Organic Kukicha Japanese Green Tea

Organic Kukicha Japanese Green Tea

Our Kukicha is produced with very high quality stalks and comes from the Japanese regions of Kagoshima and Yabutika.

Ingredients: 100% Japanese tencha green tea stems of the highest quality from organic production.

Organic Certification: PT-BIO-03

Origin: Japan

Kukicha is special because it does not contain green tea leaves, so to speak. It is often referred to as stick tea, twig tea, stem tea, or stalk tea, and there’s a good reason for this.

These stems are what’s left over after the main loose leaf green teas have been processed. In the past, the Japanese tea farmers would make these bits as a drink after selling all of their product. Now it’s sold along with other green teas.

When the new tea leaves are picked, they are chosen to be used as either matcha or gyokuro. If the leaves are good enough to be selected for matcha production, they are then labeled as tencha.

As these tencha leaves are processed, they are steamed, dried and cut. They are then put through an Air Jet Separation System which separates the stems from the leaves.

Rather than throwing these stems away, the resourceful Japanese tea producers started selling them as a loose tea.

The tea stems can also come from the processing of sencha and gyokuro. When sencha and gyokuro are steamed, rolled and dried, their stems are separated from the leaf.

How does it taste?

Since it’s made up of the parts that are excluded from most green teas, it has its own very unique aroma and flavor. It is much less bitter, and has a nutty flavor. As a bonus, this tea is also naturally low in caffeine. No extra processing needed!

Because it is so mild, it is even a recommended tea drink for people that are on a macrobiotic diet to help with digestion.

Let’s brew it!

Kukicha is prepared in much the same way as other green teas. You want to steep it in water that is about 70 degrees for a little less than a minute (about 45 seconds). Longer if you like your tea a bit more bitter.

It is common to steep the same leaf stems three or four times. However, it does get a bit weaker the more you steep it. We recomended to re-use the stems for at least two or three cups.

Kukicha was released in the West by the philosopher George Ohsawa and is a great tea for everyday use; since it contains virtually no caffeine, can be used by both adults and children. The Three Year Tea has an alkalizing effect and consequently strengthens us and refreshes us when tired. In the case of insomnia it has a sedative effect; can relieve nausea and gastritis.

It is an excellent daily drink for people with nephritis (kidney infection), bladder infections, neurasthenia, cardiovascular disease, indigestion and general fatigue.