Karigane Kukicha (Gyokuro Stem Tea)
🇯🇵 Japan

Karigane Kukicha (Gyokuro Stem Tea)

雁ヶ音 · かりがね · Karigane Kukicha

kukicha

Kukicha — literally "stem tea" — is the Japanese green tea made from the stems, stalks, and twigs of the tea plant (also called bōcha 棒茶 or "stick tea"). Per Wikipedia, regular kukicha comes from sencha or matcha-production by-product; the higher-quality Karigane variant (雁ヶ音) specifically uses gyokuro by-product, and the Kyushu version of Karigane is known as Shiraore (白折). The cup picks up the mild nuttiness and creamy sweetness of stem material — characteristics that sit between gyokuro and sencha. Kukicha is one of the preferred teas of the macrobiotic diet.

Quick facts

Origin
Japan
Region
Uji
Harvest year
2025
Harvest season
spring
Cultivars
Okumidori, Asahi

Brewing

Leaf
3.0 g / 100 ml
Water
75°C
Rinse
no
Gongfu steeps (s)
40, 30, 45
Western (min)
1.0

Per Wikipedia — brew at 70-80 °C for less than a minute (oversteeping turns it bitter). Holds 3-4 infusions. The Karigane grade specifically uses gyokuro by-product; ordinary kukicha is a sencha by-product and brews lighter.

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Tasting notes

Aroma
sweet hay, fresh grass, faint marine
Flavor
mildly nutty, creamy sweet, light umami
Mouthfeel
smooth, slightly creamy
Finish
clean, sweet

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