Satu liputan yang membuat saya sangat tersanjung. Tulisan ini ditulis oleh Arif Suryo, seorang kontributor Jakarta Post yang begitu serius dalam hal ekploring data, begitu cerewet dan detail ketika minta data, dan terlebih dia juga seorang pecinta teh yang rela mengorbankan waktu, uang, jarak dan waktu hanya untuk memburu kenikmatan secangkir teh.
Selain itu, pak Arif juga seorang translator. Tidak heran, kalau akhirnya artikel yang dia tulis menjadi sangat indah. Pemilihan kata-katanya sangat tidak biasa, tetapi memberikan arti yang begitu dalam. Appresiasi setinggi-tingginya untuk pak Arif dan terima kasih untuk Jakarta Post yang telah memuat artikel tersebut. Sebuah kehormatan yang sangat berarti buat saya.
Dibawah ini saya share tulisan tersebut yang saya copy paste dari http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/02/13/tea-treasures-unassuming-stall.html
Tea treasures in an unassuming stall
Drinking tea is a pleasure for the senses as well as the mind.
A leisurely discussion, sharing information about tea with like-minded fellows is one of the best experiences and times spent in life. For me and many others, one particular venue for such good times is the Laresolo tea stall.
Designed in the style of a thatched bar at the Agripark Complex in Bogor, the simple, rustic and humble-but-cozy tea bar, operational since July 11, 2010, offers an excellent, intriguing and unusual selection of teas including blended and herbal teas, and at times, unique teas such as the early spring ya bao (bud treasure) which is a white pu-erh tea made of wild white camellia variety from Dehong, Western Yunnan, China.
Owned by Bambang Muhtar Rusdianto, a meticulous tea lover who is also co-founder and moderator of the Pecinta Teh (Tea Lover) club, the stall is basically a gourmet tea establishment disguised as an unassuming tea stall.
It may still have in its stock Indonesia’s finest, export-bound, top-quality teas. Some of them were recently introduced, such as the highly fragrant Bengkulu oolong tea and the organic, complex Banten oolong tea.
Some others have existed since long ago, such as the Tambi tea (from Wonosobo) and the full-bodied, strong-tasting Kajoe Aro tea (of the “dust” type) from the foot of Mt. Kerinci in Jambi.
Both teas have been exported to Europe since Dutch colonial times, with the latter being used extensively for blending and having reportedly filled the teacup of the late Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and Queen Elizabeth II of Britain (as English breakfast tea). In general, these fine teas are not available in supermarkets throughout the country due to their extremely high prices and export status. Many Indonesians are not even cognizant of them.
So, by offering these teas as well as a selection of other excellent foreign teas at prices that senior high school and university students can swallow, the stall makes them affordable luxuries.
For example, a pot of chamomile tea (containing one Twinnings tea bag), which can be found in any major supermarket in Jakarta, cost me around Rp 40,000 (US$4.46) plus tax and service at a French “fine dining” restaurant in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, a few years ago.
By contrast, a pot of chamomile tea I drank at the stall set me back just Rp 10,000 and what’s more, the chamo-mile is not in a tea bag, but dried, whole-flower chamomile whose flavors are much more wonderful than their bagged counterparts — which true tea connoisseurs normally despise.
However, availability is a luxury.
What is available today may no longer be available tomorrow. And what is no
longer available may never be available again.
This is especially true for teas that are not included on the menu such as a particular Qing Xin oolong tea with a delicate taste which Bambang refers to as “the last oolong tea in the world” because the plantation from which it comes, probably in the township of Guangxi, is no more to be found due to landslides from the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
Another tea the stall used to have is a Mariage Frères tea named Wedding Imperial. It ran out quickly, which is not surprising because it coasts on the popular flavors with some sweet sensations loved by many: chocolate, toffee and caramel.
In spite of this, the teas that are listed on the stall’s menu are available most of the time, although changes in their sources, and thus their tastes, are inevitable as Bambang gets more advanced in sourcing his teas and creating his own blends.
The stall’s four best sellers, however, are teas that true tea connoisseurs often look down on because they are coasting on enhanced flavors and do not really bring out the best of the real tea (Camellia sinensis).
The four are a kuwini fragrant mango (Mangifera odorata)-flavored tea, After Dark (a blend of dried blackberry leaves, balm, peppermint, chamomile flowers, orange flowers, rose flowers, lemon grass and bilberry flowers), Red Berries (raspberry-cherry flavored herbal mixture of dried Hibiscus blossoms, elderberries, grapes, billberries and citrus peel), and Dream of Fruit (black tea, dried strawberries and raspberries).
They may occasionally be out of stock due to popular demand, which is indicative of where the taste of the public is going.
The stall’s signature teas are cold teas, notably green mint lemon tea, slowly brewed for 12 hours. It is a simple but great combination of flavors: a green tea and mint tea blend mixed with freshly peeled skins of deliciously fragrant imported lemons from a certain source which, unfortunately, is not always available on the market.
Another tea that tastes great when brewed cold is Banten oolong tea, arguably one of the country’s finest oolong teas. The cold brew of this tea gave me an uplifting, emotionally and intellectually stimulating and relaxing experience with its delightful encounter with carefully arranged rose, honeysuckle, nutty and lychee flavors and beyond.
A cold brew of the Tambi black tea (of the “Broken Orange Pekoe” type) whose taste hints at complex honey is another great-tasting tea.
Bambang aspires to set up a center of the world’s tea culture. But that would require a lot of investment. On Nov. 22 of last year, he managed to open another tea bar in a more modern setting at the food court of a shopping mall, Yogya Bogor Junction.
I wish him a lot of success with his venture. However, should his business grow by leaps and bounds, chances are that the stall would be relocated to a luxurious building or mall, transformed into a modern-day tea house, commercialized and franchised, and accessible only to upscale clientele.
This may set the law of effect in motion, thus making this type of business too crowded. And yet, before my thoughts ramble too far into the stereotypical predictability of the unpredictable future,
let’s have a cup of tea…
