TEH POCI

At first, i’m not a tea lover, i didn’t know so many variety of tea, people talk about. They often talk about Oolong tea (kind of Chinese tea) and some kind of Japanese tea. Everytime i went to restaurants or cafe, sometimes i order tea, but i really never notice / realize what kind of tea that was i ordered. I just drink it as a complement for my other foods menu. But recently, i don’t know why, i’m starting love it’s taste. I’m interesting on Teh poci and Chinese tea. This time i would write about Teh poci and my be write about Chinese tea later because there is so many things about Chinese tea i really want to find out.

Originally, teh poci comes from Tegal, Central Java, Indonesia. Tea drinking tradition in this place affected by chinese trader that ever lived there. The way of ‘poci’ (means teapot) and the glass made of clay is a chinese tradition in Ming Dinasty.

The existence of tea in Tegal, generally in Indonesia also cannot separated from dutch colonial era. They implemented Cultivation system or culturstelsel for the indigenous people. At that time, Dutch bring tea plantation to Indonesia and sell its high quality product in the Europe market. The indigenous people make tea from the low quality product.

That condition shaping Tegal people’s taste of tea, kind of bitter. But, later Teh poci mixed with jasmine flower to make it more enjoyable. And usually it served with sugar-shaped like a little stone as a sweetener.

Tegal’s people believes that the inside of teapot should never washed, just take out the tea remains. The more crust the more flavor the taste of the tea.