Kukicha Tea – Let’s Explore Everything About It!

Kukicha is a type of Japanese tea made from twigs, stems and stalks of green tea plants. It’s a popular beverage that has grown in popularity over the past few years in the western hemisphere. The tea originated as a drink for the poorer people of Japan, such as labour workers, as this type of tea was much cheaper than the pure form of green tea made using green tea leaves. It is enjoyed widely, especially by Japanese people, who drink it regularly as part of a healthy diet.

Kukicha tea has many benefits including improving your skin health, as well as helping with weight loss. In this article, we will go through what exactly this type of tea is, how to brew it for the perfect cup, how it is made and harvested, the various benefits of regularly drinking the tea, and where you can find it – both online and in Japan.

What is kukicha?

Kukicha is a form of green tea made from the stems and twigs of the Camellia sinensis plant. Because of this, it has a distinct flavour profile much different from the usual green tea that is found. The taste is said to be a mixture of sencha and gyokuro cha, with the twigs and stems creating a nuttier flavour and creamy texture.

The Reason Why Kikucha is Such a Unique Drink

Kukicha tea has a fresh aroma and a light green colour and is widely drunk around Japan and the rest of the world. The parts of the green tea plant that are used in kukicha are usually discarded from other blends of green tea, making kukicha a unique and interesting drink.

The tea is unique in another way, as kukicha is very low in caffeine, compared to many other green tea and tea drinks. The reason for this is due to the stems in the plants that are harvested are at least three years old, and therefore have lost most of their caffeine. Plus, after it is harvested, steamed and dried to prevent oxidation, the tea is aged and roasted to enhance its flavour.

Where Does Higher Quality Kukicha Come From?

Higher quality kukicha comes from gyokuro tea plants, so always try to purchase this kind if you can. A low-quality example of kukicha tea is made from bancha tea plants, and many online shops may carry this kind, so make sure to always read the descriptions before buying to ensure that you purchase a quality kukicha tea to enjoy.

In the next part of this article, we will go into how best to brew your kukicha tea once you have managed to acquire some.

How to Brew Kukicha Properly

The best way to brew kukicha is similar to brewing sencha tea. For every four grams of kukicha tea that you use, you should use a cup (60ml) of water heated to 176⁰F (80⁰C). The process of brewing the kukicha tea does not take much time and should be steeped for no longer than one minute, otherwise, the tea will get bitter thanks to the release of tannins in the tea. → Get Your Water Temperature Thermometer Here!

The best method for doing this includes a kyusu (Japanese teapot), to place your kukicha tea in ready for brewing. To prepare the boiling water so that it reaches the correct temperature after it has boiled, transfer it into glass cups so that it can cool down.

At this point, you can use a special tea thermometer to check that the water has cooled down to the correct temperature. Now that it has, you can add the water on top of the kukicha tea mix and start brewing your tea.

Expert Tips for How Best to Brew Kukicha

When you pour the tea into your chosen cups for drinking, make sure to alternate pouring between each cup, as the tea will be more concentrated at different points. If you pour straight into one cup and then the other, you run the risk of one cup of kukicha tea being stronger than the other.

Better quality kukicha tea means a better quality drink, and therefore will release a better aroma and flavour. Once your kukicha tea has been brewed, enjoy it’s nutty and creamy flavour profile alongside a traditional Japanese sweet!

The Benefits of Kukicha

There are many health benefits to drinking kukicha tea, on top of all the beauty benefits we mentioned previously, so it’s no wonder that it is so widely drunk! One benefit of drinking kukicha is that it aids in digestion. This is especially great if you have digestive problems such as IBS, as drinking kukicha can help to calm your digestive tract and get you back on track.

There are many wonderful reasons to drink kukicha tea. For example, the tea is a great source of tannins, which are naturally found in all times of tea, and therefore this makes it a great option for when you need to detox. This is especially great if you have eaten a lot the night before.

It can also benefit the body in a lot of other awesome ways, including having the ability to possibly combat some cancers. Studies have shown that women who drink at least two cups of kukicha tea a day have a 46% lower chance of developing ovarian cancer than people who don’t.

Great for a Healthy Diet

Kukicha tea is one of the teas most preferred for drinking alongside a macrobiotic diet, which involves reducing your dietary consumption of animal products, and eating mainly locally grown seasonal fruit and vegetables. It helps to improve your gut health if consumed in this way.

Suitable for Children

Because of it’s amazing health benefits, kukicha tea is widely used in Japan as an addition to children’s juice. Because it has minimal amounts of caffeine, you can be safe in the knowledge that it won’t affect your child’s behaviour, but that kukicha will help to improve their overall health.

