Kukicha, Twig Tea, Japanese Green Tea, from Wegmans

In Albums: tea

Kukicha, green tea made from stems and twigs, showing pale green stems, and some darker green leaves

Jan 11th, 2011, by Alex Zorach

I purchased this kukicha, or twig tea, a Japanese green tea, at a Wegmans supermarket. Wegmans has a surprisingly good selection of loose-leaf tea, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this somewhat unusual offering for sale.

Most tea, including green, black, oolong, and other teas, are made from the leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Kukicha is unusual in that it is made from stems and twigs. Kukicha resembles other Japanese green teas, like sencha, in flavor. Some kukicha is made exclusively out of stems and twigs, but others, like this batch, has some leaf mixed in.

You can read my review of Wegmans kukicha on RateTea.