Our organic Kukicha (pronounced KU-key-cha) is a distinctive-looking organic Japanese green tea from the Kagoshima Prefecture that consists of tea leaves mixed with the young stems of the tea plant. For this reason, this organic loose leaf tea is also known as "twig tea." The resulting mixture consists of fairly uniform yellow and medium-green fragments, which yield a pale yellow-green infusion with a sweet aroma. It has an extraordinarily fresh taste with moderate bitterness and notes of cucumber skin. It is not as vegetal as most of our other organic green tea from Japan.
Please note: this Kukicha tea is not roasted. However, if you are looking for a roasted Japanese green tea check out our Organic Houjicha Green Tea. Roasted to perfection, our Houjicha has notes of toasted grain and honey.
Ingredients: organic Japanese green tea
Kagoshima is a prefecture on the island of Kyushu, in Southern Japan which boasts a chain of active and inactive volcanoes that add to the soil content. Kagoshima is the second largest producer of green tea in Japan, and tea has been growing here since the 1300s. However, much of the world never experiences organic tea from Kagoshima because green tea is so popular in Japan that most tea grown in Japan is consumed in Japan; very little is exported. Within Japan, Kagoshima is the furthest distance from the Fukushima disaster. For those concerned with the implications of the Fukushima-Daiichi disaster, we continue to have our organic teas from Japan independently tested for radiation.
At Arbor Teas, we believe tea should be brewed to suit your personal taste. We’re happy to make recommendations to get you started, but don’t hesitate to experiment! When brewing your tea, your main considerations are tea quantity, water temperature, and steeping time. We recommend green and white teas to be steeped for 2 to 3 minutes in water heated to not-quite-boiling, just as bubbles begin to form on the bottom of the pan (approximately 170 to 180 degrees F). For the best flavor, use fresh water whenever possible. Try not to steep your tea longer than necessary, as you’ll extract undesirable bitterness from the leaves. If you want a stronger brew, don’t steep longer, just use more tea. And don’t forget to re-steep your tea leaves to get the most out of your leaf!
Looking for more info? Check out our How-To Guides and Eco-Brewing Tips!
"The look of the dry leaf (and twig!) is always surprising to me! "
"I find this tea a nice alternative to some of our other Japanese teas like Sencha or Gyokuro when I'm not in the mood for quite as "bold" of a green tea flavor."
"I love the appearance of the dry leaf. I think this tea is especially fresh tasting!"
This was one of my favorite teas, but the product in my recent order was very unsatisfying. I had to use about twice as much tea to approximate the flavor. Not sure what happened-- bad season? producer adding in twigs? -- but I'm reluctant to order it again.
This reminds me of the kinds of green tea I first enjoyed when branching out into green teas before I was able to appreciate the more popular green teas that are typically bolder. Good body, refreshing, with mild astringency and thoughts of citrus. Tastes of cucumber or outer melon flesh, like wood that is still green. While not what I would call a daily, this is on my keeper list to have on hand.
I ordered this on a whim, and I'm very surprised by how much I like it! Its flavor is strongly reminiscent of gyokuro, but the umami flavor isn't as overpowering, nor is it as astringent as sencha. This is definitely one I'll be ordering again.
I like a pure, fresh green tea and this fits the bill. Light, grassy and fresh, love the smell and flavor.
I have been drinking this kukicha every day for almost a year and I love, love, love it. I'm very sensitive to caffeine and I find this has the perfect amount: enough to wake me up a little, but not enough for me to feel the negative effects. The flavor is light but not at all weak.
Exactly what I look for in a green tea; buttery, grassy, light. A bitter smell, but no bitterness in a fresh brew
Like some other reviewers have noted, this is a tea that needs to be steeped well below the 180 degree mark, or else the stems turn bitter and burnt. Traditionally, Kukicha can be steeped as low as 160, though I usually aim for 165. The infusion ends up creamy and bright - grassy, with light citrus notes. This is currently one of my very favorite teas, and it re-steeps super well. A perfect "wishing for spring" drink. Highly recommend!
