2. Lower Cholesterol Levels.
3. Reduce Fat.
4. Cleanse Toxic.

• Daun Salam Tea

Bay leaf usually used by Indonesian people as natural additional flavoring for Indonesian cuisine. Bay leaf has a special aroma that enhance the aroma of the food itself. Moreover, Indonesian people innovated to make a tea from bay leaves.

In addition, there are benefits of consuming bay leaf tea. One of them is for enhance the digestive system. Bay leaf contains a lot of vitamin and mineral that good for the digestive system. Daun salam or bay leaf tea even able to help curing diarrhea as an oralit, by making bay leaf tea without sugar and adding a pinch of salt. While, the other benefit of Bay leaf is :

1. Cure hypertension.
2. Help to loose weight.
3. Enhance the immunity.
4. Lower cholesterol level.
5. Cure cough.

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• Breadfruit leaf Tea

Breadfruit only grow in the tropical area like Indonesia. It contains a lot of nutrition like fosfor, calcium, protein, vitamin A, B1, B2 and Antioxidant. Its nutrition is also can be found in its leaves. Furthermore, Breadfruit leaf tea has a lot of benefits, such as :

1. Reduce the Hypertension.
2. Control the Cholesterol Levels.
3. Cure the Arthritis.
4. Good to heal diabetes.
5. Heal Maag.
6. Prevent Colon Cancer

On the other hand, For making breadfruit leaf tea is just like making the other tea. Choose the good leaf, clean with the water, then dried it in the sunshine then boil in the water

• Rose Tea

The main benefit of drinking rose tea is the sense of relax, the fragrance of the rose and its substantial content able to relief anxiety and depression. Tea roses are a source of antioxidants and vitamin E, D, C, B3 and citric acid. Therefore, the substancial contents in the rose are healthy as it can support the immune system. In addition, rose tea also prevent constipation and helpful in the lose weight program.

To make rose tea is so simple. Just choose the best petal flower and make sure it is pesticides free, the pour in the hot water for several hours to wait the fragrance out completely.

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• Binahong Tea

Binahong or Heart-leaf made ravine is a herbal plant which has a lot of benefits to prevent and cure a lot of diseases varieties. This kind or leaf also used as the medicines and as the disease prevention, Binahong leaf consumed by boiling it on the water just like making another tea herbal.

Some of the benefits are:

1. Help the recovery process after surgery.
2. Stroke prevention.
3. Cancer Prevention.
4. Joint Sore Prevention.
5. Reduce Cholesterol.

• Herbal Tea

All of the tea which made from the flower and fruits without adding tea leaves is actually called Herbal tea. Rose tea, jasmine tea, lychee tea, considered as the one of Herbal tea. The varieties of the fruits or flowers are depends on the benefits or goal that we want to get. If we want to relax we can make a calming herbal tea like rose tea or jasmine tea and so on.

There are so many types of herbal tea, such as Calming herbal tea, Heart health herbal tea, Infant health herbal tea, Weight loss herbal tea and so many more. Beside of its unlimited benefits, by consuming herbal tea we may get more delightful taste of the fruits.

• Rosebud Tea

The Rosebud tea is similar with Rose tea. But it’s made from the bud of rose which still closed. The younger petal it is made from, makes Rosebud Tea tasted softer than Rose Tea, and it’s scent more fresh too. Even though it still a bud, the nutrition is the same as the nutrition on the bloomed flower.

How to make Rosebud Tea is also same with the way of making Rose Tea. Choose the pesticides free rosebud in the first place, then pour it into the hot water and keep for several hours. then, Rosebud tea is ready to deserved to release stress.

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• Lemongrass Tea

Lemongrass also called fever grass, lemongrass smells like lemon, but it tastes milder and sweeter. Usually, in various Asian cuisine, its used as a flavoring agent because it contains potent flavor. Lemongrass is a good source of vitamins A and C. As well as other vitamins such as folate, potassium,  zinc, copper, calcium , magnesium,  iron, phosphorus,  folic acid, and manganese.

Lemongrass tea usually used for prevent various health diseases. You can make the tea by adding one teaspoon of fresh or dried lemongrass for about 10 minutes in cup of hot water. cooling it before serve.

Here are some health benefits of lemongrass tea.

1. Helps Digestion
2. Controls Cholesterol Levels
3. Cleanses and Detoxifies
4. Heals Colds and Flu
5. Fights Cancer
6. Reduces Arthritis Pain

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• Jasmine Tea

Jasmine tea is a tea made from the petal of jasmine flower. It is usually used as the addition of the basic tea like black tea, green tea or white tea for the scent. But it can be also pure jasmine to get the strong fragrance. It is originally from china, and it’s popular as the most delicious scented tea in the world.