Good for Skin

Kukicha tea can also help to improve your skin health, thanks to the variety of vitamins and minerals found in the stems of green tea leaves that make up the kukicha tea. In the next section we will go into more detail about how it is beneficial for the skin.

Rich Vitamin C and Other Vitamin

One of the many vitamins included in a kukicha drink is vitamin C, and it contains over two and a half more times vitamin C in a single serving than one orange. Vitamin C has a vital role in collagen synthesis for the skin, and therefore is essential in our diets in order to keep our skin young and fresh. All of the vitamins and minerals included in every drink of kukicha help to replenish damaged skin. Including the ones we just mentioned, kukicha also has vitamins B1, B2, niacin, theanine, vitamin A and even amino acids to help rebuild your tired and weary skin.

Provide Calcium

On top of this, kukicha has six times more calcium than cow’s milk, essential for strong bones and for reducing the risk of damage to elastin and collagen in the skin. It also prevents DNA damage and protects the texture of your skin, stopping it from going dry.

Prevents Sun Damage

What’s more is that it can help to reduce damage to your skin from the sun, as kukicha helps to give an enhanced sunscreen effect when used in conjunction with an SPF sunscreen. Therefore, it prevents and reduces the chance of skin cancer from sun overexposure.

Anti-Aging Effects

Plus, kukicha helps to fight against the effects of aging, keeping you looking younger and more refreshed every day. So, drunk regularly kukicha is a powerhouse of nutrients! As well as skincare benefits, there are also many health benefits, but more of that in the next section.

Increases Mental Alertness

It’s also known to fight fatigue and boost your energy levels, without the need for excessive amounts of caffeine. The minimal amounts of caffeine in kukicha help to keep you mentally alert throughout the day, without giving you a slump in the afternoon or any withdrawal symptoms.

Reduces Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Disease

Another great health benefit to drinking kukicha tea is it’s prowess in being able to help reduce your blood pressure. Therefore, kukicha can help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, or any complications from them.

Plus, kukicha fights and lowers cholesterol levels, which also helps to decrease blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular problems in the future.

Strengthens Your Immune System

With regards to disease and infection, kukicha is amazing for fighting off colds thanks to it’s high levels of vitamin C. Because of the high levels of this amazing vitamin, kukicha can help to improve and strengthen your immune system, which means it can be beneficial in fighting bacterial infections also.

There are so many benefits to drinking kukicha

Due to there being so many benefits, kukicha tea is highly sought after across the globe. Thanks to the expansion and exporting of green tea from Japan, there are many places online you can purchase it. As well as this, if you visit Japan, there are many great places where you can experience authentically brewed kukicha tea.

Where can I find kukicha tea?

You can find kukicha tea online and in stores, both in Japan, and worldwide. There are many green tea or authentic Japanese tea cafes where you can also sample kukicha tea, both in Japan, and here in the US.

Buy Kukicha tea on Amazon

An invaluable resource for finding kukicha tea, and the equipment needed to make it, is Amazon US, as they offer a wide variety of kukicha tea that can be shipped straight to your door.

Buy kukicha from smaller online companies

If you don’t want to buy online from Amazon, you can also purchase kukicha tea from a wide variety of independent and smaller online companies. For example, Sazen Tea will ship kukicha tea to anywhere in the world from Kyoto, which produces some of the best green tea found in Japan.

Experience kukicha tea in cafes

As I mentioned before, there are many cafes in the US where you can sample kukicha green tea in person, made by skilled baristas, and also purchase their blends of kukicha tea in the cafe shop. An example of this is Shuhari Matcha Cafe in Venice, California.

You can also purchase from their online store if you live in the US. They pride themselves on delivering authentic Japanese green teas and kukicha blends, and pair them with traditional Japanese foods that can also be purchase for taking away. If you would like to visit them, their details are as follows:

Kukicha is a great option for including in a healthy diet and lifestyle, as it has so many health and beauty benefits. Kukicha is an enjoyable and relaxing drink that can be enjoyed at any occasion, and for any reason. It’s soothing aroma and nutty taste make kukicha one of the best Japanese green teas you can buy.

Because of these reasons, it is widely consumed and adored. Plus, it is widely available at most supermarkets, online stores, and cafes, even in the US. Hopefully this article has explained to you how kukicha is so popular, and exactly why this is.

Many health bloggers and experts have waxed lyrical on it’s superpowers, and for good reason. Kukicha is outstanding in terms of the benefits that it can fit into such a tiny amount of the tea.

From humble beginnings, to worldwide success, kukicha really is such a fantastic drink. Here’s to many more cups of kukicha!

You might also like:
→Japanese Tea Ceremony In 6 Steps That You Want To Know!
→How to Properly Brew Japanese Green Tea
→10 Sencha Tea Benefits You Have To Know
→Different Types of Tea in Japan and it’s Health Benefits