Story of Boh

BOH Plantations Sdn Bhd is the leading tea grower in Malaysia with four tea gardens – Boh, Sungei Palas and Fairlie situated in Cameron Highlands; and Bukit Cheeding in Selangor – constituting a total land area of 1200 hectares. With a production capacity approaching 3000kgs per hectare, the Company produces 4 million kgs of tea annually which translates to about 5.5 million cups per day. This represents about 70% of all tea produced in Malaysia.

In 1929, a man named J.A Russell obtained a tract of freehold land 5000ft above sea level and transformed it into the first highland tea garden in Malaysia. He named it Boh. So begins the history of BOH Plantations.

Today, BOH is a vertically-integrated tea company, one of only a few in the world which plants, processes, packs and markets its own premium brands.

BOH Plantations owns four tea gardens with a total planted area of 1,200 hectares: Boh, Fairlie and Sungei Palas in Cameron Highlands, and Bukit Cheeding in the lowlands. Together, they produce 4 million kgs of tea annually. This is equal to 5.5 millions cups a day!

TEA IN THE CAMERON HIGHLANDS

Tea is very much like wine: its final character is largely influenced by the conditions in which it is grown. Hence, with its high altitude, low temperatures and slightly acidic soil, Cameron Highlands is the ideal environment for growing superb teas of distinctive
flavour and aroma.

Only the most tender leaves are picked every morning at BOH’s tea gardens. These are immediately transported to the tea factories to be processed for the flavour and aroma unique only to BOH.

MAKING TEA
Behind every great cup of BOH tea is meticulous attention to the quality of the leaf and its processing.

Plucking
Two years after planting, the leaf is ready for plucking, which takes place every three weeks. After plucking, the leaf is checked for quality and weighed. It is then transported to the factory where it goes through five main processing stages. Each stage is vital to bring out the distinctive fragrance and aroma of our teas.

Withering
The green leaf is first withered to reduce its moisture and to allow natural chemical reactions to take place. This process takes between 12 – 20 hours and is usually done overnight.

Rolling
The withered leaf is rolled to crush the leaf cells and process it into smaller articles. BOH uses three types of machines for rolling: rotovanes, rollers and CTC (Cut, Tear, Curl) machines.

Fermentation
Fermentation, or oxidation, is a natural chemical process and takes place as the rolled leaf cells are exposed to oxygen. This process is essential for the leaf to develop the right flavour, colour and aroma. Thus, timing and temperature have to be carefully controlled. The leaf emerges coppery in colour

Drying
Drying stops the fermentation process and reduces the moisture in the leaf to 3%.
This is done by passing hot air heated to almost 120°C through the leaf and is complete in 10 minutes. The tea leaf emerges as the amiliar crisp, black, curled form and is known as ‘made tea’.

Sorting
The ‘made tea’ is put through a series of vibrating sieves to sort it according to size.

Tea Tasting
Tea tasting is an intrinsic and vital part of the tea making process. Some of the things a tea taster
examines for are colour, brightness and aroma. Tea tasting is a unique art and requires years of training and experience.

Storage
The tea is stored in dry conditions to mature and mellow before packing. BOH is careful that the tea is not exposed to moisture in the air, which can affect its quality.

[The article above was provided by Boh Tea Plantations Sdn Bhd | www.boh.com.my]

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