The Poetry of Tea. During the fall in the Uji district, traditional center of the Japanese tea industry, tea farmers turn to the harvest of tea twigs for Kukicha, the peasant's drink, so-called because farmers frank it after selling the leaves to sophisticated urbanites as a cash crop. The farmers carefully select 40% medium twigs aged 3 yrs, 40% thick twigs aged 10 yrs, and 20% thin twigs and leaves aged 1 yr, before gently roasting each variety separately to bring out its rich flavor. Because caffeine is concentrated in the leaves, twig tea is very mild and can be drunk even at night. Try the Haiku Organic Japanese Kukicha Twig Tea and you will understand why true connoisseurs of Japanese twig tea will drink nothing else. The GES Pledge of PurityNo ingredient of Haiku Organic Japanese Kukicha Twig Tea has been grown from genetically engineered seed or irradiated. No ingredient has been grown using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, or been processed using artificial preservatives, flavorings, or colorings. This product has been grown and processed on certified organic farms, and packaged and stored in certified organic facilities prior to salt by GES.