There are 2 ways to make a jasmine tea. The first one is pick jasmine in early morning and choose the flower which the small petal still closed. Then, keep the petal until night on until it dries and produce the maximum scent in the room temperature. After it dries, pour it in the boiled water then the tea ready to serve.

The second way to make jasmine tea is picking the flower in the early spring, then pour in the hot water for five until seven hours to make the water fully scented.

The scent of jasmine tea can make relax and reduce the stress. It is very enjoyable to drink a cup of jasmine tea in the evening after the hectic day to make the body and brain relax.

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• Black Tea

Black tea is made from the large-leaved tea tree different from the other tea which made from the small-leaved tea tree like green tea and white tea.

The process to make tea is like another tea. The chosen tea leaves withered by water, then rolled, and what makes black tea different is that the leaves are fermented before it heated.

The leaves fully oxidized in the controlled humidity and temperature makes black tea’s flavor remains for several years not like green tea.

Black tea is the most popular tea besides all of the kind of tea. In the Europe and America black tea is dominate the selling of tea in ninety percent. In the China black tea is also called Red tea. So, basically black tea and red tea is the same. The fresh black tea colored reddish, and its get darker by the time it in the storage.

• Red Tea

In China Red tea is the other name of Black tea, red tea and black tea is considered the same. But in the Europe and Africa, Red tea is popular for Rooibos tree leaf tea. Rooibos is a tree growing in South Africa. Rooibos contains a lot of health benefits, include, its benefit to nagging allergies, insomnia, hypertension, headache, bone weakness, and premature aging.

The tea is caffeine free and is also low in tannins. Red rooibos tea has no oxalic acid so it can be consumed by people who suffer kidney stones.  It also contains antioxidants to prevent cancer and another diseases.

• Green Tea

Green tea is popular for it’s high antioxidant and very helpful for weight loss program and for skincare treatment. Even though It is from the same tea tree just like black tea and white tea, green tea different in the process.

The process to make green tea is withering the leaves with the clear water, heating, rolling, then drying, without being fermented or oxidized. this process makes the antioxidants remains on the leaves. Besides its ability to maintain the weight and the skin, green tea also has the ability to cure some diseases, such as:

1. Diabetes.
2. Heart Disease.
3. Esophageal Cancer.
4. Cholesterol.
5. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
6. Tooth Decay.
7. Blood Pressure.
8. Depression.
9. Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial.

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• White Tea

White tea is a tea made from tea tree like the other tea like black tea and green tea. The thing that makes white tea different is the process. Different with the other tea, White tea didn’t pass the fermentation process. It is the least process tea. The chosen leaves (the immature leaves, still tightly closed) are only withered by water then dried in the sunshine.

The less process it passed the more antioxidants and cafein remains on the leaves. White tea contains the highest cathecins and poly-phenol than any other tea which from the same tree like green tea and black tea.

• Lychee Tea

Lychees contain a lot of vitamins, fiber and antioxidants. According to the research lychee has the same amount vitamin C with the oranges or lemons, it has a significant amount of potassium and as much fiber as an apple with the skin on. An the strange and amazing fact is, the nutrition inside the dried lychee is more than the fresh lychee. So, to get the maximum benefits of lychee we can consume lychee as a tea. Lychee is also used to add the scent and taste of black tea. Here are some benefits of Lychee tea ,

1. Antioxidant Protection
2. Maintain Heart Health
3. Blood Regulation
4. Anti-Inflammatory
5. Vitamin C

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• Keraton Tea

Word Keraton is javanese for Palace in english. The Keraton tea served for the royal family in central java in the Patehan tradition. It is very unique, the tea is from the tea leaves like another tea, but it served Nasgitel. Nasgitel is abbreviation for Panas which means Hot. Legi, means sweet an Kenthel which means Thick.

Nasgitel is the philosophy of life. Keraton tea deserved with the lump sugar, as the simile of the sweets of life. And the Hot means, in the life, we may pass the hard time which is hot. Then the hot tea meets the sweetness of lump sugar create the balanced taste. And that is the balance of life.

Tea Plantation in Indonesia

• Rancabali Tea Plantation

Rancabali is one of the largest tea plantation area in West Java. It has an area up to  1.500 ares. Then, it located in Ciwidey highland, at the Patengan Village, Rancabali district, southern part of Bandung regency West Java.  For entering this plantation, it cost 10.000 rupiahs per person.

