Sarawak used to have a tea plantation business called Mayang Tea in the Serian district. It was operated by SALCRA until it was closed for potentially sensitive reasons which might be best described as socio-economic.


The signpost at the Mayang Tea Factory site in its heyday.
The tea plantation was about ten minuites drive away toward the foot of some hills near Kampung Mayang Mawang.
 

What the site is used for now. The four clumps of plants just behind the wire fence are tea bushes. It is from one of the bushes that the four shoots shown below were plucked from.

My friend, Dr Stephen and I thought it might still be possible to find tea bushes in and around the old plantation. My interest is to harvest enough tea shoots to make my first batch of black tea. Stephen is interested to obtain material to grow his own tea bushes.

Thus, we set out for the old Mayang Tea factory this morning. After we stopped at the old factory site (a couple of minutes away from the kampung), we discovered that the place is now a cattle production facility (as possibly indicated by some three skeletal cows in a holding pen). A young man (who we thought was the caretaker) approached us at the gate  told us that all the tea bushes had been cleared and that we could not take anything even if there were bushes around. After he went away, we spied a couple of pruned tea bushes by the gate (clearly meant to be ornamental). I managed to pluck some of the young shoots of the type which would be used to make tea.


Two-leaved shoots freshly plucked at Mayang Tea as would be used to make tea. These shoots preferably should be the first two leaves and a bud. However, buds are not evident here.


Not being successful at the old tea factory site, we moved on down the road towards Kampung Mayang Mawang.
 

The blue dot on the Google map above marks where we stopped to look for tea bushes at Kampung Mayang Mawang.

At the village, only some people could tell where some tea bushes might be found. We were pointed up a gravel track which supposedly was built to service the tea plantation. The track led up to the hills and so there was credence to our advice. Indeed, Stephen recalled seeing the side of the hills covered with tea bushes years ago. We walked our way up the track, seeing little by way of tea until about 20 minutes into our walk we came across an area cleared for a small farm. We ventured inside and I found one tea bush.
 

A tea bush (Camellia sinensis) found at a farm clearing off Kampung Mayang Mawang

After some hollering by Stephen to see if anyone was about (there was a motorcycle at a small shed by the road at the entrance to the clearing), a farmer emerged. This was Buni who confirmed that the bush was indeed tea and he pointed to another one which was older. From this older bush, Stephen cut some branches from which to make tea cuttings for propagation.

Dr Stephen and farmer Buni. Stephen holds the tea branches which he had cut for us to take home
 

Cuttings of various ages I made from our sample. Stephen has also made a set at his place. We wait to see if the cuttings strike.

We consider this a recon trip. Buni tells us that there are many bushes further up the track (up the hillside). On our next trip there, we plan to drive Stephen's 4 X 4 up the track instead of just walking as we did to day. We will then be able to explore further up the hill. Perhaps on the next trip I will be able to pluck enough shoots to make black tea.