My Identi-Tea

Black tea is truly Indonesia. The darker, the better. Dark and sweet. Javanese tea fanatics only take loose tea, brew it in freshly boiled water in a teapot for about five minutes, then pour the tea in a cup filled with lump white sugar. Tea bags are a big NO. I'm a Javanese, never attached to anything in this world to the point of fanaticism, but I do love tea.

As much as I love the bitterness in traditional loose black tea, I grew up digging other tea variants, too, tea bags included. When I'm in a supermarket, I always go to the tea section. To me, these historical Indonesian black teas as well as modern fruity flavored teas are more attractive than potato chips, chocolates, or instant noodles. And this morning I was happy to find that Lipton produced a selection of flavored black tea and infusions at a reasonably low price (compared to pricey Twinings or Dilmah). Some local tea factories have produced similar products before, but I don't really like how the tea left a funny feel in my throat that I suspect coming from too much use of artificial flavors.

I bought two boxes of Lipton tea: apple flavored black tea and peppermint plain infusion. Each box contains 15 individually packed teabags. Other flavors available are strawberry, vanilla, and caramel. For infusion (no tea leaves used), there are two kinds: peppermint and chamomile. I read the information on the carton box about the ingredients, and I am glad that they use real (dehydrated) fruit. A little artificial flavor is still used, though.

It is raining again outside, and it's a little bit chilly. A cup of hot tea would be heaven! And I got this new tea to taste. Born and raised as a Javanese, I always like my tea sweet. Instead of adding sugar, I add one block of Lo Han Kuo in my tea this time. Healthy and... hmmmm.... You should try it!

My buddy Lo

When I was in college, over 15 years ago (darn it, I'm old!), I caught a very bad cold with nasty coughs. One of my best friends, Lani, gave me a super-tiny jar of super-super tiny Chinese pills, a box of chrysanthemum tea, and this oriental looking green box with "Lo Han Kuo Infusion" inscription on it. Lani, a Chinese descendant, said that these trio would help end my suffering. They did.

The Chinese pills, we can forget. I think my friend Lani got them from her great, great grandmother in China or something. Chrysanthemum tea is not the topic of the day either. It is my buddy Lo Han Kuo that I want to introduce you to, in case you have not met this low-key healer. Lo Han Kuo Infusion (the word 'infusion' evokes my memories of these Chinese martial art series of the 80's) is sold in major supermarkets and drugstores. Lo Han Kuo fruits are cultivated in Southern China; they are processed to make small blocks that are packed individually. Well, at least, that is the most common Lo Han Kuo that I know. Take one or two blocks, and dissolve it into a glass of hot water to make tea. The sucrose in Lo gives it its mild fruity sweetness. When I have a sore throat or any other cold symptoms, I don't drink anything else but Lo Han Kuo. I sometimes  replace my regular tea with Lo not (only) because it makes me feel like Beatrix Kiddo, but because Lo simply tastes good.

I don't remember how many friends of mine I have recommended Lo to. The last person is the new girl in the office who, since her first day of work, had coughed incessantly for days. Being the person sharing an office with her, I couldn't rely on my iPod to keep concentrating on my monitor when someone sitting next to me suffered that much. So, I introduced Lo to her. If it didn't cure, at least it proved to give a relieving effect on the itched throat. The next day, the coughs were gone.