By Rose Yasmin Karim
Saturday September 22, 2007
Making the perfect cup of tea is not as easy as it seems.
I never liked designer coffee places. Although they brew good coffee, they are terrible makers of a proper cup of tea. So I seek joy in a glass of Masala tea at Indian restaurants – an orange brew, with copious amounts of sugar, evaporated milk, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
As disturbingly New Age as it may sound, it gives me a sense of well-being. What? That pair of shoes I’ve been eyeing don’t come in my size?
Tea, everywhere: The Sungei Palas Tea Centre overlooks Gunung Brinchang.
Masala tea.
Creepy blind date?
Masala tea.
It seems etched into the collective unconscious (of at least a sizable number of people, or at least the English) that whatever happens, a cup of tea can make things all right.
“Tea is best taken neat – without sugar or milk,” says Achuttan Kunjambi, 58, estate manager of Sungei Palas Tea Garden, Cameron Highlands. “Additives will only rob it of its true flavour.”
So, in an attempt to be more refined, I stick out my pinkie, grab a seat at a table facing the green tea shrubs at the Sungei Palas Tea Centre, and take a sip of the Earl Grey tea, sans milk and sugar.
Feeling very English, I nibble happily on bite-sized sandwiches and scones, and wash it all down with the rest of the aromatic, coppery liquid.
Although the mules have been retired to the stables, BOH’s Sungei Palas factory still retains an old-school approach in processing its tea. The leaves are first picked, sorted, withered, rolled, and fermented, before being sealed in 50kg bags and sent to the Bukit Cheeding factory in Banting for packing.
Achuttan tells me the fermentation process is the most vital.
“There are four main types of tea: green, black, oolong and white. It all comes from one plant – Camellia sinensis,” says Achuttan.
He explains that black tea is fully fermented, green tea is dried but not fermented and Oolong is a step between the two. “White tea is one of the rarest kind. The bud is actually white, hand-plucked before the leaf opens.”
I’ve never had any white tea myself, but Achuttan says it has a very delicate, floral taste. “The darker the tea, the higher the caffeine,” he adds. So if you’re avoiding caffeine, stick with white and green teas.
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| Passion for tea: Achuttan Kunjambi, 58, estate manager of Sungei Palas Tea Garden in Cameron Highlands. |
Achuttan’s favourite blend?
“Cameronian gold blend,” he reveals.
“The finest teas are made from the young, most aromatic and flavourful leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant – the top two leaves and the unopened leaf bud. It can fetch up to RM155 per kg,” Achuttan points out.
“The lowest grade is the dust, which are particles of tea leaves that are left at the bottom of the barrel during the manufacturing process.”
What determines the flavour of the tea?
“Tea taste is influenced by many factors – time of the year it is picked, the climate, soil, processing, and which leaves are picked,” he explains.
The Sungei Palas Tea Garden, located 1,524m above sea level is the brainchild of J. A. Russell, the same man who designed the Kuala Lumpur railway station. I’m not at all surprised when told the estate has been the set for many film productions, including Dil Maange More, a Bollywood flick staring Shahid Kapoor and Ayesha Takiya.
Noemie Poulain, 29, and her partner Igor Manceau, 32, from Paris, France, came to Cameron Highlands with their eight-month-old daughter, Aiko.
“The first few images that popped up when we Googled for Malaysia were of Cameron Highlands and it was also highly recommended by our friend back home who has been here,” says Poulain.
“It’s been drizzling on and off the last five days but we’re still enjoying it very much,” she says beaming, bouncing baby Aiko on her toes.
“This morning we trekked up trail number nine,” she adds.
“With the baby?” I ask, amazed.
“Yeah, the route was a breeze.”
Tools of the trade
With proper tools, you are halfway through to a perfect cuppa. First, you’ll need a chunky teapot. White porcelain or clear glass works well because you can observe the colour of the brew. Connoisseurs use different pots for different types of tea.
