★★★★★
Great tea!
A playful steamed green tea from Japan. Kukicha is a blend of leaves and leaf stems. The lightness of the stems becomes a sweet sesame seed or chestnut note. Tender like soft white rice. Balanced and, for a Japanese tea, very low in astringency.
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with Kukicha, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
Great tea!
This is an excellent tea to introduce people to grassy tasting green teas if they are hesitant about it; it gives a robust flavor that leans moderately grassy. Grassy green teas are notorious for sensitive about steep time, going bitter if you let it sit for 30s too long, whereas this tea seems to be quite well-behaved. I would recommend keeping to the 2 min steep, but you don't need to be as critical about it as you might with a sencha, for instance.
Compared to Sencha I have to say I much prefer the lighter and less earthy flavor of the kukicha. If your looking for a smooth cup of traditional green tea this one takes the cake with a subtle complexity and a texture smooth and fresh.
light taste, flavor; good if you don't want a strong taste
My husbands second favorite green tea. Wonderful flavor.
For me this Kukicha started with a rich umami flavor like oiled roasted asparagus. Then it finished with a light and refreshing sweetness like steamed edamame. A very enjoyable cup of tea that will hold a permanent spot in my pantry!
A more complex flavor than my favorite green tea sencha overture. Moderate grassiness is present but lessened by the tea stems which give it a slight sweetness on the front of the palate, The sweetness would be similar to like cucumber sweet, but it's noticeable. It has lower astringency than sencha overture as well on the finish complimented by a faint nuttiness at the end which makes me very happy inside.
A little too light for my taste but makes a good addition to cold tea
This tea was ok. It does have the grassy notes as the description provides, but not as good as Dragonwell. I mixed the small amount left over with my dragon well. Will not probably buy again.
Really good! It has a nice grassy flavor without being overwhelming
Very good tea. Bright, grassy, slightly vegetal. Umami is low on this compared to Sencha but a very good tea, easy daily drinker if you're into Japanese greens. I steep 3 grams in 130ml of 180f water for 1m30s first steep, 185f for 1 minute second steep, add another half teaspoon at 185f third steep and get one more with a 3 hour cold brew for a fourth.
I was looking for a new tea to try. I really like Green Tea that has more of a grassy, earthy taste. My go to tea is Sencha Premier. This wasn't a bad tea but just too week for me. I like a tea with more flavor. When I opened the package and smell the tea I really had high hope for this. It might get good for a first time green tea drinker.
This is a new house favorite. What a full-bodied, tasty flavor! Not at all grassy or bitter.
This is a really good green tea. I wouldn't say it's my favorite but it's solid
I love this tea. It has that classic, grassy 'green' taste, which I love. It s got some nutty notes and a pleasant texture. I love making a pot of this tea and drinking it throughout the day.
It tastes pretty grassy and can definitely taste the nutty tones. Took advice of another reviewer and did an overnight cold brew - it was great, I prefer it cold!
Flavorful and fragrant green tea flavor. Don't oversteep!
Green tea flavor is there, but a little too salty, seaweedy, grassy for me.
Absolutely fantastic tea. Light and grassy, with a strong aroma and just a slight chewiness to it. I'm getting the big bag of this next time!
One of my favorites. Tastes fresh, clean and buttery. I brew for 2 minutes and then let it sit for another 2 or so. Great price.
Definitely has the grassy flavor that you would expect from a Japanese green tea. This one is definitely bold and I think could make a good iced tea, though I haven't tried it cold yet.
Sooooo good and unique. I will be ordering again.
Light and comforting. The mild taste of warm white rice really does come through this lovely green tea. Delicious any time of day, but especially as an afternoon pick-me-up!
I first tried this tea a few years ago as a sampler. I like that it is lightly earthy because certain green teas can be a bit much.
I don't know why I was surprised to see tiny twigs in the pouch, because the description clearly states it is made from leaves and stems. I was skeptical about that but wow, the brewed tea is mild and sweetly flavorful with a nice, spring fresh green taste. Will buy again! My son is a green tea lover, and he also liked the sample pouch in his Christmas gift box.
