The best places for a sip of tea in Jakarta

The best places for a sip of tea in Jakarta

Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Jakarta

A great deal of scientific evidence has been gathered on the
health benefits of drinking tea. According to some experts,
drinking one or more cups of tea a day can reduce the risk of
heart attack, stroke and some types of cancer.

Besides the health benefits, there is also much to be said for
the advantages of sitting down to cup of tea to forget, if just
for a few blissful moments, the tensions and problems of everyday
life.

With all this in mind, come take a tour of just a few of the
best places in Jakarta to sip a good cup of tea.

Fountain Lounge

Grand Hyatt Hotel, Mezzanine Level, Jl. Thamrin. Telephone
(021) 390 1234. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.

If you find that mass-market tea bags leave something to be
desired in terms of flavor, you will love this place. Here you
can order a cup of tea brewed from tea leaves. The tea is served
in a special tea pot with a built-in "presser" that holds down
the loose tea.

The tea is displayed in jars and there are fruit flavored teas
such as wild strawberry, apple, lemon, mango, peach, wild cherry
and black currant. They also have a selection of Husk Herbal
Infusion teas, with names like Digest, Harmony, Calma, Revive and
Dream. All of the teas cost Rp 35,000 for a pot.

I chose Calma, which proved to be a bit bitter for my liking,
though the aromatic bouquet was quite enjoyable.

They also serve refreshing fruit-flavored iced teas in large
glasses.

Fountain Lounge also has a selection of snacks. The crispy
fried cuttlefish balls (Rp 45,000 for six balls) is pricey but
delicious, and is a favorite.

One loyal customer said, "I like the Fountain Lounge, mainly
because I can see Jakarta by night through the windows while I
sip my hot tea."

Coffee Club

Plaza Senayan, First Floor, Jl. Asia Afrika. Telephone (021)
573 0910. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Mix together a cool crowd, tasty food and great coffee and you
have the Coffee Club, according to fans of a minimalist style
cafe.

And despite its name, Coffee Club also sells a varied
selection of teas. Their selection includes Oolong Chinese tea,
Japanese tea, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Jasmine, and hazelnut tea
(served with milk).

The chamomile tea (Rp 17,000 for a small pot) smells
delightful and has a gentle sweet taste. Add a little honey and
you have a very good cup of tea.

The berry tea also smells delicious, though it was a little
sour for my taste. The peach tea, though, is a distinctly
flavorful tea.

Looking for Indian tea? Try the Nilgiri -- meaning Blue
Mountain -- from southern India (Rp 16,000), with its delicate
fresh taste.

Coffee Club also has some very good cakes, including a
Blueberry Cheesecake and a Chocolate Tiramisu (Rp 18,500).

There is one drawback, however, and that is the cigarette
smoke, which even in the non-smoking section can prove difficult
to avoid. But if you can ignore this, Coffee Club is a good place
for a cup or two.

Saint's Alp Teahouse

Mal Ciputra, Fifth Floor, Jl. Letjen S. Parman, Grogol.
Telephone (021) 568 1484. Open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Located in a clamorous mall, this place offers friendly
service and exotic tea. However, if you only frequent chic cafes
this is not the place for you, as there is nothing special about
the interior. But if you want a wide selection of good teas at
reasonable prices, you'll love the Saint's Alp.

You will find such exotic teas as Ice Roasted Oolong and Ice
Roasted Ti Kwan Yin (Rp 8,750 for regular and Rp 11,500 for
large).

"Ice roasted" means that the traditional charcoal roasting
process has been used on semi-fermented Oolong and Ti Kwan Yin
teas (Ti Kwan Yin is also known as Iron Buddha).

This delicate roasting process increases the distinct aroma of
the charcoal scent, and guarantees a rich and intricate finish to
the tea. Or that's how the waiter explained the meaning of "Ice
roasted".

And if you get a little confused by some of the terms here,
don't hesitate to ask the friendly waiters. I asked a few
questions and was rewarded with some free jasmine tea jelly!

The honey green tea with pearl tapioca (Rp 10,750) is served
chilled. The tea was fine, but I found the tapioca pearls too
chewy. But in some countries, such as Taiwan, adding tapioca
pearls to drinks is the trend.

They also offer food here. The green tea noodles with fried
cuttlefish balls is rather good and costs only Rp 14,500.

"I want good tea and appetizing food, and this place has them
both at reasonable prices," said one regular visitor.

Lobby Lounge

Kempinski Hotel, Ground Floor, Jl. Sudirman. Telephone (021)
251 0888. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Offers both tea bags and loose tea, with no difference in
price. If you prefer the latter, you must inform the waiter when
ordering, or they will give you a tea bag.

A small tea pot costs Rp 18,000 and among your choices of tea
are jasmine, Oolong, English Breakfast, chamomile, Earl Grey and
Japanese green tea.

For the fruit-flavored iced teas, the Lobby Lounge only serves
tea bags. The flavors you can choose from are mango, strawberry,
orange, lemon and peach.

The waitress informed me that my delicious iced mango tea was
made using Pickwick tea bags. It came in a small jug (Rp 22,000),
with some diced mangoes swimming inside.

One guest said, "I like the fresh iced teas and the soothing
ambience."