TEA PLANTATIONS

BHARAT TEA

Bharat is the second largest tea producer in Cameron Highlands, with plantations in Tanah Rata and Tringkap, and their own signature brand 'Cameron Valley' to compete with rival Boh. Its largest tea estate lies along the main road 4km before Tanah Rata, or about 6km after Ringlet town. Lacking a visitor complex and show factory for tourists, Bharat concentrates instead on establishing tea houses (with cafes and shops), while welcoming visitors to walk and explore their tea fields with gazetted sections and pathways. Hence, two separate tea houses can be found along the main road facing Bharat plantation, distanced from each other by a mere 500m.

As the tea houses are perched on hill slopes, the parking spaces provided are limited, causing massive spillage of vehicles along the narrow strip of main road during peak periods. On less crowded days, the Bharat tea plantation is a pleasant place to stop by for photographs or tea before heading up to Tanah Rata and Brinchang. The Bharat Tea company and plantation was first established in 1933 under local management, cultivating raw tea leaves for processing by third parties; full production only began in 1952, with the purchase of a factory. Their first line of tea products were stamped with the 'Chop Rusa' brand; this later evolved into the present Cameron Valley badge. Each tea house has a cafe, which is essentially a covered terrace that opens up to an impressive view of the Bharat tea plantations.

The selection of food is an eclectic blend of continental and local favourites, ranging from scones, brownies, doughnuts and cakes to traditional pastries such as curry puffs; an oily pastry filled with curried potatoes, sandwiches with a spicy sardine paste filling (a definite local taste) and even 'Nasi Lemak', a light meal of rice with sambal sauce and anchovies, wrapped inside a bundle of banana leaves. Some of the special tea blends offered have been adulterated with spices, such as Masala Chai and Cardamom Tea that each have a spicy zing. Meanwhile, the shops are stocked not just with Cameron Valley tea products, but also gift items such as hampers, books and souvenirs. Bharat Tea is open daily with slightly more flexible operating hours than Boh, from 9am to as late as 6pm on busy days.

BOH TEA

Boh is the largest tea plantation in Cameron Highlands, with two sister estates; its immediate neighbour Fairlie Garden and Sungai Palas in Brinchang, about 20km away. The main estate in Habu is a popular tourist attraction with a functioning factory that's open to public, shopping gallery, English cafe, viewpoints along the tea fields and even a small lodge for overnight accommodation. The Boh Tea Gardens can be accessed using an 8km narrow route that starts from Habu district, 4km after Ringlet town or 6km away from Tanah Rata. A large signboard points at the detour along the main road, so it's not easy to miss the turning.

The largest producer of tea in Malaysia, Boh was established by JA Russell, an English businessman in the very early nineties. Noting the mineral-rich soil, high rainfall and cooling climate of Cameron Highlands, Russell saw the potential for growing tea - high in demand at that time despite an economic depression. He purchased a tract of land in Habu and set out to produce a robust tea with a distinct flavour, straight from the ground up. Since then, Boh has expanded into a corporate franchise sponsoring nature conservation efforts, producing intense media campaigns, and marketing its products sold across Southeast Asia.

In reality, Boh tea is not at all bad-tasting, but is far from the mark of 'distinct' quality that it vaunts so highly. Still, the abundant visitors to its tea plantations ensure the Boh tea blends sell exceptionally well; either as packed products sold from its flagship stores, or taken in a hot pot with scones and other continental pastries at its cafes. While technically off-limits, the tea plantation is unfenced and visitors often park along the roadside to walk among the tea bushes, plucking random leaves to sniff. The Boh Tea Garden is open daily from 9am to 4.30pm, but closes on Mondays. Entrance is free, and guided tours are conducted hourly or less depending on crowd traffic.