The Tayu Tea, a Bangka Chinese Cultural Heritage, To be protected as GI in Indonesia

JAKARTA: Indonesia is one of the largest tea producers in the world, alongside China, India, and Sri Lanka. Indonesian tea commodity grew rapidly, whereby each commodity holds its own characteristics on each tea leaf produced. However, only few of those that have been registered as geographical indication (“GI”) in Indonesia. The first GI registered with the Directorate General of Intellectual Property ("DGIP") for tea, until recently, is the Java Preanger Tea from West Java.

With the increasing awareness of Indonesian people on geographical indications, another tea variant coming from the West Bangka has been filed to be registered as GI, with the GI name: Teh Tayu Jebus. The GI application was filed by the West Bangka Tayu Jebus Tea Geographical Indication Protection Society on 1 April, 2024, and the application is currently under publication stage.

The Tayu Tea, also known as Thai Jiu Cha, is a tea variety that has been passed down through generations, from the ancestors of the Chinese community. It was brought to West Bangka, where it has been traditionally planted, cultivated, and processed. This type of tea has been the pillar of local products for more than 150 years. Tayu Tea has a unique aroma and taste that no other tea have. One of its specialities is that the consistency, as it is not as thick as compared to the other types and it has stronger taste.

Tayu tea is renowned for its numerous potential health benefits, including boosting endurance, reducing stress, and promoting relaxation. The active compounds in Tayu tea leaves are believed to contain powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which may contribute to overall well-being and support various aspects of health.

The filing of the GI application of Tayu Tea is a great first step taken for Indonesia to explore the great potential of this tea as one of the local leading tea commodities which can hopefully compete with tea products from another countries on global market scale in the future. (RIE/RKH/GMW-su)