The story of tea in Indonesia is one of deep contradiction as well as that of fascinating synergy, mirroring the broader tensions within the Global South. It is the story of a humble, almost mundane daily necessity: the thick, sweet, dark glass of teh tarik or teh botol that fuels the archipelago. It is also the tale of a rapidly modernizing palate, eagerly embracing the global zeitgeist of artisanal matcha lattes. This special dichotomy between the traditional black tea that forms the bedrock of national consumption and the trendy green powders capturing the urban imagination creates a very unique landscape. Within this landscape lies a very crucial question: as a leading Global South producer and consumer, how do Indonesia’s evolving tastes navigate the sustainable and cultural factors shaped by foreign soft power as well as domestic realities?

To understand the present, one must first understand and also acknowledge the sheer scale of Indonesia’s relationship with black tea. The country is a historic producer, with several vast estates in West Java and North Sumatra established during the Dutch colonial era, which is a legacy of extractive agriculture that is very common in the Global South (Besky, 2013). Today, Indonesia is the seventh largest tea producer globally, with an output of approximately 141,000 tonnes, yet a very significant portion of this is low-value bulk tea for export (Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], 2022). This pattern of exporting raw commodities and also importing finished, high-value products is a typical classic economic dynamic that is affecting many Global South nations. Domestically, the data is also staggering. The nation's annual tea consumption is roughly almost twice, meaning Indonesia consumes over twice the tea that it produces, with the gap filled by imports from fellow Global South producers like Vietnam and Kenya.

This consumption is also overwhelmingly dominated by accessible black tea. The iconic teh botol market, that is dominated by brands like Sosro, is a multibillion-dollar industry. This mass consumption model, however, carries a very significant environmental footprint, common in rapidly developing economies: resource-intensive agriculture, high water usage, and also single-use plastic waste that exacerbates local pollution challenges.

Simultaneously, a different tea narrative is likewise unfolding in metropolitan Indonesia. Driven by global health trends and digital media, matcha has seen a very explosive rise. This trend speaks to a growing middle-class desire for products perceived as healthier and also sophisticated. The market for premium teas is estimated to grow 4.16% during 2025-2031 annually. This is where the element of soft power and market penetration from the Global North becomes very critical. The global dominance of East Asian (Japanese and Korean) popular culture has effectively packaged and at the same time exported an aesthetic of wellness tied to matcha (Iwabuchi, 2015). Indonesia’s urban youth are buying into a global identity, a form of cultural capital that feels contemporary. This soft power accelerates a trend that currently must be met through imports, creating a new dependency that mirrors older trade patterns.

This shift introduces a complex set of sustainable considerations. While matcha boasts a “green” image, a large quantity of that is consumed in Indonesia is imported from Japan or China. This long-distance transportation generates a very substantial carbon footprint, effectively contributing to emissions. In addition, the cultivation of high-grade matcha is frequently and highly water-intensive, a cost borne externally. The sustainability question for this segment, therefore, is less about local impact but actually more about the ethics of global luxury supply chains, where environmental costs are continuously displaced from the Global North to the Global South Nations (Lambin & Meyfroidt, 2011).

The intersection of these two worlds, the local black tea and the imported matcha, is where the most highly compelling innovations are emerging. The dependency on imported matcha highlights a very significant opportunity: the development of a local, sustainable matcha-style product. Several local plantations are now experimenting with techniques in order to produce high-quality green tea powder for the domestic market. This initiative is an act of cultural as well as economic counter-flow. It uses the template popularized by foreign soft power to promote domestic industry, reduces import dependency and its carbon miles, and also adds value to local produce, allowing farmers to capture more revenue, a very crucial challenge for Global South producers.

Additionally, the massive scale of the conventional tea industry is by itself a platform for broad sustainable reform. Major producers are increasingly adopting Rainforest Alliance as well as UTZ certifications, which mandate standards for ecosystem conservation and also fair labor practices. The push towards organic farming is also growing, thereby reducing strong reliance on synthetic agrochemicals. On the consumer end, the burgeoning zero-waste movement in urban centers is encouraging cafes to source local ingredients and at the same time forgo single-use plastics.

In conclusion, Indonesia’s tea consumption is a tale of two brews, reflecting its highly crucial position in the Global South. The robust, sugary black tea represents a legacy of mass production as well as consumption with a very tangible local environmental impact. The trendy, imported matcha represents a modern desire driven by external soft power, with a hidden transnational footprint. The sustainable future does not lie in choosing one over the other, but in trying to find a synthesis. It requires innovating within the massive existing industry to adopt greener practices and also simultaneously creating value-added local products that capture the premium market. The ultimate factor is conscious consumption, where every sip considers the journey from the local leaf to the cup, ensuring the tradition can be enjoyed by generations to come, without costing the earth.

Note: The cover image accompanying this article was generated using artificial intelligence and is intended for illustrative purposes only.