Brewing kukicha

[stevorama]

I have some kukicha that's been around for probably 15+ years. Stored in a glass jar. It appears well roasted with roasted aroma. I got it in my macrobiotic phase. For some reason I never drank it all. Recommendations for brewing?

[Groucho]

Simmer it for 10+minutes.

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[stevorama]

Simmer it for 10+minutes.

What kind of tea to water ratio do you recommend? Simmer in a standard cooking pot?

[Groucho]

Well, the macrobiotic approach, as I recall, is to first lightly today the stems in a dry pot until aromatic and then add water. I'd guess one tablespoon twigs to 1 liter. Simmer minutes and then take some out and, if it's adequately dark and flavorful for you, add more water to the pot. Continue alternating consuming and topping off until all the flavor is gone.

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[stevorama]

Well, the macrobiotic approach, as I recall, is to first lightly today the stems in a dry pot until aromatic and then add water. I'd guess one tablespoon twigs to 1 liter. Simmer minutes and then take some out and, if it's adequately dark and flavorful for you, add more water to the pot. Continue alternating consuming and topping off until all the flavor is gone.

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Ok. I'll give that a try. I used to steep it like other varieties of tea. I'd heard of the simmer method, but never did it. I guess I wasn't that macrobiotic.

[daidokorocha]

Well, the macrobiotic approach, as I recall, is to first lightly today the stems in a dry pot until aromatic and then add water. I'd guess one tablespoon twigs to 1 liter. Simmer minutes and then take some out and, if it's adequately dark and flavorful for you, add more water to the pot. Continue alternating consuming and topping off until all the flavor is gone.

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Ok. I'll give that a try. I used to steep it like other varieties of tea. I'd heard of the simmer method, but never did it. I guess I wasn't that macrobiotic.

Steeping it like other teas is fine but one wonders about kukicha that has been around for 15+ years

I think the simmer method is good though. If you ever have kuki-houjicha on hand please do the same. There are two methods really. In a large pan boil water, turn off the heat and then just throw a bunch of houjicha in the pot (4 heaping tablespoons per liter or about 1 heaping tablespoon per cup) and steep it for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can simmer or boil them. Some people will say not to do this since it will create a bitter tea, but honestly it is very good.

[stevorama]

Steeping it like other teas is fine but one wonders about kukicha that has been around for 15+ years

I think the simmer method is good though. If you ever have kuki-houjicha on hand please do the same. There are two methods really. In a large pan boil water, turn off the heat and then just throw a bunch of houjicha in the pot (4 heaping tablespoons per liter or about 1 heaping tablespoon per cup) and steep it for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can simmer or boil them. Some people will say not to do this since it will create a bitter tea, but honestly it is very good.

The tea actually looks and smells quite nice with a pleasant roasty aroma. I haven't brewed it yet though.

Is kukicha ever intentionally aged after the initial aging and roasting?

[daidokorocha]

Steeping it like other teas is fine but one wonders about kukicha that has been around for 15+ years

I think the simmer method is good though. If you ever have kuki-houjicha on hand please do the same. There are two methods really. In a large pan boil water, turn off the heat and then just throw a bunch of houjicha in the pot (4 heaping tablespoons per liter or about 1 heaping tablespoon per cup) and steep it for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can simmer or boil them. Some people will say not to do this since it will create a bitter tea, but honestly it is very good.

The tea actually looks and smells quite nice with a pleasant roasty aroma. I haven't brewed it yet though.

Is kukicha ever intentionally aged after the initial aging and roasting?

Oh, I didn't even notice the bit about it being roasty. Seems like it could already be kuki-houjicha, although I know some people do a slight roast on green kuki anyhow. I will say, that I have seen vendors and beauty/diet sites claiming they age their kukicha for 2-3 years before roasting, or they say they roast it and then age is 2-3 years and all this, but looking now in Japanese I can't find any mention of aging kukicha. Mind you, it never has to be roasted in the first place.

[Groucho]

I lightly toast mine in a dry pot

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[daidokorocha]

Hmm, so I actually ran into this three-year aged kukicha thing today being mentioned in Japanese when browsing the internet. As suspected, it is merely a thing for macrobiotic diet and is atypical for kukicha. A few Japanese vendors have it online and of course Rakuten but most people seem to pick theirs up at health stores. Most kukicha you consume will not have undergone any of this aging. I suppose the fact that you entered into it from a macrobiotic phase means that is how it was introduced to you. Interesting! I hadn't even known that the macrobiotic kukicha was different in such a way. It all appears to be roasted too, which isn't a surprise seeing as greener kukicha would surely lose its edge. I learn something new. Thank you very much! If you haven't yet though, I do suggest trying some green kukicha! Green kukicha with matcha is also a very lovely cup.