Apr 29th, '09, 10:10
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rjiwrth wrote:I went to Hibiki-an to order some kuckicha and couldn't find it. Guess I have to buy it after reading about the sea breeze and all. Hehe.Chip wrote:I kid you not, the one from Hibiki-an reminds me of a warm tropical sea breeze.
I want to compare it to the iri-bancha I bought from Ippodo.
Yes, it is their Sencha Karigane made completely from sencha biproduct (no gyokuro biproduct like most karigane).JRS22 wrote:Hibiki-An calls their kukicha karigane - which might indicate a higher quality. I haven't tried it yet so I can't compare it to Den's.
Karigane means white goose or similar, refering to the floating stems/veins resemblence to geese on water. I have noticed that many Uji origin stem teas are called karigane. Shizuoka almost always calls it kukicha.
That fits with Den's tea coming from Shizuoka and would make his kukicha comparable to the sencha karigane from Hibiki-An.
I notice that Hibiki-An also sells 3 grades of gyokuro karigane. Something to try when the 2009 harvest is available - although I don't see any information about harvest date in the descriptions of individual teas.
I notice that Hibiki-An also sells 3 grades of gyokuro karigane. Something to try when the 2009 harvest is available - although I don't see any information about harvest date in the descriptions of individual teas.
Kukicha and Iri-Bancha have very little in common. Iri-Bancha has a lot in common with Lapsang, but not with other Japanese teas really. They are both great teas though, so I hope you will not be diseapointedrjiwrth wrote:I went to Hibiki-an to order some kuckicha and couldn't find it. Guess I have to buy it after reading about the sea breeze and all. Hehe.Chip wrote:I kid you not, the one from Hibiki-an reminds me of a warm tropical sea breeze.
I want to compare it to the iri-bancha I bought from Ippodo.
The noise comes from the other side of the mirror
I didn't hav ethe chance to try some untill now. It seems quite mellow. Unlike sencha you don't have that little samba on your tongue in the end (or is that just me? 
).
I quickly stored it in an airthight tin as it has become one of my favorite teas. As it is low in caffeine it could be something the kids could try.
Yummy kukicha
).I quickly stored it in an airthight tin as it has become one of my favorite teas. As it is low in caffeine it could be something the kids could try.
Yummy kukicha
Ki tai ichi!.. followed by some tea
I'm not sure if it falls within the 'kukicha' category, but I LOVE karigane, or kukicha made from Gyokuro. Really good ones are creamy, and reminds me of green tea ice cream.
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Jun 11th, '09, 21:01
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Karigane can be all gyo stems, part gyo and sencha stems, or alllll sencha stems. I personally prefer all sencha stems.TEAcipes wrote:I'm not sure if it falls within the 'kukicha' category, but I LOVE karigane, or kukicha made from Gyokuro. Really good ones are creamy, and reminds me of green tea ice cream.
It seems the the term karigane which means something like floating goose/geese is generally a more uppity term used more by Uji farmers and vendors. Kukicha is a more down to earth term used more by Shizuoka farmers and vendors.
Chip, I didn't know that the name was a regional thing!Chip wrote:Karigane can be all gyo stems, part gyo and sencha stems, or alllll sencha stems. I personally prefer all sencha stems.TEAcipes wrote:I'm not sure if it falls within the 'kukicha' category, but I LOVE karigane, or kukicha made from Gyokuro. Really good ones are creamy, and reminds me of green tea ice cream.
It seems the the term karigane which means something like floating goose/geese is generally a more uppity term used more by Uji farmers and vendors. Kukicha is a more down to earth term used more by Shizuoka farmers and vendors.
Which makes sense, because I see both Karigane and "Gyokuro-Kuki" when I'm reading tea literature. A bit off-topic, but I didn't know that Kari was actually geese... Pictures make them look like sparrows! (http://www.otomiya.com/kamon/animal/karigane.htm)
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Re: cloudy kukicha?
I like dens kukicha too. Mine always comes out nice bright transparent green sorry yours did not. Strange...fmoreira272 wrote:just had my first kukicha from den's sample. i agree with previous posting, its a very easy yummy tea. but from den's description it says it should have a green transparent color. i noticed my cup is kind cloudy. it does becomes more clear as the "powder" settles on the bottom. is it normal or did i get a sample not so fresh?
This is what a do for a tasty cup each time...
4-5 g (two spoons) 170-180 degrees kyuso 7-8 oz water
steep 1 min to 1min 15 secs
add another 15 -30 secs for second tasty infusion
Dont usally infuse more then twice. Two cups is good enough for me. I suppose you could sqeeze a third out. Probably need to infuse much longer for the 3rd though, like 10-20 mins.
i've only had the pleasure of buying one kukicha thus far, rishi's organic kukicha of 2008. to this day, it is still one of my favorite teas i've ever had. i recall the first two steeps were sweet, vegetal, umami, and slightly creamy lemongrass. the last three really had the sweet lemongrass take front stage while the vegetal subsided. i loved that tea: happy cry
Jul 10th, '09, 23:42
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Sounds really good SF. I like a good kukicha. I think many fall flat because they are not first flush, leaving them rather bland.
I just received some blended with matcha from Maeda-en. This is a nice blend. The first steep is bolder than regular kukicha, but then it settles back into that nice tart kuki taste that I like with a nice fresh aroma.
I just received some blended with matcha from Maeda-en. This is a nice blend. The first steep is bolder than regular kukicha, but then it settles back into that nice tart kuki taste that I like with a nice fresh aroma.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!