Cempaka Culture and Tourism: Bringing the Fine Art of Good Tea to Jakarta

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Bringing the Fine Art of Good Tea to Jakarta

Jakarta Globe, Tasa Nugraza Barley

Tea lovers from Pecinta Teh exploring the many ways to enjoy a cup in Jakarta. (Photo courtesy of Pecinta Teh)

Jakartans know their way around coffee. The abundance of international chains around the city like Starbucks, the Coffee Bean and Gloria Jean’s, as well as local coffee houses like Bakoel Koffie, Bengawan Solo and Anomali, is proof of this.

But try asking the city’s residents what their favorite tea is.

“Most people might answer teh botoh [bottled tea],” said Bambang Laresolo, a member of Pecinta Teh, or Tea Lovers, a local organization dedicated to appreciation of the beverage.

According to Bambang, specialty coffees have become identified with a more upscale lifestyle, while tea is still generally seen as an everyday drink. He added that the availability of various brands of bottled tea, including at traditional food vendors in the streets, is an indication of the different way tea has become part of the culture.

“It’s too bad that we Indonesians only drink low-quality tea,” said Ratna Somantri, who founded the organization that seeks to increase awareness of the beverage in Indonesia in May 2007. Because of her parents, Ratna, an auditor by profession, has always loved tea.

Her mother, a big tea drinker, showed her the Javanese way of drinking tea using traditional teapots and cups, as well as tea from orchids with no sugar. Her Indonesian-Chinese father has also nurtured her love for the beverage. “My father’s relatives were loyal tea drinkers.”

Ratna said that although she still drinks coffee and other beverages, she prefers tea because of the uniquely different sensation it offers. She is even skilled enough to be able to differentiate the good from the bad.

So what makes tea good? Ratna said high-quality tea was characterized by a pleasing aroma and strong taste. “Some tea products are even treated like wine. The longer they are kept, the better taste they have,” she said.

Pecinta Teh wants to encourage more Indonesians to enjoy the local high-quality tea products that are mostly exported to other countries.

“We have many high-quality tea products, such as teh ulung from Bengkulu, which is exported to Taiwan. But it’s too bad the local market can’t enjoy it,” Bambang said.

The group, which has about 250 members who actively interact online, has a mailing list where love of the beverage is shared. The community also holds monthly events at different venues.

“During the event, we usually do a tea tasting, trade tea products and other interesting things related to tea,” Ratna said.

She added that it would probably take a while before high-quality tea becomes accepted in the mainstream. She cited the case of a major tea producer who introduced a quality tea product selling for Rp 54,000 ($6) for a package of 10 sachets.

The tea was deemed expensive by the public. “That’s not expensive at all. True high-quality tea can be sold at Rp 1 million per kilogram,” Ratna said.

Bambang explained that the key differentiator of teas was how they were produced. Categorized based on the oxidation process that the leaves undergo then they are chemically combined with oxygen, these teas include white, green, black and oolong.

Bambang said the less oxidation, the better the tea. Many consider white tea the best since it is barely oxidized. “When mixed with water, white tea is very clear. It smells very good and has a very soft texture,” Bambang said.

“But no one can really claim that one tea is better than another because it’s all about preference, after all.”

For her part, Ratna always makes it a point to buy tea when she travels abroad. She finds this both fun and educational because she learns about a country’s culture through its tea.

Although tea originated from China, Ratna said “drinking tea is a serious business in Japan” because of its intricate tea ceremonies.

One is the chanoyu , performed in a special room where they have ikebana , or floral arrangements, and painting. They also wear a special kimono for the ceremony.

Ratna said the culture of drinking tea in Indonesia was introduced by the Chinese while they traded in the islands and the Dutch when they occupied the country.

“When we welcome guests or talk to others, we drink tea,” Ratna said. “It’s a casual moment.”

Related Article:

Tea export share may fall, but income rise

More tea please!: Tea pickers working at Tambaksari tea plantation in Subang, West Java. Indonesia foresees a decline in its share of the global export tea market in 2009 due to stagnation in the production capacity of the industry, the Indonesia Tea Board (BTI) said on Friday, 14 Feb 2009. ANTARA/REZZA ESTILY..