Kukicha - Otsuka, Kakegawa
- In stock, ready to ship
- Backordered, shipping soon
- Free EU shipping over €75
Made from the stems and stalks left over from sencha production.
Light in the cup, sweet, with almost no astringency, because the stalks hold more amino acids and fewer of the compounds that cause bitterness. Lower in caffeine than leaf tea.
A good place to start if you have not drunk much Japanese tea, and an easy afternoon cup once you have.
The numbers above are for this tea. What follows is how to get there.
Water
Not boiling. Japanese green tea gives up its bitterness fast in very hot water and its sweetness slowly. Boil the kettle, pour into a cup, wait a minute, then pour onto the leaf. That drops it roughly to where you want it. A yusamashi is made for this, but a spare cup does the same job.
Leaf
Use the full amount. Japanese tea is brewed with more leaf and less time than most European tea. If your cup tastes thin, add leaf before you add minutes.
Pouring
Empty the pot completely each time. Tea left standing on the leaf keeps extracting, and the next cup will be sharper for it.
The second infusion
Often the better one. Use water slightly hotter than the first time and steep for about half as long.
If it is not what you wanted
Bitter or drying means the water was too hot or it stood too long. Drop the temperature first, then take time off. Thin means not enough leaf.
Treat all of this as a starting point. Change one thing at a time, taste what it does, and keep what you like.
Ingredients: Green tea
Storage advice: Keep the pouch closed and store it in a cool, dark place away from strong odours. After opening, transfer the tea to an airtight container. Do not refrigerate an opened pack, as condensation damages the leaf.
Country of origin: Japan
Shipping
Orders placed before 15:00 on a working day are shipped the same day.
Free shipping within the EU on orders over €75. Below that, shipping starts at €5.00 to the Netherlands and €7.50 to Belgium and Germany. Other EU countries range from €15.00 to €25.00 depending on destination. The exact cost is shown at checkout.
Returns
Unused items can be returned within 14 days. Email webshop@greenteajapan.com with your order number before sending anything back. Return shipping is at your own cost.
Tea can only be returned unopened, with the vacuum seal intact. Once a food product is opened it can no longer be sold, so opened tea is not refunded.
Full terms on our returns page.