Teh Melati

The tea next door. I didn’t expect to see this one on steepster.

I live in Indonesia, and get to see this tea a lot. For some reason Indonesians like their tea with jasmine mixed in it (hence the name “Teh Melati”=“Jasmine Tea”). In fact I drink this tea every other day, so perhaps I’ve gotten too used to it.

The loose tea version of jasmine tea is traditionally served in clay teapots that stain inside, sweetened with sugar blocks (crystalline sugar, not pressed white sugar blocks). Some people prefer it unsweetened. The color is usually a bright brownish red. Its a bit like Assam with a nice hint of jasmine (obviously), and it is very astringent in my opinion.

The teabag version of this brand is more industrialized, with a weaker and smoother taste (perhaps designed to be a faint pretender of its Loose Tea version), good enough for daily consumption. Which is how I think it was intended for: the vast mainstream masses.

This is an excellent quality tea, that a relative brought me from Indonesia. It has all the qualities that a good tea should should have. Rich the in the aroma, characteristic of a mountain grown tea that has been carefully plucked and selected from the young tea leaves, it is gently enhanced with some fragrance of jasmine. I only wish that I could find a place to buy it, preferably direct from Indonesia to get that same freshness.
I find a tea of this quality, that is so smooth, without bitterness and yet so aromatic very difficult to find here in the US.

Ini adalah review pertama saya mengenai Teh yang saya minum. Untuk teh melati Tong Tji ini saya sering mencicipinya dalam kemasan Tea Bag ( Teh Celup ). Agar dapat menikmati sensasi rasa yang elegan, Saya tidak pernah mencelupkan teh ini lama-lama, cukup 2 menit saja ke dalam gelas berisi air panas.