Roasted Kukicha

Wow! The taste really stood out after I steeped it a little longer than before. So delicious! It reminds me of winter at an empty lodge or cabin with a fire roaring. I can’t wait to have some more. I even let it linger in my mouth for a while to absorb all the flavor.

Review of Roasted Kukicha (2nd steep)

I have decided to make this Roasted Kukicha my day drink in order to better appreciates its nuances and because I like the taste.

Kukicha is described as twig tea, which is a Japanese blend of green tea, made of stems, stalks, and twigs and has a nutty, slightly creamy flavor.

I boiled the water much hotter, closer to full boiled. I place one heaping teaspoon of the twigs in the strainer and poured the water over the leaves into the cup. I left it to steep for five minutes. I am thinking longer steeping time will result with more aroma and nuttier in flavor.

When I removed the saucer, used as lid, from teacup I find that the tea color is a dark red and the twigs are fuller with a greenish color. The stalks/twigs were darker prior to brewing.

The longer infusion make the tea nuttier when tasting it and the air smells of the roasted aroma that I have come to associate with this Kukicha. I am thinking of a large oven baked cookie slightly on the burnt side; the longer steeps made the tea in fact sweeter and nuttier. It seems nicer somehow with the longer brew; the smokiness is not so contained in the cup or the pot of tea.

2023 Ode To Tea – Part II – R

I last drank this tea soooo long ago that I didn’t remember what to expect from the flavor.  I didn’t expect much (it’s twigs) but was pleasantly surprised while steeping up two teaspoons.  It is roasty flavored, yet light, but not as light as I thought (it’s twigs).  It tastes like toasted caramel, really.  I’m glad this prompt had me dig this out from the bottom of a box.  Next time a sipdown!

I was running out the door to get to an audio session and realized I would need some tea (audio work is thirsty work) to lubricate my words. I grabbed this with faith that anything the Steepster guys had picked out for me must be good. I wasn’t sure that it would tolerate the extra hot water, but I figured it was worth a chance.

Happily for me it tolerated the water well and was a perfect companion in the audio booth. At once soothing and clearing it enabled me to do my work in a minimum of takes. I love the mild roasted taste and the soothing tea that is neither bitter nor drying even when brewed under difficult conditions. I don’t have any more audio sessions scheduled for quite a while. If I did this tea would be my go-to tea. However it can still be my go-to tea for calming winter evenings.

This is the last tea for me to try from November’s Steepster Select box … representative of the “Twigs” of the box’s Migration theme.

I’m loving the aroma of the dry leaf… very toasty! Not so much a smoky scent but a roasty-toasty scent.

It’s a really nice Kukicha, lightly sweet, and very lightly roasted flavor, much lighter roasty-toasty taste than the dry leaf scent would lead me to believe. A delicious Kukicha, one of the nicest I’ve tasted.

I have been drinking this more lately,and my Steepster pack is very low. I will probably be getting more of this very soon. Going to have to up my rating on this..

This is green and creamy. I like it, there is also a very, very light roasted taste. Barely there. The slightly sweet creaminess is the main flavor.

I’ll have to try it a few times, but this may be a buyer.

I brewed this completely wrong and it was still delicious. I never ever did get a handle on green teas, they just don’t suit my palate. So I wasn’t sure what to expect from this, but gentle roasted sweetness is really a good descriptor. Despite reading “6 oz” as “6 min” on the package as I struggled to get my morning going, the tea didn’t get bitter, and was truly a delicious treat. I may actually even use this to start a “tea time” tradition with my kids – low temperature for impatient kiddos and pleasantly sweet on its own, right out of the pot.

Next time, I’ll try brewing it properly and maybe some of the more complex flavors will be salvaged, but quite frankly I’m already sold.

Roasted anything will win points for me. I’m loving the flavor of this one. Prior to receiving this sample I had yet to experience a twig-like tea, so I was excited to open the little pouch. Even the scent of the tea itself is lovely; a somewhat smoky, nutty fragrance. Yum.

I steeped it a little too long, because I forgot to put on my timer, but it’s still great. It’s not bitter at all, despite the oversteep, and it’s smooth and nutty. I see here that it can be mixed with juice? I must try it.

This is really full of toasty, roasty goodness. I think this is what I keep hoping that genmaicha will be – but never quite is.
I really like this – it’s more like a roasted oolong to me than a green tea, but whatever it is -it sure is tasty. It makes me happy….