6 minute read
Artteas - a delicate ritual everyone can enjoy.
artteas - a delicate ritual everyone can enjoy.
BY RAHIMA SAIKAL
As we talk tea, I can see the passion in Imma’s eyes. Her hands do a lot of the talking and it is evident that this woman is not just a coowner of a tea house, but someone who finds pure joy in sharing the art, rituals, and benefits of tea with her community.
Hailing from northeast Spain, Imma explains that growing up, she saw tea-drinking as something only older people did. “It was something your grandma would drink,” she joked. “Us Spanish, we are not great at tea. Wine, yes! Tea, not so much.”
Coming from a background of knowing very little about tea, Imma and her husband set up a beautiful and authentic tea house in Ubud called ‘Artteas’. Located on Jalan Hanoman, one of the busiest streets of Ubud, Imma and her team have created a close-knit community of tea lovers.
“During COVID, we were able to stay open every day because of our regular customers. Although many of them actually moved away from Ubud during the pandemic, we still had loyal patrons driving up from Canggu every weekend for tea and orders coming in from Amed. It was amazing to feel such a sense of loyalty”.
Step inside Artteas and you can see why the quaint little tea house has such a following. Rich, dark chocolate hues catch the eye, incredible and delicate tea cups line the walls, and a deep, woody, smoky aroma fills the air.
“This is a family business” explains Imma. “My husband is from Lebanon and tea has always been a big part of his life. When we met, he introduced me to the world of tea and I fell in love”.
The pair opened their first tea house in Abu Dhabi and learnt from the best. “We went to every tea fair and market you can think of. We immersed ourselves in the world of tea to learn everything there is to know. Our best teachers have been those that have dedicated their lives to studying tea”.
After venturing over to southeast Asia on holidays and getting to know the town of Ubud, Imma and her husband decided to move to Bali in 2015. Artteas opened its doors in 2016 and the rest, as they say, is history.
“…a Balinese friend once said to me: ‘pelan pelan (slowly), Imma’.
I have tried to approach the day-to-day of Artteas with this attitude” said Imma. “The Balinese are so wise in their life musings… but, this has also been a good thing as it has taught me about patience and when you have the luxury of time, you can actually plan better”. This is the perfect attitude to have if you ask me, especially when it comes to tea, which is all about enjoying life and taking time for yourself.
Artteas tends to attract those that are in the know about tea, but the tea house caters to everyone. Imma tells me that they have many Russian and Javanese people coming in because tea drinking is a large part of their culture. But what makes her heart sing is all the young people that come in for tea. “It seems that it is becoming ‘cool’ for the younger generation to drink tea!” Imma says.
With a glint in her eye, Imma’s mouth and hands start talking as she tells me about the incredible healing benefits of tea for the mind, body and soul:
“I always say, tea will not lie.”
“It supports your body and can help with certain health issues but of course, if you go and eat five ice cream cones, don’t blame it on the tea!”
Particular teas can help with various ailments like controlling cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes, even aiding weight loss. They are full of antioxidants, amino acids, and vitamins.
Throughout Imma’s tea journey, she has witnessed amazing health transformations. In Abu Dhabi, their main customers were people who were recommended tea by their doctors. “At first, these people didn’t even like tea – they would screw their face in disgust when tasting the teas,” mused Imma. But over time, these same customers would come into the tea house and gush about how good they felt. They had incorporated tea into their daily life and were reaping the health benefits.
What about drinking tea from a tea bag? - I nervously ask, on behalf of myself and 85% of the population.
Imma explains. “Traditionally, the contents of a tea bag are the leftovers from a tea leaf – the cutoffs, the part you don’t really want. Tea likes to expand and float which is how you get the full benefits of tea. When the tea is constrained in a tea bag, it can’t swim around. I always tell my friends: if you are going to drink tea from a tea bag, at least open up the tea bag and let it be free in your cup”. Free the tea!
At Artteas, the tea is brewed according to the traditional methods of the country from which the tea originates. The ritual is beautiful. The leaves are rinsed and the tea is served at the perfect temperature. However, Imma wants tea to be an experience everyone can enjoy. She doesn’t want it to be too complicated and she wants people with all budgets to be able to enjoy a good cup of tea which is why there is an array of teas from which people can choose.
“We are all busy in life but a tea ritual can only take a couple of minutes and it can make such a mental difference to your day. It provides calm, clarity, focus and energy. For me, this is a beautiful thing”, explains the tea connoisseur.
“Tea brings people together. I love that someone might come here at the end of a bad day and when they leave, they tell me: ‘Being here has transported me somewhere else and the tea and the girls have made my day better.’ Hearing that makes my day!”
