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How did the Dutch introduce tea cultivation to Java?

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Neatly planted rows of green tea bushes stretch across rolling fields with Mount Fuji, capped with snow, rising in the background in Japan. — tea Rows of tea (*Camellia sinensis*) growing in Japan, with Mount Fuji in the background.

Tea cultivation in Java was initiated by the Dutch through two primary efforts involving the importation of resources from abroad. In 1826, the Dutch brought tea seeds from Japan to begin cultivation on the island. This was followed in 1833 by the importation of additional seeds, as well as workers and implements, from China.1

Subsequently, tea became one of the export crops included in the Culture System, a policy implemented by the Dutch government in 1830 that required villages to set aside a portion of their land for the production of export goods. While this system significantly increased exports and contributed to the Dutch treasury, it was widely criticized for placing a harsh and burdensome economic strain on the Javanese population. Later, under the Liberal Policy inaugurated in 1870, tea production transitioned from individual cultivation on village land to a large-scale estate and plantation economy managed by corporate enterprises.2