Excellent green tea, in my opinion. Not as nutty as genmai cha, not as grassy as sencha, and a slightly sweet aftertaste. And the price is right.
I love this tea, it tastes like a less earthy sencha to me.
Pour this stuff over rice to make ochazuke. I promise, it ll be such a comforting little soup.
Really enjoy Japanese green teas, and this one is very green!
This tea is pretty good. It tastes like a 'standard' green tea. I think of it as a grown up Bigelow green tea. But given the premium cost vs Bigelow I don't think I would buy this one super often.
I was skeptical when I smelled the tea in the bag but after brewing, it was a lovely cup to warm up with. Full of flavor but not too grassy, this was a great tea
I never expected that a grassy green tea would become one of my favorites. Addictively good!
Tastes like grass.. but like good grass. Really tasty.
By far my absolute favorite green tea now that I have tired myself of the jasmine green tea. It is perfect and doesnt overwelm me.
This might be one of my favorite go-to green teas.
Love this light, fresh, green tea. I find it to be flavorful, and reminiscent of spring
Kukicha is one of ma favorite green teas. I just read that it was the favorite tea of the macrobiotic diet. Not sure why but it’s mix of stems and leaves is very tasty. Light tasting and “nutty.. never bitter unless I oversteep it.
Wow. Wasn’t sure about the stems in this variety and it’s actually one of my absolute favorites. I’m not a strong green tea brewer so this variety seems to naturally be a bit milder. And it’s a lovely green color too.
I really like the flavor of this tea. It has a buttery vegetation type flavor if that makes any sense :)
In the neighborhood of other Japanese greens, but distinguished by its brothy body: like bouillon, with a sweetness, almost salty. The vegetal flavor is strong, like summer squash and chestnuts. The cup changes color quickly, could probably drink after only a minute. Not astringent, even on the second cup. It's an interesting taste, almost cloying. If I had to choose only one tea it would not be this one -- the thought of having a full pound seems like a burden -- but it'd be good to keep a small amount to mix it up.
Kukicha makes a lovely vegetal brew with a greenish yellow color and substantial mouthfeel. Can be brewed 2-3 times. I actually like kukicha better than sencha, because of the brothy savoriness that rounds out the green taste of the tea. It’s just really nice and is even good with oatmeal.
A wonderful green tea! I ve been looking for something to replace my favorite discontinued import green tea and I think I ve finally found it. Good flavor without being too bitter. Probably better made as a cup or drunken quickly as a pot, a tea warmer will definitely ruin the flavor after a while.
This is my standard breakfast tea. I think it’s really good. Very fresh tasting.
Wow this tea is good. It is both grassy and nutty. It smells and tastes very sweet somehow. Great to to drink plain.
Very grassy, but a clean and refreshing taste! Might blend well with a white tea or jasmine...
I've been a Kukicha lover for years but my local tea shop stopped carrying it. Was delighted to find it on Adagio after sampling it during the Communitea trial. The 16 oz. bag is a steal. Just be sure to put a small amount in an airtight container or tea storage ziplock (like a reused Adagio bag) and squeeze all the air out before zipping. This will keep it fresher longer. I find a slightly shorter brew time and lower temp to be best.
As much as I love flavored teas, this is a delicious single-origin tea! You really do taste all the notes they promise in the description. Well worth the price and so much more!
really nice flavor. Enjoyed the cup and excited to drink more. Have Kukicha, Hojicha, Sencha, Matcha, Genmaicha, Konacha, and Gyokuro in the house. This Kukicha stacks up well with them, albeit lighter than Hojicha and Konacha.
I love this tea, good for all varieties of brewing- also brews well multiple times
It's like a cross between matcha and genmai cha! Kukicha has the grassiness of matcha but the slight nuttiness of genmai cha--the best of both. With my first sip, I always fear that I'll get a bitter aftertaste, but that's never the case. Kukicha is never astringent. It's a light, soft tea and very well balanced. Very definitive 'green' tea!