Ryukyu Original Blend Tea

Black tea contains tannin that can adjust the oil and sugar content in your mouth. Black tea can help clear the taste in your mouth and get you ready for the next bite when it is consumed together with desserts that contain milk or sugar.

The black tea used by Café&Meal MUJI is blended with Sri Lankan Ceylon tea and Okinawa tea leaves, while the newly launched Ryukyu Original Blend Tea is added with Uva tea for an enriched taste. Being recognized as one of the top-three tea in the world, Uva tea has a refreshing menthol-like aroma. The goodness of black tea is defined by its color, aroma and taste. Ryukyu Original Blend Tea is blended from three special kinds of tea leaves and each contains its own uniqueness. With such a unique blend, Ryukyu Original Blend Tea has a clear colour, rich taste, and calming scent, giving an unforgettable aftertaste.

Departing from Kandy, the central area of Sri Lanka’s hilly area, we took a 45-minute ride along a bumpy mountain road to visit the tea garden and tea plant of the Ceylon tea, which is the ingredient of Ryukyu Original Blend Tea. While Kandy is located at 300 metres above the sea level, the tea garden is located at 700 metres above the sea level. The area is connected by unrepaired and rough mountain road, and there is a collapsed bridge due to previous heavy rain, which is still under maintenance. You can even find warning signs for vehicle overturns. Such a remote and steep hilly area is where the tea garden locates.

We arrived the tea plant in late afternoon, when the tea leaves were about to be withered. Withering is a process where moisture from fresh tea leaves is reduced to an extent that is suitable for rolling without destructing the leaves. Fresh tea leaves gathered from the tea fields are grouped according to the harvest time and location of tea field, and are then placed into corresponding withering tank.
The withered tea leaves are then delivered to the rolling machine. Rolling refers to a process that tea leaves are repeatedly rubbed to destroy its cell tissue, so that the oxidase inside is able to contact with the air and oxidise. Oxidation is a crucial process that determines the aroma, taste, mellowness and color of black tea (green tea is produced without rolling).

After rolling, tea leaves will be loosened on sieve, to prevent the formation of lumps and also to accelerate oxidation. After the last drying stage, the tea leaves will then be packaged according to their size and colour, and then sent to the auction at Colombo.

The energy used for running the machines for this tea plant is the steam generated from the burning of firewood and sawdust. When we stepped into the plant, we were impressed by the unique aroma of the black tea. Indeed, the scent is somehow composed of the scent from burning of firewood. Since such traditional method can only generate limited quantity for local consumption, it has become less easy to find similar tea gardens nowadays. By using the black tea from this tea garden to make milk tea, you can enjoy a caramel-like aroma, which is a unique feature of this tea garden.

Black tea is a perfect match to daily delis and desserts. It especially matches well with cakes and puddings. Simply enjoy the original taste of black tea by drinking it straight or adding with milk. Welcome to visit Café&Meal MUJI to enjoy our brand new Ryukyu Original Blend Tea!