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A Morning at the Tea Plantation

Our bus left the city at five o'clock and climbed slowly into the hills. By seven, we had reached the Sari Dewi tea plantation, about 1,400 metres above sea level. When I stepped off the bus, the air was cold and smelled of wet leaves. A thin mist floated between the rows of tea bushes, and the whole valley looked like a green carpet.

A guide named Mrs Ningsih led us along a narrow path. She explained that the pickers choose only the top two leaves and the bud of each plant, because these young leaves make the best tea. Women with large baskets on their backs moved quickly along the rows. Each of them, Mrs Ningsih said, collects about thirty kilograms of leaves a day.

Next, we visited the factory. In the first room, the leaves were spread out on long trays to lose water. In the second room, machines rolled and crushed them, which released their flavour. The last stage was drying, when the smell of tea became so strong that my friend Rina sneezed three times.

At the end of the tour, we sat on a wooden terrace and drank a cup of fresh tea without sugar. At first, I found it bitter. But when I held it in my mouth for a moment, I noticed a gentle sweetness. Mrs Ningsih smiled and said, "Good tea speaks quietly. You must slow down to hear it."

What does Mrs Ningsih mean by "Good tea speaks quietly. You must slow down to hear it"?