Karigane tea (or kukicha) made of tea leaves and tea stems mixed together. While Kukicha can be made from different types of tea leaves, Karigane tea is made only from leaves and stems from the high quality Gyokuro tea.  As it is made with the stems, it’s also known as ‘twig tea’. The stems generally contain higher sugar content compared to the leaf, which leads to a more balanced and smoother tea profile and contains more vitamin C than other types of green tea.  It is then blended with fresh grounded matcha from the highly regarded region of matcha producers, Uji.