Kukicha Green Tea

Kukicha tea is fondly nicknamed ‘twig tea’ for its distinctive appearance. Pronounced Ku-key-cha, this tea is made up of tea leaves mixed with young tea plant stems. So when buying a packet of Kukicha you will discover that it contains both medium-green and yellow pieces of tea plant. Kukicha green tea is a delightful Japanese tea for sharing a pot with friends or a cup on your own.

Kukicha is regarded as one of the freshest tasting Japanese green teas, with a slightly bitter taste. When added to a teapot or cup with near boiling water, Kukicha then takes on a pale green-yellow colour and sweet scented fragrance. Another key characteristic of Kukicha green tea is that it is not roasted after it is harvested, but merely steamed. If you prefer roasted tea, WellTea supplies lots of roasted varieties of Japanese green tea, offering more woody tones of honey and grain.

Kukicha offers an excellent option for upgrading your tea drinking tastes and exploring what the world of Japanese tea has to offer.

KUKICHA GREEN TEA BREWING INSTRUCTION:

THE WATER TEMPERATURE

• The golden rule about water temperature is never use boiling water on the tea, whatever kind of tea you are making.
• Green Teas require water at 70°C and black teas require water at 85-90°C.
• These days you can get kettles which enable you to choose your water temperature.

THE AMOUNT OF TEA

• Custom dictates that 4 grams are sufficient for one cup. But the amount is partly a matter of preference.
• In the case of Assam tea, which is naturally very robust, you might want to reduce the strength and brew 3 grams instead of 4.

THE BREWING TIME

• This is a very important step in the art of tea-making. In fact, the brewing time varies depending on the type of tea. An over-brewed black tea will develop a bitter taste whilst an under-brewed white tea will be flat and insipid.
• Black teas are normally brewed for 2-3 minutes, green teas for 3 – 4 minutes. It is a good idea to check the brewing time before making the tea, because some teas need to be infused for very specific times: for example, Jade Pearl is left to infuse for 7 – 20 minutes, whilst Oolong tea will need 5 – 7 minutes for its bouquet to develop fully.
• Brewing is normally done with a lid on, so that the tea retains all its aromas.