Kukicha

Tea: Kukicha
Vendor: Tao of Tea
Price: $2.75 / oz.
Source: Japan
Vendor Description: Kukicha is a light, gentle tea made from the branches of the tea ‘Camellia Sinensis’ plant.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is actually all stems. It is uniformly cut smaller pieces of stems that have been roasted. It is very apparent when you see this tea that it is all stem and no leaf involved.

1st Infusion: As I expected of this tea there was a heavy roasted flavor to it. it was very woody in taste and had a sense of smokiness to it. All of this is somewhat expected of a kukicha like this, so none of this was a big surprise. There was a light sense of astringency to it. The roasted flavor was very specific in this tea though, the flavor was quite clear which is a bit rare for a kukicha.

2nd Infusion: The roasted flavor was heavier in this infusion. The taste was the same heavy smoky roasted taste as the first one only a bit stronger. The flavor felt richer although it was the normal kukucha flavor.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: This was a decent kukicha. I'm not a big fan of the tea personally, but I'm not that big of a fan of the roasted teas in general. If you like kukichas specifically you might want to look into this tea. If you are looking for a sample of what kukicha is this is also a decent call, otherwise you're probably better off elsewhere.