The Ultimate Guide to Kukicha and Karigane [2022]
The tea made from the twigs of the tea tree - "Twig tea"
This article was last modified Jun 7th, 2022. by Yuki
If you're thinking that Kukicha doesn't look like it's made from tea leaves - well, you're correct! They're made from the small stems, stalks and twigs of the green tea leaves. It's also a popular tea as it slightly changes the taste. We'll go over everything you need to know about this really interesting tea.
Contents
Introduction - What's Kukicha? What's Karigane?
Just in case you haven't seen it before, Kukicha looks like this!
leaves of Karigane Tea
The Taste of Kukicha
Health Benefits of Kukicha
Other names of Kukicha
Karigane / Shiraore
Karigane has historically been the name of Kukicha made from leaves used for Gyokuro green tea. Gyokuro green tea leaves are shaded from the sun around 20 days before the leaves are picked, containing the astringent taste and maximizing the umami.
However, these days the term Karigane has become diverse, and is also used for any Kukicha of high quality. Depending on the location of manufacturing, Karigane is also called Shiraore.
Boucha
Especially famous in the Kanazawa Area of Ishikawa Prefecture, boucha is a type kukicha made by roasting the stems until they become a brownish-red color. This is similar to how Houjicha is made, except that the parts of the tea plant being used is different. The end result is a gentle aroma coming from the roasted leaves.
Roasted kukicha would look like this.
Twig-tea
Although in Tealife SG we call this tea "kukicha", they are also sometimes called "Twig Tea" "Stalk Tea" or "Stem Tea".
How best to enjoy Kikucha?
Kukicha (Normal Grade) | |
Servings |
2 servings |
Water (ml) |
200 ml |
Leaves (g) |
8g |
Leaves (roughly in teaspoons) |
4 tsp |
Temperature (Celsius) |
80° |
Brewing time (Seconds) |
30 seconds |
Instructions on how to brew Kukicha
Water temperature
A cup of Kukicha
Water hardness
Soft water with hardness of between 30 to 80 is said to be the best for extracting the taste and aroma of green tea. The tap water in Singapore is "moderately soft", which makes it perfect for Japanese Tea.
How is it made? (Manufacturing Method)
Summary
FAQ
Which part are the leaves and which part are the stems?
A: The Kukicha is usually mixed with either the Sencha or the Gyokuro. The picture above is a Karigane tea from Uji kyoto. The light green sticks shown in the photo are the stems. The darker green are the leaves.
Yuki
Yuki is the Editor-in-Chief AND Community Manager at Tealife. He bleeds Japanese Tea and loves being a part of the Japanese Tea journey of others. Writes, does events, conducts tasting sessions, drinks, drinks and drinks tea! Easily accessible - hit him up on whatsapp (+65) 85882980.