Thanks to my friends at Maeda-en, I have the pleasure of reviewing 3 different varieties of Kuki-cha, my current favorite green tea. Starting with Kuki-cha with Matcha.

Kuki-cha, or "Twig Tea" is made mainly with tea stems, and as the name implies, Maeda-en's Kuki-cha with Matcha is twig tea which has been tossed with Matcha powder. The addition of the Matcha powder gives the Kuki-cha a bright green, almost grassy look. While I have no prior experience with Matcha powder, it seems to add a very subtle hint of sweetness to the already sweet Kuki-cha, as well as adding a bit of a grassiness to the flavor. But not to the point of overpowering the natural woodsiness of the Kuki-cha.

Although I am used to steeping my tea for a bit longer, I decided to follow the directions on the pouch as closely as I possibly could. These people are the experts after all. Therefore, this tea was steeped at approximately 180 degrees for about a minute. The steeped tea had a beautiful, vibrant green color. Because of the Matcha, I decided to steep the tea in one of my more "open" infusers, to allow the powder to mingle with the water a little more.

There’s no denying the woodsy flavor you get with this tea, very similar to my earlier experience with Kuki-cha. The only thing I can think to describe it is that it reminds me of hunting with my Dad when I was a kid. The taste, even the aroma, really takes me back to being in the woods and having the feeling of nature all around me. There’s also a slight hint of a nuttiness there, possibly something in the neighborhood of a chestnut?

For those of you who like to sweeten your tea, this is definitely a tea that can be drank with no sweetener. I drank it both unsweetened and with a little agave, and the agave honestly didn't add a lot to the experience.

This is obviously a tea of very high quality. While it is flavorful, it is somewhat more muted than some of the other green teas I have tried. The more I drink of it the more I think it is a great choice for anyone who would like to get started in the world of green tea.

Maeda-en’s Kuki-cha with Matcha