This has been an ongoing problem for a long time already yet no strict enforcement has been put into place.
Coloured tea smells like the inside of the thin green plastic bag market traders,grocers and food sellers in the Tanjong Bungah/Tanjong Tokong area like to use.
Open one up,poke your nose inside,take a deep breath.There is a strange associated smell because the entire pack has been sprayed with horticultural fungicide(the type used for orchids) by idiotic merchants( I wonder if the culprit is the van salesman or the wholesaler) to keep ants at bay.
Coming back to the subject of tea,the colour will be like a muddy clay river suffering from erosion,much like the overlogged Kinabatangan river.Pour this down your throat and pay for it in years to come.
There is no aroma of tea since some craphead got the bright idea to recycle used tea,dry and colour them for consumption again.Mamak and Malay stalls were the first ones to jump on the bandwagon and now even most Penang chinese kopitiam have resorted to this.
So please do be cautious and if your tea smells like fungicide,reject it.
Here Are Two Articles Taken From Bernama's Portal
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Teh Timbang Can Be Hazardous To Health
JELI:
The teh timbang or teh sukat, literally measured tea and most liked by the people in Kelantan, can be hazardous to health, according to the Kelantan Health Department.
Its senior principal assistant director (food safety and quality) Ahmad Nadzri Sulaiman said the tea, often used by coffee shops, contained synthetic colouring.
“The tea does not come in labelled packaging and is sold by the measure at sundry shops in the state. It is hazardous to the health of consumers in the long term,” he said yesterday.
Ahmad Nadzri said the sale of tea should adhere to the Food Regulations 1985 which prohibited the addition of colouring.
Anyone found to be selling, importing, using and storing teh timbang was liable to prosecution and faced a maximum fine of RM10,000 or up to two years in jail upon conviction, he said.
Ahmad Nadzri said the department’s records showed that between January and October last year, 1,858kg of teh timbang valued at RM22,296 were seized in operations conducted by the department.
Restaurant operator Meriyam Sholah, 45, said she was unaware of the danger of the tea and had used it for the past 10 years.
She said the tea was cheaper than that which came in sachets, and that was vital for her business.
Puad Zainudin, 50, said he had heard about the hazard but consumed the tea, nevertheless.
“I buy the tea at RM12 per kilo. Another variety sells at RM7 per kilo, but lacks the aroma,” he said. – Bernama
Presma Members Not Using Teh Timbang
