Indonesian Tea
May 13, 2010 | 
Author My Indonesian tea arrived yesterday, so as promised here are the tasting notes.
If you read my blog post Tea Producing Countries: Indonesia you may remember that there was a question as to whether Indonesian black tea is rich or light. While there may be some lighter ones grown at higher altitudes, the tea that arrived for me is definitely rich.
It was imported by Mark T. Wendell of Concord, Massachussetts, and comes in a 4oz square gold tin (this is gold as in color, of course, not gold as in metal). It advertised itself as “A dark, rich blend of exquisite teas from Indonesia.
The tea is indeed dark and rich and it brews up quickly as it’s a broken leaf blend. It is very much like a no frills English blend like Ty-phoo. It probably won\’t be worth the $11 retail price unless you’re like me and have a passion for trying tea from every tea producing country. I can now strike Indonesia from the list and go to the next candidate: Bolivia. (The tea is on its way and I’ll report on it.)
Roland Petrov
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Tea production in Indonesia was begun by the Dutch in the 1700s, and I’m guessing that this was the tea being drunk in America when the tea being supplied by the British fell out of favor with the American public.
The Second World War spelled disaster for the Indonesian tea industry, which wasn’t revived until the 1980s. Today, Indonesia produces mostly black tea, most of which is exported and finds its way into blends. Indonesia’s tea is grown in volcanic soil in the highlands.
All my sources agree that Indonesian tea is flavorful, but there is disagreement on whether it is light or rich. Today I came across pure Indonesian tea online, and I purchased a couple of cans. So keep watching this blog for my tasting notes for pure unblended Indonesian tea. (It will also be available for tasting at the tea bar at Tea & Treasure.)
Roland Petrov