About Us
How We Started?
The golden Sabah Tea brew originated from a blend of fine tea leaves from the Sabah Tea Gardens, located at the mouth of Mount Kinabalu. The Sabah Tea plantation (now known as the Sabah Tea Gardens) was officiated on February 19, 1984 by our then Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
In 1997, an Ipoh based company, Yee Lee Corporation Berhad acquired the entire shares from Sabah Tea Sdn Bhd and Desa Tea Sdn Bhd after the government decided to privatise the company, therefore enabling Sabah Tea to reach greater heights.
A Healthier Choice for a Healthier You
Nature has graced us with only the best at the Sabah Tea Gardens. Located 2,272 feet above sea levels, the harvests are 100% pesticide free as insects are drawn towards the 130 million-year-old rainforest surrounding the plantation. This results in Sabah Tea being pure and untouched.
Another advantage of Sabah Tea Gardens’ location in the cool foothills of Mount Kinabalu is that it allows every harvest at the Sabah Tea plantations to turn out such that it is a Spring-like harvest, which is regarded as the best harvest quality.
The scale of Sabah Tea’s plantation enables consistent quality through selective and exclusive tea cultivation. The tea is naturally rich in flavour without any added colouring. Sabah Tea is most definitely the healthier choice of tea, for a healthier you.
Why are we “golden”?
We are extremely careful and particular about our harvest process. Only the tender leaves of the pure Camelia Sinesis tea trees are selected carefully and processed for our black tea , thus it produces a distinctive taste with a full-body aroma, yet subtle in character. Unlike most tea brands, Sabah Tea consists of tea leaves that are picked from our very own plantation. It is the only way to protect its quality of origin and to ensure that the leaves are free from unknown substances or chemicals.
As a result of this attention to detain, you can see the amazing glow of golden richness on the surface of every cup of Sabah Tea. That’s supreme quality that you can actually see!
The Process
In order to convert green leaves from the carefully nurtured tea fields into black tea, a highly specialised process is conducted to maintain the final quality of the product.
1. Harvesting
The tea leaves and buds are selectively harvested by using shears or mechanised cutters by tea harvesters.
2. Withering
At the initial stage of the process, freshly cut shoots are spread evenly in special racks, allowing conditioned air to flow through and around the leaves to absorb the moisture and concentrate the juices in the leaf.
3. Rolling
The withered leaves are then passed through machines which twist and squeeze the juices down the surface of the leaf.
4. Fermentation
This is a process that oxidises the tea juices. The period of fermentation varies depending on external conditions and there is a distinct change in colour and aroma. Fermentation is essential for the teas to be palatable.
5. Drying (Firing)
Fermented teas are transferred to drying machines (ovens) which will then remove the moisture and arrest fermentation. The teas change from a coppery brown to a black colour after this process.
6. Sorting (Grading)
The final stage of the manufacturing process is the sorting of the tea particles to different grades according to shapes and sizes for identification by various specialists involved in tasting, buying and exporting of the tea.
7. Packaging (Packing)
Special machines then pack the teas into tea bag, sachet, envelope, or bulk bagbefore they are placed in boxes, and subsequently, cartons.
8. Despatching
The graded teas will finally leave the factory either packed in the familiar tea chests, aluminium lined paper sacks or in different forms of consumer packs.