Tea Therapy in West Java Tea Plantation

Exploring tea plantations is like undergoing therapy. It made us realize how rich Nusantara (archipelago) tea is. So, in addition to the scenery therapy, the expedition was also about taste therapy.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

A picker plucks tea leaves at a plantation run by the Tea and Cinchona Research Center in Mekar Sari village, Pasir Jambu district, Bandung regency, West Java on 20 Jan. 2019. The harvesters specially collect tea leaves to produce white tea, which is the most expensive and highest quality tea.

Exploring tea plantations is like undergoing therapy. At least that\'s how we felt when we conducted a survey in a number of tea plantations in Bandung regency in May last year. We also had the same feeling when we, the Nusantara Expedition team, traveled for nine days to West Java from Jun. 19-27, 2019.

Our team consists of reporters, photographers, videographers, info graphic staff and researchers. There were seven people in the team. We departed from the Kompas Tower, Jakarta, on Wednesday morning (19/6/2019) in two cars. Our destination was the office of PT Perkebunan Nusantara VIII in the city of Bandung, about 149 kilometers from the Menara Kompas. The road was relatively smooth, but there was a little gridlock in Cikampek, which we had expected.

Around 11:30 a.m., we arrived at the PTPN VIII Office. After asking for a permit, we continued the journey. This permit was a kind of a ticket for our team to be able to enter and explore several plantations under the auspices of PTPN VIII. However, there were some plantation authorities that were not very open to us. But, never mind.

Also read: Eureka “Nusantara” Tea!

After lunch in Bandung, we drove to the Prabu Geusan Ulun Museum in Sumedang regency, about 78 kilometers from Bandung. This museum is actually not directly related to tea. However, the museum keeps the Sari Oneng Gamelan, the gamelan that has traveled around Europe during the promotion of West Java tea.

That afternoon, we were shown a relatively intact collection of gamelan. Unfortunately, there was no gamelan show so the picture we got was relatively bland. "On Sunday, June 23, there would be gamelan practice and dancing. It seemed suitable to meet the needs of akang-akang [address to elder brothers], " said Rodiah, a museum employee.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

A worker operates a tea-leaf slicing machine at a tea factory in Pasir Canar, Jayagiri, Sukanagara, Cianjur regency, West Java on 27 June 2019.

We agreed to the proposal. We scheduled a time to come back to the Prabu Geusan Ulun Museum. After discussing the details of the planned coverage on Sunday, June 23, we were allowed to leave.

It was late in the afternoon while our next destination was still quite far away, namely the Tea and Quinine Research Center in Gambung, Pasir Jambu, Bandung regency, about 85 kilometers away.

We were aware, no matter how busy we were in Sumedang, we did not forget to buy the famous Sumedang tofu. We bought about 100 pieces of tofu and rice cake. The crispy and juicy Sumedang tofu became a panacea to relieve fatigue when we passed through the traffic jam in Sumedang to reach the Padaleunyi Toll Road.

We went to an inn at the Tea and Quinine Research Center, Gambung, which is about 88 kilometers from Sumedang. It was getting dark when we left Sumedang. We had dinner at Soreang before arriving at the inn around 09:00 p.m.

Also read : Timeline of Nusantara Tea Culture

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Tea pickers take a break at tea plantation Malabar afdeling Sukaratu belonging to state plantation PTPN VIII Malabar, Pangalengan, in Bandung regency, West Java, on June 22, 2019. (22/6/2019).

Nundang (52), a guest house employee, had prepared lodging in the form of a Dutch heritage house with five rooms. In the spacious main room, big enough to accommodate up to 20 people, there was a fireplace. The inn keeper then lit the wood he had piled. We ate snacks interspersed with drinking white tea produced by PPTK Gambung, one of the best types of tea in the world. Warm.

Then we discussed our plans for the next day, which included seeing the process of picking white tea leaves. "Tomorrow after dawn, go with me to the garden with the pickers," said Adhi Irianto Mastur, the manager of the PPTK Gambung plantation, who also joined our meeting.

Outside the room, the temperature was below 10 degrees Celsius. However, indoors, cellphones recorded temperatures reaching 26 degrees Celsius. The fireplace in the living room effectively drove away the cold. Some of us chose to sleep near the fireplace.

Towards dawn, some chose to move to the room because the wood had run out and the fireplace could no longer dispel the cold.

That morning, the road was quite when a group of pickers huddled in a public transport car headed for the plantation. We came to the middle of the plantation, chatting, just for fun helping picking, or taking pictures.

Some even had their breakfast when the picking was over. Covering the activities of these pickers was leisurely. Fresh air, beautiful scenery, and meeting friendly people. That morning we worked happily.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

A man pours a cup of brewed tea at his residence in Pasir Canar, Jayagiri, Sukanagara, Cianjur regency, West Java, 27 June 2019.

Taste flavors

With a tight agenda and time constraints, we had to move effectively and efficiently. But, we did not forget to enjoy it. "Amid the traffic jams in the Cikampek toll road, Mas Faiq offered a cup of tea with the aroma of corn. In the first tasting, I felt it directly attached to my memory. For the first time, I was able to enjoy fresh tea and immediately fall in love. Understandably, I come from a family that drinks tea with a mixture of sugar in it or as the Javanese call it nasgitel (hot, sweet and thick)," said Winarso, an infographic staff member who participated in the expedition team.

In the following days, we tasted a variety of teas such as white tea, black tea, green tea and even geulang tea. The latter type of tea is traditionally processed. The aroma is of fresh grass. This expedition was like a tea flavor expedition. It made us realize how rich Nusantara (archipelago) tea is. So, in addition to the scenery therapy, the expedition was also about taste therapy.

During the first three days, we stayed in three different places. The night we could not forget was the night we spent at the Malabar Tea Plantation. The next morning, Rian Septiandi, the videographer, told me he could not sleep because of the noisy sound of the bed pulsing. He woke up at 3:00 a.m., feeling disturbed.

The fog lamp case remained a mystery.

After “investigating”, he found it was not a supernatural creature that had woken him, but Winarso, who was shivering beside Rian. The temperature was about 5-10 degrees Celsius at that time and the wooden walls could not prevent the cold from coming into the room. Blankets were not enough to stay warm.

Another strange incident occurred the next day when we moved to an inn in the Rancabali area. Again, Rian found an anomaly in the morning. One of the fog lights of the car we took was gone.

After we checked more carefully, it turned out that the fog lights were stuck to the bumper of the car. It was strange because our car had not hit anything. Until the time when the Nusantara Tea Expedition was published, the fog lamp case remained a mystery.