TEMPO.CO, Mataram - Tea is one of the most common drinks in Indonesia. Acteavist, a young Indonesian tea lovers community, promotes tea tourism and introduces a variety of authentic Indonesian teas through Jogja Tea Festival held in Konkrite Kafe Sleman, Yogyakarta.

The festival has various activities starting from tea exhibitions, tea mixology competitions, up to workshops.

The event initiator Cakra Virajati said the festival is designed as a conference, education, and creativity room in the world of national tea. It is also aimed at maintaining the enthusiasm of tea lovers, both upstream and downstream, to keep the spirit of reviving the tea industry in the archipelago.

“The registration of tenants and for workshops has been closed since past days as it is already full. Tea lovers coming [to the festival] are from Semarang, Bandung, Surabaya, up to Jakarta,” said Cakra who is also the owner of Dialog tea shop in Mataram, Saturday, March 27, 2021.

Many bartenders from various star hotels participate in the tea mixology contest, which is later won by Arli Kurniawan from Alter Space Jogja. Ari presents Last Kilometer, a blend of lemongrass syrup, West Java green tea, star fruit, and basil.

Many unique tea blends are also introduced in the tea festival, such as a blend of green tea, wasabi, cucumber, ginger, citron, and dragon fruit made by Mayang, a participant from Jakarta. “It has a very unique taste,” she said.

Cakra argued that tea-based drinks can be mixed with other possible ingredients, “to be a more flavorful drink that is worth selling to consumers.”

The tea exhibition, meanwhile, is participated by local MSMEs, including Wikiti, Dekat Tea Ramu Padu, MoonShine, Swarna Tea, Tekoto, and Nona Camelia. The workshop is held twice under the theme of Indonesian tea and modern tea business opportunities delivered by tea experts in Indonesia.

Read: Tea Lovers Hold Nusantara Tea Festival in Simalungun

SUPRIYANTHO KHAFID (CONTRIBUTOR)