Kukicha

Tea: Kukicha
Vendor: Adagio
Cost: $7.00 / 4 oz.
Type: Green
Source: Japan

Today I received my first order from Adagio. In this order I got 10 samples of assorted teas from Adagio, which I find to be a very nice way to try out different teas. They offer inexpensive sample tins which are filled to the brim with whatever tea you get. Most of the samplers range from 2-6 dollars depending on the type of tea you choose. So expect a fair number of Adagio posts for a bit.

Today's tea is Kukicha, which is a combination of regular tea leaves and twigs. You can really taste the dichotomy of the twigs and the leaves in this one. The first one that you taste is the leaves which has a very sencha like flavor. It is not as sharp as a sencha normally is, nor does it have the astringency that some senchas have. This I assume is the contribution of the leaves, this is followed by a very smooth and woody flavor. This flavor is very deep and continues to linger in your mouth giving this tea a very long and deep flavor. This is the contribution of the twigs. The taste slowly tapers off leaving you with a very mellow feeling. The most surprising thing about this tea was how long the taste of the tea lasted. It is a very different change from the regular senchas that I normally drink.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: This is a rather different tea than the regular green teas that I am used to. It is much more mellow in flavor and good for a change once in a while. I'm not sure if this tea is going to be a regular in my tea cabinet, but it is an interesting change. For the price it is definitely worth a try.

As a side note if you are ever hoping of a chabashira (good luck sign when a tea stalk is floating upright) this is the tea to try it with. The twigs all float and initially a good number of them are floating upright.