Chapter 47 – Sungai Palas Tea Plantation @ Cameron Highlands

It has become a norm now for one to visit tea farm whenever they visit Cameron Highlands – like it or not, we must thank to the huge tea farms available only in Cameron Highlands which somehow contribute to the cold weather there. During my recent stay in Cameron Highlands, I visited Sungai Palas Tea Plantation.

Quick fact about this place is that it is not easy to find the place as the road is pretty hidden actually. The best landmark is that it is situated right opposite the Honey Bee Farm; if you happen to miss the turning, forget about the fact that you can use another road to get into this place but you have to detour and get back to the main road.

The road is not easy and it can be quite challenging for those who just have their “P” license – narrow and sharp turns, one way in and out and “car horn” becomes your best friend when you are in that area though there is a board stating that you can’t use it.

There were few cars stopped at certain areas to capture some beautiful scenery and we too followed them. We stashed our car by the roadside and quickly went down to take some “selfie” shots as well as inhaling the fresh air. After spending about 5 – 10 minutes there, we hopped back into the car and continued our journey.

Alas – there were so many cars parked there and we knew that this was the place where people often talk about – we even saw a couple taking their wedding shots there. Of course, good things never come easy as we need to walk a distance in order to reach the main area. Upon reaching the main entrance, we went to their café while our eyes were feasting the greenery. Meanwhile, bestie and I queued up to buy some pastries and beverage.

I ordered a hot cup of 3-in-1 tea. However, in less than 5 minutes, my hot tea became a cold tea since we stood outside the café. As I wanted to try feeling the “tai-tai” tea session especially in such a nice environment, my plan failed tremendously. There were so many people trying to take some “selfie” shots there which disrupted my views and what’s more when their butt were facing us…GRHHH…

Once I finished my food and drink, I put on my “tourist” cap, wondering around and reading the history of Boh. Then, my curiosity hooked me to join the factory tour without watching the video first – apalah me!

It’s a quick tour by the way and there are few processes involved in making a good Boh tea!

Step 1 – Maker’s office

• This is where the tea is being weighed, the production is being recorded, the humidity factors are being checked and tea “liquor” is being tasted during the manufacturing process.

Step 2 – Rolling

• Rollers are used to twist and break the withered leaves, distort and rupture its internal cells.
•  It also liberates and exposes its juices for fermentation.

Step 3 – Fermentation

•             It is a natural chemical process that is essential for the leaf to develop the right flavour,  aroma and colour.
•            Timing and temperature have to be carefully controlled at this stage.

       Step 4 – Drying

• The fermented leaves are fed into machines through hot air passing at temperatures nearing 100 degree C.
•  This halts the fermentation action, reduces the moisture content to less than 3% and crystallizes the juice, thus converting the leaves into its familiar crisp black form.
• The drying process is completed in approximately twenty minutes.

Step 5 – Sorting

•  After drying, the made tea is graded according to particle size by passing it through a series of vibrating sieves.
• Stalks and fibres are also extracted.
• Each grade of tea has its own density and flavour characteristics.

That’s pretty much sum up the process of transforming a cooked tea from the raw plants. I definitely learnt a lot though I didn’t watch the video at the beginning. Aside from that, my brain was exposed to some history items in which I tried to dig from my memory bank if I had ever come across this but unfortunately, I couldn’t remember anything – perhaps, I have returned my history knowledge to my teachers in school. Haha!

Overall, it is an educational yet a fun visit to this place. It is not easy to produce the tea unlike what we always watch in the TV where people use their hands and wok to fry the tea – it actually requires more hard work and efforts to produce a good cup of tea.

So, if you happen to visit Cameron Highlands, I strongly reckon you to visit Sungai Palas Tea Plantation. After all, no entrance fee is required except that you need to pay for their food and drinks.

Sungai Palas Tea Plantation is located in Berinchang about 5km north from town or 2km from Kea Farm Market. If you stay in Copthorne Hotel, it is about 1km away only.

It opens daily from 9am to 4.30pm but closes on every Mondays.

Regards,

Foodiestravel

Chapter 44 - 24 Hours in Cameron Highlands!

Last weekend, I headed to Cameron Highlands with bestie and friends after months of busy, hectic schedule. Even though it was a short getaway (2 days and 1 night), my mind was clearer while my body was well recharged. I knew that it was the time for me to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city as I needed a different environment to enliven my spirit up.

