Our Karigane Kukicha is made from the stems, stalks and small leaf fragments from the same grower of our Gyokuro Green. Our Gyokuro is cultivated in the Kakashita Tea Garden in Uji, Japan and is a premium shade-grown green tea renowned for its exceptional quality and refined flavor profile. Uji is widely recognized as the birthplace of Japanese green tea, particularly for its premium Gyokuro which is considered the "king" of teas due to its meticulous cultivation and luxurious taste.
Karigane Kukicha, since it uses mostly stems and stalks of the tea plant, still has a lovely umami and sweetness shared with the Gyokuro; however, because it is not primarily composed of leaves, it is much more tolerant to higher temperature water (you can use boiling water) and has much lower caffeine content than Gyokuro. These tea plants were shaded for 20-25 days in the early spring, using bamboo and straw screens, reducing sunlight exposure by 90%, slowing photosynthesis and increasing L-theanine levels resulting in a lightly sweet and very smooth taste (no bitterness and almost no astringency).
The dry tea consists of light green stems and some small dark green leaf fragments. The aroma is fresh and grassy, nutty and has a slightly creamy texture and very smooth and sweet taste, as it shares the similar cultivation method as the Gyokuro. I love drinking this tea in the summer and highly recommend it for those who wish to have a premium handcrafted green tea that is significantly lower in caffeine than Gyokuro or any spring green teas.
This tea is vacuum packed for freshness and is only sold in 100g (3.5oz) quantity.
