Kukicha
Kukicha (stem tea, also called twig tea) is made from the stalks and stems sorted out during sencha and gyokuro production rather than from the leaf. The result is a pale, light, mildly sweet and nutty green with very low caffeine and almost no astringency. Karigane is the higher grade, made from the stems of gyokuro or fine sencha, and is noticeably sweeter and more refined.
A mix of pale green-gold stems and stalks with little or no leaf; the more it comes from high-grade source tea, the sweeter and finer it is. The cup is light, clean, mildly sweet and nutty with very low astringency. Karigane, from gyokuro or premium sencha stems, is the premium tier and tastes distinctly sweeter and more umami. Roasted kukicha (kukicha hojicha) is a separate, toasty style.
Kukicha is a byproduct grade defined by using stems and stalks rather than leaf, so its quality tracks the source tea: ordinary sencha stems give ordinary kukicha, while gyokuro and fine-sencha stems give karigane. It is produced across Japan's tea regions as a thrifty companion to leaf production, and its very low caffeine, since stems hold less than leaf, is part of the appeal.
Western: 70-80°C, 3-4 g per 200 ml, 60-90 seconds; cooler water keeps it sweet. Kyusu: 75°C, 4-5 g per 150 ml, 30-45 seconds, 2-3 infusions. Karigane rewards the gentler, cooler treatment you would give a fine sencha.
Standard kukicha is inexpensive, roughly €8-20 (about $9-22) per 100 g. Karigane, the gyokuro-stem grade, reaches €25-50 (about $27-54) per 100 g.
Prices reviewed June 2026
Because stems hold less caffeine than leaves, kukicha is one of the lowest-caffeine true teas, which is why it is often recommended for the evening or for children in Japan. Karigane, its premium grade, takes its name from the wild goose, a poetic touch in Japanese tea naming.
The steps overlap in practice; this is a reading order, not a set of separate stages.
Bancha
The other humble everyday Japanese green, but from mature leaf rather than stems.
Sencha
The leaf tea whose sorted-out stems become kukicha in the first place.
Gyokuro
The premium shaded tea whose stems make the sweeter karigane grade.
Hojicha
The roasted style, which also has a kukicha (roasted-stem) version.