Mayang Tea - 1

On 14 & 15 October, Prof Kopli Bujang organized a field trip to Sarawak Tea Manufacturing Company- Mayang Tea Sdn Bhd. Mayang Tea Sdn Bhd is located about 90 km from the Kuching city. It take us about 2 hours drive from UNIMAS. This project was established on 1982 by Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA)...

This company is located between Kampung Mayang and Kampung Engkeroh.... It official website is http://www.mayang-tea.com.my/index_mayangtea.htm.

Mayang Tea is actually the lowland but not highland tea... So the tea is planted at an altitude of around 200 -800 feet above the sea level.. Lowland tea and highland tea different in taste and colour... For lowland tea, it has a very very strong dark brown in colour and strong taste... Mayang tea plantation consists of about 166 hectar areas o Native Customary Right (NCR) and it is owned by 174 Bidayuh families. Every year, Sarawak state government will subsidiary about RM 200,000 -RM 300, 000 to ensure the continuous operation and production of Mayang Tea Sdn Bhd.

We was brought to the plantation.. We are taught which part of tea leaves is the best to be processed... Normally the Mayang Tea plucker will pluck the first 2- 3 shoot of young tea leaves... After some explanation, we are allow to do our own tea plucking !!... Haha... it is really enjoyable...

I and friend taking photo at the tea plantation... I manage to pluck a pack of tea leaves... Haha!!

 

This is how the plucker usually pluck tea leaves.. The first of 2 -3 shoots of young tea leaves.. According to the officer at Mayang Tea Sdn Bhd, processing the first 2-3 shoots of young leaves taste better...

Mayang Tea - 2

Every morning, around 6.30am, the tea plucker will begin to pluck the tea leaves... Around 7.30am, they will finished plucking and sent the plucked tea leaves to factory to process.... They are kept inside the guni bag...

 

 

At the factory, the tea leaves are sent via the troller (red) in the withering room. The leaves is wilted for about 16 -18 hours...

 

 

Withering is done in troughs of 4.5' x 60' each which can hold about 900 kg of leaf. 

 

 

After 16- 18 hours withering process, the tea leaves is then sent for rolling... In this process, the leaf cells are broken up... The release of the natural substances and flavor is regulated to give tea its aroma to develop after rolling...

 

 

 

The chemical components are mixed with enzymes which are released by cells in rotorvane machines via 3 passes. The rolled leaves are then separated into different sizes using rotary sifters.. After the separation, the leaves were placed onto Aluminium trays for fermenting in next stage. There are several machines which have been developed to achieves rolling process. But in Mayang Tea Plantation, the rotorvane is applied. Other types of machines like orthodox roller and C.T.C (Crushing, Tearing, Curling) machines or the combination of these machines are also used to perform rolling in others plantation.

Fermentation is the most fundamental process in tea manufacturing. In this process, different taste of tea can be produced by managing the fermentation time. In Mayang Tea Company, the crushed tea leaves are put into the tray and let it ferment for 2- 3 hours. They use the room temperature to carry out oxidation process and along this process the aroma is emitted. The fermentation process changes the leaves into different color and favor...

 

Mayang Tea - 3

After rolling and fermenting, the tea leaves are transferred into drying machine.. The fermented tea leaves are put on the top of this dryer and were dried inside the machine. The temperature is at the range of 160 0F to 200 0. In this stage, the moisture of the leaves is reduced to 2 % - 3% and the fermentation process is stopped. After this process, the tea is used for grading...

This is the grading machine... Mayang Tea Sdn Bhd graded their tea into 4 different categories which DUST 1, DUST 2, DUST 3 and BOP.

The best category is DUST 3.... Normally, BOP is not used to make tea but manufactured to become fertilizer.

 

The official is showing to us the different between DUST 1 and DUST 2 tea leaves

After grading, they are separated in to different bag

 

This machine is used to make small small packing 3 in 1 tea bags... Every day manage to produce 150 tea bags.... This machine is known as Ima C 21 machine...

