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Related: About this forumThe Japanese Summer Drink: MUGICHA! By Elyse Inamine
Mugicha is the kind of thing you crave on a hot day. It's a cooling elixir that gets you through the sweaty sauna Japan becomes in summer, or cools you down after a long afternoon of wandering around Disneyland in bone-dry Anaheim, California, throwing up peace signs with Mickey Mouse.
Mugicha, or roasted barley tea, was the sole request from the two bashful Japanese middle schoolgirls after one such afternoon during their stay with my family back in my high school years (well, that and a last meal at Gold Rush-themed steakhouse Claim Jumper).
Little did Ayaka and Moemi know that their host family had no idea what mugicha was. (Thank you, Google and all the Korean markets in Valencia, California.) Turns out mugicha is a bit of an acquired taste. It's more savory than sweet, like drinking charred bread juice. (Stay with me.) Technically a tisane, it's just unhulled barley, roasted until caramel hued and then steeped in hot water. That time over a fire lends it an almost carbonized tannic quality but with slightly honeyed edges from a bit of caramelization. Despite its humble beginnings and murky, swampy brown look, it quickly became a fridge staple next to the skim milk and pulpy orange juice.
"Every Japanese kid grows up drinking mugicha in summer like water. Always cold," Kuniko Yagi, the former Hinoki & the Bird chef tells me as she prepares for her upcoming L.A. ramen shop.
"In the summertime, as soon as my mom brewed and chilled it, I drank up the whole batch, and she had to make more," Naoko Moore, author of Donabe, remembers. "My sister got upset sometimes, because I drank too much of it in the summertime without leaving enough for her."
more...
https://www.tastingtable.com/drinks/national/roasted-barley-tea-mugicha-health-benefits-summer-drink-ideas
Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barley_tea
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The Japanese Summer Drink: MUGICHA! By Elyse Inamine (Original Post)
yuiyoshida
Jul 2019
OP
lostnfound
(16,138 posts)1. Yuiyoshida, thanks for posting
I dont think Ive had mugicha, but I wanted to ask you, what is a roast tea that tastes earthy, served hot? I had some in Japan and thought everything g else is inferior after tasting it. I thought maybe it was bancha but I ordered roast bancha (or something like that) in the states and was served something disappointingly different.
Any idea?
Arigatou!
yuiyoshida
(41,759 posts)2. Not sure but, if I may recommend "PuErh" Tea.
You can order that from here:
http://www.tenren.com
Its wonderful and my most favorite hot tea. I love Green tea but the PuErh is just perfect. It comes from China!
Pu-erh or Pu'er is a variety of fermented and aged dark tea produced in Yunnan province, China.[1] Fermentation in the context of tea production involves microbial fermentation and oxidation of the tea leaves, after they have been dried and rolled.[2] This process is a Chinese specialty and produces tea known as Hei Cha , commonly translated as dark, or black tea (this type of tea is different from what in the West is known as "black tea", which in China is called "red tea" . The best known variety of this category of tea is Pu-erh from Yunnan Province, named after the trading post for dark tea during imperial China.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu-erh_tea
My favorite kind of tea. I love the voices of the girls singing the tea song! This tea should be readily available in most Asian shops, or tea specialty places.
Production
Pu'erh is a large leaf tea variety or Dayeh, and is grown and picked throughout the year, unlike other teas that require a dormant season. Although dark Pu'erh tastes much like black tea, it is not black or oolong tea, but falls into a category of its own. Pu'erh is processed much like black tea with the exception of a couple steps. The tea is picked, processed and partially fired allowing the leaves to retain moisture. The slightly moist tea is then piled. The natural bacterium on the leaves creates a reaction similar to that of a compost pile. The tea is then aged, in special underground rooms or caves, adding to its unique character. One of the most significant distinctions of this tea is that it gets better over time. These aged teas are prized and can be found in vintages, like wine, some dating back 40 to 50 to 100 years.
http://www.teasetc.com/tea/article.asp?ID=37&
lostnfound
(16,138 posts)4. I love your posts. Thanks.
Liberal Jesus Freak
(1,451 posts)3. I'm intrigued!
My order should be here this weekend 😊