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Sarah

Roasted Barley Tea Recipe from Scratch

Prized for its health benefits, this simple roasted barley drink is called Mugicha in Japan and Boricha in Korea.

Equipment

Single Burner

Difficulty

Very Easy


white china tea cup filled with barley tea next to roasted barley in a glass jar

Caffeine free and delicious barley tea.


There is something so homey and comforting about the gentle earthy flavors of barley tea. My husband, who is of Korean descent, adores this simple drink. We used to buy it premade in bags from the Asian grocery stores until we moved to the Netherlands and were unable to find it. I wondered how easy it would be to just make it myself. Turns out it is super easy, you can just roast the barley grains for the tea yourself using a pan!

A perfect drink for any time of the year.

Both Japan and Korea consider this a healthy drink and enjoy drinking it regularly! Barley tea is a very refreshing summer beverage when served cold from pitchers in the fridge, and in the winter the roasted flavor of the barley works really nicely as a cozy cup of hot tea. It also has no caffeine, making it a wonderful drink for any time of the day or night! Unfortunately, people with gluten intolerance should avoid it.





Let's Begin:



one pound of barley in a glass bowl

Gather the ingredient.



how to roast barley in a pan stirring with a wooden spoon

Put the pearl barley into a pan and toast it over medium low heat for 25-40 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid burning. It is finished when the color is golden brown and it smells toasted. You can go a little darker if desired, the darker the color the stronger the tea flavor.



roasted barley brewing in a pan with hot water

Brew the tea by adding 1 Tbs (10 g) toasted barley to every 1 cup of water. You can either boil the barley with the water in a pan for about 3 minutes, or you can pour boiling water from a kettle over the barley and let it steep for 5-7 minutes.



white china cup with cold rim filled with barley tea next to glass container of roasted barley on a wooden board

Strain the barley from the tea before serving. You can drink it hot, if you want! Otherwise you can enjoy it cold by adding ice, or by storing it in the fridge.


Store the toasted barley in an airtight container in a dry location. Enjoy!



How can I serve this tea?

You can drink this tea at any time and with any meal, but if you need some ideas of what would go well with it, then I suggest;



Storage:

You can store the roasted barley in an airtight container for 1-2 months. Brewed tea in the fridge is good for 3-4 days.


Can I freeze it? Yes! You can even freeze it in ice cubes if you want to cool freshly brewed barley tea quickly without watering it down.

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