In 2008, Chariteas owner – Charity Chalmers – took her first
tea sourcing trip out of the country. Sometimes – in order to judge the quality
of a product before buying it wholesale – one needs to try tea directly
from the source. However, her first sourcing trip wasn’t to one of the usual
suspects like China, Taiwan or India, but rather Indonesia.
The location for her search? The Dewata Tea Estate. It was one of six estates owned by the Chakra
Tea group. The name “Dewata” translated to “home of the gods and goddesses” in
the local language. The tea estate resides in the heart of Gunung Tilu, a protected
national forest in West Java, Indonesia. Teas produced there are grown at an
elevation of 1,000-1,500 meters above sea level.
Charity arrived in Jakarta a day prior to the estate trip.
Dewata was a good six-hour drive from the city – mostly uphill. The next day,
she and her group began the trip by car. After three hours, they arrived at the
main office at the base of the mountain. She met with the owner, the owner’s
family, and a few others for a meeting before heading in another car for the second leg of the journey. Up the mountain.
By late-afternoon, they arrived at the plantation. Lush
hills were blanketed with bold green tea plants. The estate also possessed a
nature reserve, a tea processing plant, a large tasting room, and a guest
cottage. They met the owner’s son and a few of the women workers at the
plantation. Soon after, they had their first tasting session. It was a
sencha-style green tea with a fresh and delightful profile; a perfect prelude
to the traditional Indonesian dinner that followed.
The next morning, they embarked on a jam-packed tours and
tastings. Their schedule began with a provided breakfast, followed by a tour of
the tea garden proper. First, every visitor was required to plant a tree to aid
reforestation. Charity thought this was a wonderful thing.
While exploring the garden, the group learned that they only
plucked the top two tea leaves and one bud of each shoot. Charity was even
allowed to pluck some green leaves herself from the lush, healthy-looking tea
plants. All the while, birds chirped from the neighboring nature reserve, like
a musical accompaniment to the proceedings.
The next item notched off was the tea processing plant.
Spectators were required to don hair nets, hats, white coats and shoe covers
before entering. Charity remembers the smell inside the factory. She had
difficulty identifying a prominent aroma, but it there were fragrant notes of
flowers, nuts, herbs and . . . toast. All vying for prominence.
“Like walking into a house, smelling the scent of
fresh-cooked bread,” she thought to herself.
They watched as green leaves were unloaded, dried,
processed, graded and sorted according to quality. The operation was a
continuous one – leaves came in and finished tea came out, like clockwork. All
of it was quite industrious to behold.
The penultimate leg of the tour was the cupping session.
The group was presented with thirty-five different teas to
taste-test. Loose leaves were weighed, lined up, and placed in steeper cups –
ready for hot water. Sippers were also presented with a spittoon while
continuing down the tasting flight. Charity began down the line, slurping and
spitting as she went, making mental note of the – well – taster notes of each
one.
Then she encountered one that really stood out. A Silver
Needle-style white tea she later dubbed “White Tea Bud”. Charity couldn’t quite
recall the exact notes she detected on taste, but did remember her initial
reaction, “Heavenly.” After the tour, she spoke with those in charge about
procuring some tea. The site tour concluded with a pleasant lunch outdoors,
basking in the unique sights, sounds and tastes
To this day, that first Indonesia trip remains the highlight
of her tea travels. The most rewarding experiences stem from the surroundings
and the people one is surrounded with. Beautiful scenery and lovely teas don’t
hurt, either.
