Tea the way they drink it at the northern tip of Sumatra, Indonesia
The Aceh province of Indonesia is famous for its devastation by the disastrous 2004 tsunami. In particular the capital Banda Aceh with the wide spread suburbs suffered an extreme death toll and damage.
It is also known for delicous locally grown coffee. The neighboring province Sumatra Utara is a less known for the few tea estates it hosts. But do you know what tea can one try there?
One can taste "teh ais" in a similar fashion as it is served in Malaysia. Apart from that there is also iced or hot black tea (teh) available in many restaurants and coffee shops. But please, be ready for a suggar kick which will mask any trace of the original tea taste. Asking for less sugar does not usually meet with much difference.
This glass of iced Indonesian tea on my picture is from Sigli, Pidie district of Aceh...
A little story: Having something to do in a rice mill, the owner offered me kopi Aceh, a cup of local delicious coffee. After tasting it, I exclaimed that it tased like drinking a cup in a suggar mill rather than being in a rice mill. He was very happy, receiving it as a compliment. Three years later (just last week) while offering me a cup he did not forget to remind me of that conversation.
Culture - there is no good or bad, the more I learn about it, the more I appreciate the differences among all of us.
