ARIEL Japanese Kokeicha

Kokeicha is one of the more unusual green teas you'll meet. Instead of loose, flat leaves, it comes as fine, dark strands that look like tiny pine needles, a distinctive Japanese style sometimes compared to matcha for its fine, concentrated character. It brews quickly to a bright yellow-green cup and offers a different kind of depth from an everyday green tea.

Tasting Notes

The flavour is rich and layered for a green tea: vegetal and grassy up front, with earthy, faintly floral notes and a soft, natural sweetness underneath. There's a gentle, mellow bitterness that gives the cup its backbone, smoothed by a full, almost silky mouthfeel. It's a tea that shifts a little as you drink, rewarding slow, attentive sipping.

The Kokeicha Style

Kokeicha is made by milling Japanese green tea and shaping it into its signature slender, needle-like form, a meticulous traditional process that gives the tea both its unusual look and its concentrated flavour. The fine form releases quickly in the water, which is part of why the cup tastes so full. It's a style prized by green tea drinkers looking for something with more complexity than the everyday.

Brewing

Heat fresh water to 75–85 °C, below boiling, and steep 2.5 g of leaves (about one teaspoon) for 2 to 3 minutes. Because the strands are fine, keep an eye on the time; a shorter steep keeps the bitterness gentle.

Additional Information

• Ingredients: Japanese green tea
• Formats: 125 g loose leaf, 1 kg loose leaf
• Certifications: Kosher
• Foundation: Humaniterra Foundation