Tea & drinks ── Nihoncha (Japanese tea)
Kukicha (Karigane)
Kukicha — stem tea, prized as karigane from gyokuro
Tea made from the stems and leaf stalks sifted out while finishing sencha or gyokuro. Stems from gyokuro or premium sencha in particular are called karigane, said to give a light, sweet cup with little astringency.
- Green tea
What it's made of
Made from the stems and leaf stalks separated out when sencha or gyokuro is sifted apart from its leaf during finishing. Stems from gyokuro or premium sencha in particular are called karigane, treated as a finer grade of stem tea. It's said to carry less astringent compound than the leaf portion and more theanine, the umami compound, giving a light, sweet flavor. Its liquor tends toward a lighter yellow-green than leaf tea, with little of the sharp grassy astringency, leaving a light, clean finish.
How it's made
During the finishing of raw tea, sieves and winnowing baskets separate shaped leaf from everything else in several stages. Stem tea is what's collected from the stem portion split off from the leaf in this process, and its own grade is said to track the grade of the leaf it came from. It's said to resist bitterness even at a somewhat higher water temperature than leaf tea. Brewing with water around 80°C as a guide, steeped a bit longer than usual, is said to draw out the stem's particular sweetness.
Why it took this shape
Sencha and gyokuro are teas valued for the uniformity of their leaf shape and color, and the stem portion is said to have needed removing during finishing. Making use of that separated stem as its own tea rather than discarding it is said to have given rise to stem tea as its own category, with gyokuro's stems in particular coming to be prized as karigane. Major gyokuro regions like Uji are said to yield an especially fine grade of stem, said to be the local condition behind why karigane in particular is so prized.
Before You Go
Dishes in the same style
- Fukamushi SenchaA method of steaming the leaf far longer than ordinary sencha, said to break the leaf down finely and mellow its astringency into a deep green, richer-bodied tea. With smaller leaf fragments, more dissolves into the water, giving a notably smooth mouthfeel.
- GenmaichaTea made by mixing roasted, steamed rice at roughly equal parts with bancha or sencha. The toasty aroma of the roasted rice meets the tea's freshness, said to give a light, relatively low-caffeine cup.