In the GTD book it has in the Beverage section

Tea, green, kukicha

as a diamond food.  Does this mean green kukicha tea?  Or Green tea and Kukicha tea?

If it does mean green kukicha tea where does this leave green tea - on the neutrals list?

I have not been able to find Kukicha tea in any HFS yet but I want to make sure I'm buying the right one when I do find it  

Also, are there any Aussies out there that have found a Kukicha and could recommend the brand??  Maybe then I could buy something over the net.

Quoted from Caz B

In the GTD book it has in the Beverage section

Tea, green, kukicha

as a diamond food.  Does this mean green kukicha tea?  Or Green tea and Kukicha tea?

If it does mean green kukicha tea where does this leave green tea - on the neutrals list?

Hmm. Good question. On the list of "all foods tested," these are the only green teas:

Tea, green, kukicha
and
Tea, green, kukicha, bancha

The way I decipher those commas, they separate categories from progressive  subcategories. It seems strange that regular old green tea would not be on that list...but then they say, if you don't see it, consider it a neutral.

other GTs have "Tea, green, kukicha, bancha''

I take this to mean, green tea and kukicha tea as well are diamond....

different teas:  green tea, kukicha tea (twig tea), bancha tea, etc.

They are not brands.

Maybe I haven't explained myself correctly.  I know that each of these teas are a different tea.  They are all green teas too.  

My question really is then - is the tea that we call plain green tea a diamond food?  Or is the book saying that Kukicha is part of the green tea family and only Kukicha is the diamond food?

In other words is the book, on that one line, referring to one or two different teas?

Quoted from Caz B

Also, are there any Aussies out there that have found a Kukicha and could recommend the brand??  Maybe then I could buy something over the net.

I would like a recommendation if people have found that one is better than another, thanks.  I realise Kukicha is Kukicha but there are many suppliers out there - which one do I choose?

My two cents worth: I have taken it to mean that Kukicha is the only type that has the diamond rating (and/or Bancha, depending on which specific archetype list you read).

Why? When I drink green tea (even really good medicinal quality ones properly prepared) they do not make me feel as good as when I drink the Kukicha type. I am not talking about flavor, I am talking about the teas actual effect on me.

Quoted from Caz B

I would like a recommendation if people have found that one is better than another, thanks.  I realise Kukicha is Kukicha but there are many suppliers out there - which one do I choose?

Here's my favorite, Traditional Medicinals,however, they are a North American company so I don't know if you can get them imported in Australia or not: http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi.....&pcgrfnbr=204132

Haiku brand

I can't answer your questions.  However, I bought a box of Organic Kukicha tea put out by Eden (edenfoods.com).  

I have seen Eden Organic Kukicha tea carried at iherb.com also.

The box says Ingredients:  Organic Roasted Tea Twigs and Leaves
Camellia sinensis.  

There's a site for the brand Lola mentioned, Haiku:

http://www.great-eastern-sun.com/shopnew/haikuteas.html

Great Eastern Sun, Choice and Eden are three of my favorite tea companies, and their quality is consistently good.

how come these tea's havent rele come up before?

were they just discovered for genotype diet or soemthing?

Bancha and kukicha have been around for a long time. They're used often in macrobiotic diets.

I would love to try this tea, but I have issues with caffiene.  I wonder if i can find one without it.

roller56

ok so i bought kukicha tea today, just trying my first cup now actually, its really hot though so i havent actually tried it yet. but the box says organic kukicha, not  "bancha"

are they the same thing?

Quoted from roller56

I would love to try this tea, but I have issues with caffiene.

If your issues are not severe,
you can just drink regular Kukicha
tea.

Kukicha is made from twigs rather then the
leaves and the caffeine content of the twigs is low.

----

In my expereince kukicha and bancha both refer to twig tea.
Which word (or both words) is used seems to depend on the supplier.

This contradicts what Victoria said above. She sees
Kukicha and Bancha as two distinct types of tea.

It is confusing because some people refer to kukicha tea as bancha tea. But there is a green bancha  tea made out of leaves as well.

well even if the caffene content is low... my mind was definately cleared up... almost gave me some sort of a high... i dont get the feeling i just had from regular green tea. its very hard to explain!!! wat does everyone else experience from drinking it?

I have been searching a bit, and there do seem to be some contradictions when it comes to definitions.  The most consistent line of thinking that I have come across is something like this:

Sencha:  Very good quality, first pick leaves
Bancha:  Mixture of leaves and stems, everyday tea.
Kukicha:  Stems with a very small amount of leaf.
Hojicha:  Roasted green tea
Genmaicha:  Green tea with toasted brown rice

One Link:  CLICK

Description from a different site:

"Sencha

The majority of tea harvested in Japan today is of the Sencha variety. It's grown in full sunlight and plucked three or four times per year. The very first of these harvests results in a high grade tea of exceptional quality. Often called Shincha it is usually identified by its deeper green leaves and is reputed to have very high levels of beneficial antioxidants. All subsequent harvests after the Shincha produce teas of a slightly lesser quality, although this can only really be noticed by tea connoisseurs and certainly doesn't compromise any of green tea's health giving properties.

Sencha probably accounts for about 80% of all Japanese teas exported around the world today. It is an everyday tea but still a classic in its own right. Of all the Vitamins found in Sencha, the largest concentration is that of Vitamin C. It's often said that heat can disrupt the effectiveness of this particular Vitamin, but in the case of green tea the Vitamin C is soluble in hot water and so it retains all the health giving benefits.

Bancha

Bancha is the result of later harvests of the Sencha and by now the leaves are more coarse. It is one of the popular everyday green tea drinks of Japan and still has a unique character and exceptional flavour all of its own. Bancha is a firm favourite for those on a macrobiotic diet as it helps retain the body's alkalinity. Also, as it's low in tannins Japanese parents are happy about giving this tea to their children to drink.

Kukicha

Considered a lower grade tea than any of the other types of green tea, Kukicha is made with a combination of stems and leaves from the Sencha and Gyokuro. For this reason it is often called twig tea, but despite this Kukicha makes a delicious sweet infusion with a very refreshing delicate nutty taste.

Hojicha

When Bancha is roasted or baked it results in the mild refreshing taste of Hojicha. The heat from the roasting process destroys nearly all the caffeine and gives it a unique smokey fragrance and sweet roasted flavour. Hojicha is thought to be particularly good in assisting the body in digestion.     

Genmaicha

A Bancha leaf that is blended with roasted wholemeal rice. The resulting infusion has a unique aromatic roasted flavour. Often referred to as popcorn tea, Genmaicha is another green tea that is very low in caffeine.

For lovers of the Theanine content in green tea (This is what gives us the emotional sense of well-being from drinking green tea, as opposed to the caffeine, which gives the sense of increased energy.), here is another type of green tea that I came across:

Gyokuro

About two weeks before the harvest Gyokuro is shielded from the sun. The entire tea garden is kept in the shade using reed screens and matting. Rice straw is then spread on top of this to offer further protection from the sun's rays. The Shading from the sun slows down photosynthesis, enabling the theanine content in the leaves to remain stable and limit its conversion to other compounds. This stabilisation of compounds gives Gyokuro its unmistakable darker leaf and full bodied taste. The pickers only ever collect the first flush of the spring harvest, which makes Gyokuro an expensive and very high grade tea.

Once brewed, Gyokuro has a deep yellow/ green appearance and its flavour has the perfect balance of astringency and sweetness due to the shading prior to harvesting.