The government develop this area into an attractive tourist destinations. Therefore, in the Rancabali tea plantation we can also learn how to produce tea in the factory near the place. And also there is a camping ground near the place.

On the other hand, near the Rancabali tea plantation, there is a lake, named Situ Patenggang. Due to its beauty, this place often used as shooting spot for commercials or privates.

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• Kemuning Tea Plantation

In the Lawu mountains Central Java there is a popular tea plantation area named Kemuning, located in Kemuning village, Ngargoyoso District, Karanganyar Regency, Central java 1540 asl with the temperature around 22 Celsius degree. It is approximately 25 kilometers on the east side of Solo. Kemuning tea plantation is managed by Agro Kemuning Tourism cooperate. There are two temples near the place, that are Sukuh temple and Cetho temple.

Kemuning tea plantation area can be reach approximately 40 minutes by motorcycle from the central city of solo to the east.

• Kayu Aro Tea Plantation

Kayu Aro tea plantation is the oldest and largest tea plantation in Indonesia, It’s land area approximately 3020 hectares. It is located in Kerinci Regency, Jambi Province on teh Kerinci mountains. Black tea produced by Kayu Aro tea plantation is recognized as black tea with the best taste in the world. But, The best quality or Grade 1 is exported to Europe, while the products in Indonesia, only a mixture of Grade I, II, III.

The Kayu Aro’s tea product is also become a favorite tea in Germany, Russian and some Arab States.

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• Gunung Mas Tea Plantation

Gunung Mas Tea Plantation is an agro-tourism destination in West Java. It is located less than 90 kilometers south of Jakarta before the Puncak Pass, on the road from Bogor to Bandung. In the Gunung Mas tea plantation we can enjoy the scenery and riding a horse around the tea plantation, enjoy the fresh tea in the tea corner or even challenge your adrenaline with sky gliding.

The Gunung Mas tea plantation cultivated since in the Dutch colonial era. It is one of the oldest tea plantation in Indonesia. This place often used as the filming set of an Indonesia movie or drama. It cost 6000 rupiahs per person to enter the location.

• Wonosari Tea Plantation

Agro Wonosari Tea Plantation located on the border between two villages, Toyomarto village and  Singosari Wonorejo Village, Lawang District, Malang regency, East Java. It is situated on the slopes of Mount Arjuna at altitudes between 950-1250 above sea level with temperatures between 19-26 degrees Celsius. It is managed by Perkebunan Nusantara XII cooperate. In the area of plantation, there are facilities such as playground for children, swimming pool, supermarket, outbound, and many more. Moreover, at the surrounding area also has several cottages for visitors. Then, the cost is around 200,000 to 1,000.000 per night.

• Kaligua Tea Plantation

Kaligua tea plantation is located on the west of Mount Slamet at an altitude of 1500-2050 m asl with the temperatures between 8o – 28o Celsius. Its location is in the Pandansari  Paguyangan Village, Brebes District, Central Java. The Plantation was founded in 1889. The product of Kaligua tea plantation are a black tea with brand “Kaligua” packed in the tea bag and powder.

There are a lot of facilities offered in the place include learning how to breed a tea, to harvest, and see the process of making tea in the factory. In around the tea plantation also there a camping ground, tennis court and playground. Kaligua Tea Plantation has a natural freshness and pollution-free.

• Sidomanik Tea Plantation

Sidamanik Tea Plantation located on a highland in the PTPN IV Bah Butong, Sidamanik and Tobasari, District Sidamanik, Simalungun, Siantar. It’s land area approximately 2.684.84 Ha at the altitude of 890 m asl.

The Sidamanik Tea Plantation established in 1917 by Netherlands Hand Maskapai (NV.NHM). And the factory built in 1927 but start the operation in 1931. The tea plantation produced premium quality black tea and export the tea to Egypt, Irac, Syria, German, Irlandia, Italia, Netherland.

As well as others like France, Spain, America, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Singapura, Malaysia, China, and Pakistan.

Despite of all the mentioned benefits of tea, it still not good to consume too much tea. Because tea contains tannins that able to spark anemia, and tea also contains caffein. Moreover, pouring a milk into a tea is actually kill the antioxidant and make the tea’s ability to prevent cancer become useless. Well, everything which over than the portion is always not good. Drink enough, rest enough, and don’t forget to exercise for the good sake of your health.