If you only have one pot, thoroughly rinse it with boiling water and baking powder. Never use soap to wash as you may end up with a soapy taste in your brew. The pot should be caked in years of previous tea makings for extra flavour. This is not gross, really.
Should one go for teabags or loose tea?
I personally like my tea loose. Teabags can produce a decent cup but think of the wastage in packaging. Another reason is tea, like pasta, needs room to spread out during the steeping process, which a tiny tea bag doesn’t properly allow.
If you use loose tea, you will need a straining device. It should be big enough to allow the leaves to expand, and small enough to fit through the top of your teapot.
I like the kind with a white cotton strainer that looks like a sock.
After putting in effort and money to make good tea, why spoil it by drinking it out of something undeserving of the honour?
Tea deserves a nice mug or cup. Don't use some ugly freebie mug or those mugs with clichéd sayings on it. And stay away from metal cups as it adds a metallic taste to your tea.
Look out for handles that are designed to keep your fingers from touching the hot side of your cup or mug, and mugs with a top lid that helps keep your tea hot.
How should tea be stored? Keep your tea fresh by keeping it in an airtight container or tin, which crucially is cool, dry and airtight.
The makings of a good cuppa
This is a public service announcement on behalf of people sick of drinking horrid tea.
Making good tea is not about a quick hit. It's about taking time and being a little self-indulgent. Here's how the tea ritual works at my house in the morning:
First I take the teapot outside and dump yesterday’s leaves in the garden where they make tea-rrific mulch. Then I boil cold tap water. Tea brewed with re-boiled water, or hot tap water, does not taste nearly as good as it removes the oxygen from the water and makes for a bitter brew.
While waiting for the water to boil, rinse out your teapot with warm water to keep your infusion from cooling off too soon. The water has to be boiling hot for black tea, leave the boiling water to settle down for a minute or so before you pour it on to oolongs, and a couple more minutes longer for green and white teas.
How much tea leaves you need will vary, depending on your taste and the types of tea.
“An excellent rule of thumb is one teaspoon (the measuring teaspoon, not the fancy one in your silver set) of tea leaves or 5.6g to one cup of water,” recommends Achuttan.
Follow the directions that come with your tea for the recommended brewing time and temperature. Generally, the steeping time will depend on whether you like your tea weak or strong, and the type of tea.
Longer steeping times make for stronger tea. They also make for bitter tea. If you want stronger tea, increase the amount of tea you use. Don’t steep longer. Cover the cup while the tea is brewing to retain the heat. Another important tip is to remove the brewed leaves immediately after the desired brewing period or you risk a tannin attack.
How the tea is drunk used to be a tell tale sign of a person’s social standing.
The wealthy drank tea undiluted, the middle class added some milk, and the poor filled their cups with cheap milk. With brown sugar, white sugar, honey, or neat, have it your way. Pour the tea through a strainer into strong porcelain cups or mugs. Optional extras include a newspaper, a remote control, a good book, and digestive biscuits.
Tea tasting
The ability to value tea calls for long experience and knowledge. At the BOH tea factory, a small mound of loose leaves are first spread out onto a piece of white paper. Achuttan explains that tasters will take note of the colour, texture, size, shape of the leaf, and length.
The colour of brewed tea is later observed in a clear or white cup. Putting into practice Achuttan’s demonstration, I bring the cup to my nose and inhale deeply to take in the aroma. Then, I take a spoonful of the tea and slurp with force to spray the tea over my entire tongue.
It takes every ounce of self-control to not swallow. Instead, the tea is swished around so it reaches all the corners of my mouth to identify either bitterness at the back of the tongue, saltiness in the middle, sweetness in the front or sourness on the sides. Tea tasters usually spit the tea out at this point.
The Sungei Palas Tea Centre is open daily except Monday from 9am to 4.30pm. Admission to the factory is free and guided tours are conducted every 30 minutes. To know more call (05) 496 1020 or e-mail: info@boh.com.my. -- source: LifeStyle.
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