In search of the perfect cup...Indonesia Day 1

Charity's Indonesian Tea Tour



Day 1: March 20, 2009

We drove about 3 hours from Jakarta to Bandung. When we got to Bandung, we stopped by the Chakra tea central office. We met the owner and different managers of Chakra Tea. We then got into a Ford escape and drove to a restaurant with the son and tea taster of Chakra. Our group had a delicious meal of vegetables, chicken soup, chicken satay, and a cassava dessert. Then we drove on a dirt road for 2 hours through the mountains. Talk about bouncy!

There were strawberries and onions growing together, lots of terracing, and many tea gardens (some owned by the government, small farmers, and private estates). Chakra falls into the 3rd category. After 2 hours we arrived at Dewata. They have 600 hectars of tea gardens, a hydropower plant that supplies power to the factory, village, and guest house. The plantation employs 700 people.

The plants are grown on the sides of the mountains. There are trees strategically placed and seasonally pruned to provide the right amount of shade or sun on the tea plants. They pick year round. This is family owned estate since its purchase from the Dutch when the country became independent (1936). The estate is in the middle of a national rainforest reserve. The estate itself is accredited by HACCP for its state of the art environmental management. The local wildlife is comprised of various birds, insects, eagles, monkeys, flying squirrels, black panthers, snakes, and tigers. The house remains the same as is it was built. The weather at the garden was misty and cool at night. During the day it was very hot.


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