# Japan Kukicha Green Tea > Japanese kukicha — green tea brewed from the stems and twigs rather than the leaves. Naturally lower in caffeine, soft, gently nutty. - **URL:** https://sampsonecoshop.com/products/japan-kukicha-green-tea - **Type:** tea - **Brand:** THE METROPOLITAN TEA COMPANY LTD. - **Price:** 11.99 CAD - **Availability:** check store - **Tags:** greentea, replenishable, tea ## Description 🇯🇵 Japanese🌿 Twig Tea☕ Lower Caffeine🌿 Loose Leaf The Japanese twig cup — gentle, slightly nutty, naturally lower in caffeine than a leaf-only green tea. Kukicha is the green tea brewed from the parts most ranges throw away: the stems and twigs that come off the plant alongside the leaves. The Japanese have been drinking it for centuries — what looks like an offcut is actually a softer, sweeter, lower-caffeine cup. The stems hold less caffeine than the leaves, but plenty of the sweet amino acids. The brew is pale, with a soft, slightly nutty character and a gentle umami sweetness. A perfect afternoon tea — light enough to drink late, full enough to feel like a real cup. 🌿 Stems & Twigs What most ranges discard — the soft sweet part ☕ Lower Caffeine Stems hold less caffeine than leaves ✨ Naturally Sweet Soft umami body — no sugar required ✨ **The Sampson Promise** We only put ingredients in our products that we would use on our own family. Every ingredient has a purpose. If it doesn’t need to be there, it isn’t. Type Green Tea (Kukicha) Caffeine Lower Origin Japan Format Loose Leaf Steep Time 1–2 min Servings ~25 cups (50g) ## Tasting Notes 🌿 Soft Nutty Top Aroma Gentle, slightly woody, slightly nutty — the smell of stems rather than leaves. Closer to fresh hay than to cooked vegetable. 🍚 Light Umami Body Soft savoury middle from the amino acids in the stems — gentler than a sencha but unmistakably Japanese green. The cup tastes round rather than thin. ✨ Sweet Quiet Finish Aftertaste Naturally sweet, with no astringency — the cup ends quietly. Easy to drink three of in a row without ever feeling weighted. ## How to Brew 01 Measure One heaped teaspoon (about 2g) per 8oz cup. Stems are bulky — fill the spoon properly. 02 Heat the Water 70–80°C / 160–175°F. Cooler than for most teas — boiling water turns the cup grassy. Bring water to a boil and let it stand 2–3 minutes before pouring. 03 Steep 1–2 Minutes Shorter than most teas — kukicha extracts fast. One minute for a lighter, brighter cup. Two for a fuller umami body. Water 70–80°C Time 1–2 min Per Cup 1 heaped tsp Re-steeps beautifully two or three times — kukicha gives more on the second pour than most green teas. The lower caffeine makes it the right cup for late afternoon, when a sencha would still be too bright. ## About the Tea 🌿 Tea Stems The Cut The stalks and small twigs that come off the same plants used for sencha and matcha — kept aside, sorted, and brewed in their own right rather than discarded. ♨️ Steam-Processed The Process Like all Japanese green tea, kukicha is steamed within hours of cutting — the steam stops oxidation and locks in the green. Even from stems, the resulting cup tastes unmistakably Japanese. ✨ Single Ingredient The Honesty Just stems and twigs. No flavours, no blending, no additions. The cup is the plant — the part of it most ranges throw away. In the tin Japanese kukicha (green tea stems and twigs). Origin & Sourcing Japanese kukicha — single-origin, steam-processed, sorted into the stem-and-twig cut. The afternoon cup that the Japanese tea drawer has always held alongside the sencha. ## Images - https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0571/5319/2067/files/japan-kukicha-green-tea-4456729.jpg?v=1780653435 - https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0571/5319/2067/files/japan-kukicha-green-tea-3999530.jpg?v=1780653431