What is kukicha green tea?
Kukicha, also known as bōcha, is a Japanese variety of green tea made from wait for it - stems, stalks, and twigs. Yes, you did read that correctly. In fact, kukicha actually means twig tea! And actually, it's pretty popular, with a surprisingly sweet and creamy flavor that has mildly chestnutty overtones.
It's made out of four different types of stalks, twigs and stems that come from the ordinary tea plant (Camellia Sinensis). Although the idea might seem a little odd, it makes sense when you consider how it came about. Land is a very scarce commodity in Japan, so agriculture is a very expensive way of making a living. Japanese farmers are therefore renowned for their ingenious ways of getting as much out of every tea plant as possible and that means using up every single part of it! That's why the Japanese have so often invented various previously unthought-of kinds of tea, purely out of the desire to (and necessity of) extracting as much value as possible from their crops.
And so we can see how kukicha came to exist. No one in more land-rich countries had ever thought of including twigs in their tea before!
But kukicha turned out to be exceptionally tasty, and now it's a really popular drink in Japan particularly in the wintertime, since the tea is usually harvested and processed during the fall months, and so is widely available in the winter. For this reason, it's sometimes referred to as Winter Tea. The tea plants are trimmed after the final tea harvest that happens in the fall, and, just like green tea leaves, the resulting twigs, stalks and stems are steamed. The purpose of this is different from the purpose of steaming leaves here, it's done to stimulate a particular sort of fermentation process, as well as to soften the twigs. After steaming, the tea is then dried and roasted before being packaged or, alternatively, it is blended with other ingredients to produce different varieties.
Kukicha has a very distinctive taste, and one that is enjoyed by many green tea fans in fact, in Japan it is also often used to flavor juices and other beverages, and sometimes served as iced tea, too. As a hot drink, it produces a sweet infusion with chestnutty flavors and a distinctive herbal taste. However, as well as its powerful flavors, it's also very well known for its powerful antioxidant qualities. Kukicha is a truly excellent drink for your health! It neutralizes the acid levels in the body, is rich in natural tannins, is the lowest in caffeine of all traditional teas, and is one of the best teas for a macrobiotic diet. Its toasted flavor sits well with vegans and vegetarians, since it complements a diet rich in fresh vegetables and whole grains.
Kukicha is an unusual green tea that's well worth a try to experience its unique, nutty, fresh flavors it's an excellent way to get a high intake of antioxidants and natural vitamins.
Useful Links:
http://www.relaxsipenjoy.com/japanese_green_tea.aspx
http://www.green-tea-expert.com/kukicha.html
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