 

Mayang Tea - 4

In the end of this trip, we are served to taste the ice Lemon tea.. So cold... Nice!! Every one of us is taking the lemon tea away by refilling into our own drinking bottle..

All of us crowded at the resting room in order to taste the free and nice ice lemon tea...

 

This is wat we are served... Cold Ice Lemon Tea...

 

 

Before we move back to UNIMAS, we have a photography session with our lecturer, Prof Kopli Bujang

Have Ever See A Creepy Green Monster???

Have Ever See A Creepy Green Monster???

I have encounter this before... Look behind me!! There is a 'Green Monster" standing beside the rock... Is so scary !!

Do u ever think of where should be this place???

Kuching Festival

Every year in Kuching, there will be a festival known as Kuching festival where u could taste many different and special Sarawak Local Food.... This festival usually held on the end of Julai till the end of August -  Duration for about 1 month... At that festival, u can eat alot of delicious food, unless ur pocket din bring enough cash... Haha

That place crowded with lots of people and lots of stalls... The price of the food is quite reasonable...

Yam sheng !! Yam... yam.. sheng !! 

Wah!! This Ikan Panggang is the best of the BEST!!

My friend is taking 'Siew Mai' and "Wo Dip"

Besides having plenty of stall, there are also a park for recreation.

(Miaw.. Miaw... Welcome to Kuching Festival 2009)

I' m imitating the Cat Mascott... :-)

 

Gading Trips

In the mid of September, it is the world biggest Flower Rafflesia Glooming period... So, not to miss out the only opportunity, I followed my friends to Gunung Gading National Park to see such a wonderful and rare flower...

We went twice, the first time miss out the glooming period, so no matter wat we went there again for the second time just to see this flower... This flower only gloom once a year and every time glooming only last for 5 days....

Since all of us are already final year studied in UNIMAS, if not going to view such flower, then probably we don't have any more chances again... :- )

Back view of Rafflesia... Rafflesia is actually a parasite plant. It entangled on others plants for nutrients...

This Rafflesia that we see already gloom for 4 days... It going wilt may be another 1 or 2 more days....

Rafflesia And Me

Sematan -1

My friends are playing 'hide and seek' upon reach there on the first day...

Three of them is Playing Kung Fu.... Each show different technique of the Kung Fu... The first one (left)  is playing ' Kung Fu Praying Mantis".  The second one (center) Kung Fu is " Monkey style". The last one (right) is playing " Egret Kung Fu"... Each Kung Fu have its strength and unique martial art.

 

Sematan -2

Sematan Palm Beach is full of jelly fish... Those who went there need to be very very careful... After u coming back from snorkelling, on the shores, we found plenty of jellyfish being traps on the beach and died... It is scary and frightened...

Having our sun bathing in the shores.. Having fun too...

Sematan - 3

Naked Kapten of the ship is bringing all the 'monkey' out of sea to snorkelling...

 

The 'inspector' caught all the 'illegal trespasser' who were hiding in the cabin of the boat...

One of them, still can happily smile and looking at the 'reporter' camera...

Haha..

Sematan -4

During the mid semester break on August, i and a group of friends went to Sematan Palm Beach for relaxing and snorkelling... It is a 2 days 1 night trip. This trips ruined me a lot... Not enjoy at all... : (

Having our free buffet dinner in the Palm Beach Resort Restaurant...

Every one of eat like an hungry ghost... Haha..

Each of us at least eat 3 round... 

Before we coming back to unimas from Sematan Palm Beach, all of us take the opportunity to snap photo at the front entrance there... As a prove that we had been there..

We had our lunch at Ah Hock Seafood Restaurant... We just order seafood fried bihun and fried rice, the food serve to us is so special... Every one of us was in a shock when we are serve with those 'special food'.. All of us afraid that later our pocket will be in a big hole liao (Too expensive to eat it)..  But its end up very very cheap only... Only cost RM 99 for both dishes serves with lots of seafood...