Definitely not my cup of tea. I think the fact that this tea is not roasted makes a big difference. It is certainly flavorful, just not the flavor I look for in a green tea. Glad I only bought a sample size of this one.
To the other reviewer who stated that this tea is the poor person's gyokuro, I completely agree! This tea is luscious and vegetal, like the gyokuro but cheaper. I want to order a full-sized bag!
i like this tea for the earthy smell and taste
When I wanted to drink tea, but I couldn't justify having more caffeine, I dipped into my sample of this instead of my rooibos. It was actually creamy, I'd say. It made me think just a little bit of warm milk before bed.
I was introduced to Kukicha when I was researching macrobiotic diets (I am a vegan-macrobiotic). It's been my tea of choice for years, and I believe this one to be the best I've ever tasted. Not only is it very low on caffeine, which I am very sensitive to, but you can play with the flavor by adding a pinch more or letting it brew for longer; and I do not find it to be bitter, even when I brew it strong and for a longer period of time (I should add that I love bitter greens so the more vegetal flavor it has, the better).
I was introduced to kukicha through a tea class, and it soon became one of my favorite teas. This twig tea is great not only for the amazingly fresh flavor that is a mixture between grassy and nutty, but also because it is extremely low in caffeine as it is comprised mostly of the twigs and not the leaves that contain all the caffeine. This means you can drink some green tea before bed and not be kept up all night. I love green teas and want to drink them all throughout the day-but I also like to sleep. I start drinking in the evening when I want green tea and it gives me the best of all worlds. Totally worth the price, I start to panic when my stash is getting low!
This tea compares favorablly to other more expensive Kukicha teas I have purchased from other sites. The flavor is fresh and light, but with an impressive "kick".
I love Gyokuro but this is fairly similar in that vegetal flavor I turn to Gyokuro for. I set up 8 green teas today to sample so I could pick out my favorites from Arbor Teas. Their Gyokuro is slightly more astringent than others I have had and Kukicha prevailed in my taste test here. This and Dragonwell (Chinese Green) were my favorites in terms of nice overall smooth, vegetal qualities. There are quite a few stems in this mix but that is purposeful in the making of Kukicha.
First pressing: If you hit the sweet spot in regards to water temperature and steep time, you are rewarded with an excellent brew with hints of asparagus and notes of green chard. After about a minute of the tea pot starting to make noise, the water is ready. Steep for only three minutes or less, otherwise bitter. Kukicha is an unforgiving tea. There is a small window of proper steep time and water temperature. Consider watering the plants with it if you miss the window, or pour over ice, sweetened with honey.
This uplifting tea makes me feel good. Great morning tea, as well as for an afternoon pick me up. Beautiful grassy vegetal flavor. I often do a second pressing for less caffeine in the afternoon. The cup of tea has less depth, but still has a wonderful, smooth and nourishing flavor.
Love this tea. I'm a huge Gyokuro lover, and this tea is very much akin to it in my opinion. Love it. Had to give it 5/5. A very delicious vegetal tea. Not quite as delicate & complex as gyokuro, but close. I was very pleasantly surprised by this one.
This green was part of the Japanese sampler, and it was my least favorite of the bunch. I found the flavor to be so subtle that it just felt like it was a weaker version of a Japanese green tea. It's still better than your average green tea, but there are better greens available here.
If you've tried other greens and found them too powerful, I'd give this one a try. Vegetal smell, but calm, soothing flavor. Relaxing cup. I wouldn't turn it down if offered, but I don't know if I'd buy the full size. Will definitely finish the sample, perhaps its lightness will grow on me.
This is one of my favorite teas--vibrant green color vegetal flavor. Delicious!
I have been drinking this tea for three days in an effort to describe it. The twig-like leaves are distinctive. They brew to a bright yellow green exceptionally clear. It has a pleasant aroma with a hint of smoked sweetness. It has a toasted grain taste that I find enjoyable. In my review of sencha I said it was less vegetal than kukicha but that is incorrect. This is the least vegetal of the Japanese teas.
Moderately savory and vegetal, offering a roasted aroma and creamy mouthfeel
Moderate bitterness and slightly nutty with notes of dark leafy greens like kale