Compare two teas
Side by side across seven dimensions. There is no verdict and no winner — the purpose is to understand the difference, not to be told which to buy.
TeaHQ has written about this pair
One is made from what the other discards, and it turns out to be considerably better than that implies. It is among the best-value teas in the Japanese range and one of the hardest to brew badly.
- What it is made from
- Sencha: The leaf blade that was sorted from.Kukicha: Stems and twigs sorted out during sencha production.
- Caffeine
- Sencha: Moderate.Kukicha: Low. Stems hold far less than leaf.
- Flavour
- Sencha: Grassy, marine and savoury with real briskness.Kukicha: Sweet, light and faintly creamy, with little astringency.
- Price
- Sencha: Higher.Kukicha: Low, though karigane from gyokuro stems is not.
In summary: Kukicha is the best-value tea in the Japanese range and one of the hardest to brew badly. Karigane — the gyokuro-stem version — is better still.
Point by point
| Dimension | Sencha | Kukicha |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Green tea · unoxidised | Green tea · unoxidised |
| Production | In order: Steaming (Japanese fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Drying. bud and two leaves and spring harvest. | In order: Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Drying. spring harvest. |
| Origin | Japan | Japan |
| Flavour | grassy, vegetal, umami and citrus. medium, drying and astringent in the mouth. Aroma: cut grass, steamed greens, sea air, citrus zest. Moderate in character. Moderate in intensity. | sweet, creamy and grassy. light, silky and smooth in the mouth. Aroma: cream, fresh sap, light grass. Straightforward in character. Delicate in intensity. |
| Brewing | Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1–1.5 g/100 ml at 70–80 °C, first steep 60s. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 3–4 g/100 ml at 65–75 °C, first steep 20s of 4 authored. Kyusu brewing (Japanese style): 3–5 g/100 ml at 65–75 °C, first steep 60s of 3 authored. Flash-chilled iced tea: 2–3 g/100 ml at 90–95 °C, first steep 90s. | Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 70–80 °C, first steep 90s. Kyusu brewing (Japanese style): 3–5 g/100 ml at 80–90 °C, first steep 45s of 3 authored. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 3–4 g/100 ml at 75–85 °C, first steep 20s of 4 authored. |
| Cultural context | Used in Senchadō (the way of steeped tea) and Japanese tea farming practice. | Not recorded for this tea. |
| Who may prefer it | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew and is traditionally drunk plain. | Someone who prefers a quiet cup they can drink through an afternoon and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew. |
Nothing above is a recommendation. The last row describes the drinker each tea suits, using each tea’s own authored fields and the same sentence structure for both, so neither can be framed as the safe choice.