With a mix of twigs, stems, and Japanese tea, Kukicha green tea is one of those varieties that you'll have to sip a couple of times to discover its many flavors.
Meaning "twig tea", this beverage creates a cup that has a citrus-like scent along with sweet, nutty, and vegetal notes. The tea has a medium depth as far as overall flavor is concerned, yet kind of leaves a thick aftertaste on the palate. However, this is not a bad thing, in fact it lingers just long enough to welcome another sip.
Some have referred it to having a "buttered vegetable" flavor which I can sort of understand, although my taste buds may be missing something on that analogy. I just don't fully taste the "butter" part of it.
I feel this tea is a nice starter Japanese tea, and for folks who read the Sencha and Gyokuro reviews, you'll see that there aren't many Japanese greens that offer a more mild grassy-friendly cup. This one happens to be one of the few Japanese varieties that are not so overwhelming with those strong vegetal-like first impressions!
In fact, it is kind of sweet in a way, (not sugar sweet).
Kukicha green tea is a nice beverage that has a calming appeal when sipped, and unlike Sencha it does not go fuzzy towards the bottom of the cup..I'm scratching my head on why it only has a below average rating for a variety that offers mild vegetal notes with other subtle nuances.
Steeping
When you prepare this tea:
1) Add a heaping teaspoon per mug-sized cup.
2) Do not use boiling water, only well-filtered steaming water (let it cool down for a minute if brought to a boil).
3) Steep for only 2 ½ minutes, 3 minutes at the most! Anything over that will make it go bitter!
Following those directions should result in a pleasing cup.
This tea isn't a bad choice by far, it's nice balance is perfect for both newcomers and seasoned drinkers that is worth sampling.