Being a working adult, travelling is no longer a choice but it’s more like a need; even though I can’t travel to a far place, a short escapade will serve me well enough.

Cutting the story short, these are what I had done in Cameron Highlands, within 24 hours. To my surprise, I managed to visit lots of places, my tummy was well-entertained and my body got sufficient rest.

27 June 2014

2pm - Upon checking in at Copthorne Hotel (previously known as Equatorial Hotel) at 2pm, we headed out for lunch near to Kea Farm Market. I got myself a plate of spaghetti carbonara and unfortunately, I was not fancied about it. You may wonder why I chose to opt for spaghetti instead of other local delights, available in Cameron Highlands – seriously, I had no idea J

3.30pm – Right after our lunch, we strolled along the Kea Farm Market. I was attracted to their fried mushroom, steamed sweet corn and steamed potatoes. Despite I had lunch not long ago, my tummy could still accommodate them. Many stalls had closed at that hour because most of these stalls opened since morning.

4.00pm – Next, we headed to Big Red Strawberry Farm. No entrance fee is required and you can walk in to see the huge farm. Aside from strawberries, you can see quite a number of greenies too. Of course, I took this opportunity to “selfie” till I reached their café. There is a lot of food related to strawberry available in the café - as much as I wanted to try all their food, I couldn't hence, I only had their Fried Ice Cream, Strawberry Yoghurt, Strawberry Cheesecake and Strawberry Waffle.

5.30pm – After that, we went to Berinchang Night Market. I have no idea why but I do get excited every time I visit night market; perhaps, it is due to a plethora choice of food available there. Weather was not siding us unfortunately, but we managed to brave ourselves in the night market and got our tummy 4 packs of uncooked sweet corn, fried mushrooms, fried potatoes and many others. Best of all, bestie got a “Oh Kim” (black wood) in the market too – we have come across Raja Kayu but how many people know about “Oh Kim”? Due to curiosity, bestie bought it at RM 15.00.

6.15pm – We headed back to hotel after a long day. While having our body to rest, our eyes were feasted with local dramas and movies, offered by the television.

7.30pm – It’s time for dinner! We thought of having steamboat at “Kwan Kee Steamboat Restaurant” but lady luck was not with us – Waze brought us to Tanah Rata when Kwan Kee Steamboat Restaurant is located at Berinchang! Aiks – at that time, it was nearing to 8pm hence, we decided to have our dinner at May Flower restaurant instead. Overall, food was so-so only.

9.00pm – While we drove back to hotel, we thought of taking a walk at the Berinchang Night Market. Again, the rain poured and we had to bid our dream away.

9.30pm – We reached our hotel, cleaned ourselves and it was time to say good night!

28 June 2014

7.00am – With more than 7 hours of sleep, our body were well rejuvenated. We had our breakfast in the hotel.

8.30am – We visited Kea Farm Market again and this time, we bought quite a number of stuff; I feel like an aunty when I was there too – I bought mushrooms la, some vegetables, and sweet potatoes.

9.30am – After we had our morning “shopping”, we headed to Bee Farm – we strolled there and decided to make a move after sipping a RM2.00 premium honeystick.

10.00am – Then, we went to Sungai Palas Tea Plantation. It was not easy to go in with few sharp turns however, I must say the scenery was truly breathtaking. It was so chill especially when the wind welcomed us there. While we tried their teas as well as some of their pastries, we also took the opportunity to visit their factory (details of this will be written in the next post). While we were amazed with the natural beauty and spent nearly 2 hours there, we almost forgotten that we had to check-out from our hotel.

1.00pm – We quickly packed our baggage and then, bid farewell to Copthorne Hotel. Before we drove back to KL, we had a quick lunch at Uncle Chow restaurant. I had my curry laksa there – imagine you have something spicy especially in the cold weather! That feeling was really amazing.

2.00pm – We started our journey back home.

Now, you can also use your time wisely and have a short getaway too, just to release yourself from the work stress and pressure. With 24 hours a day, look at how much I had done – I ate a lot, I visited quite a number of places and most importantly, I felt truly happy during this trip.

Enjoy your life to the fullest and reward your hard day with something soothing.

Cheers.

Regards,

Foodiestravel