Damai Cha

Whole barley grains dry-roasted in a pan until dark and nutty, then simmered into a clear, caramel-amber infusion that smells of toasted bread and tastes gently of caramel, served steaming hot or poured over ice

Origin: China

From the journey of Barley.

Roasted barley tea belongs to a quiet but ancient family of grain infusions drunk across East Asia, a region where barley (Hordeum vulgare) long predated tea as a daily drink in the cooler, drier north. The Chinese 'damai cha', literally 'large barley tea', is the parent of the better-known Korean boricha and Japanese mugicha, all of them caffeine-free brews made by roasting whole grain until dark and steeping or simmering it in water. Barley reached China along the same early routes that carried wheat westward out of the Fertile Crescent, and it took firm root in the millet-and-wheat farming of the north, where its hardiness suited a short growing season and poor soil. As a beverage, roasted barley water carried a gentle reputation in the folk and medical traditions of the region: it was thought cooling in summer and settling to the digestion, a humble drink for ordinary days rather than a ceremonial one. The roasting is everything. Raw barley yields a thin, grassy liquid, but barley toasted to the colour of dark coffee gives up deep notes of caramel, toast, and roasted nut, the sugars of the grain caramelising under dry heat. The result is a clear amber infusion of no caffeine and great comfort, drunk hot from a flask in winter and served chilled, almost like a soft drink, through the heat of summer.

Ingredients

Tea

  • 60 g whole hulled barley grains (pearl barley also works)
  • 1.2 litres water

To serve

  • 1 pinch honey or sugar, to taste (optional)

Method

  1. Place the barley in a dry frying pan or wok over medium heat. Do not add any oil or water. Roast the grains, shaking and stirring almost constantly, for 8 to 12 minutes.
  2. Continue until the grains are a deep, even reddish-brown, the colour of dark coffee beans, and the kitchen smells strongly of toast and caramel. A few grains may pop or split, which is normal. Tip them out of the hot pan at once to stop the roasting.
  3. Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan. Add the roasted barley, reduce the heat, and simmer gently, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes. The water will steadily deepen to a clear caramel amber.
  4. Strain the tea through a fine sieve into a jug or teapot, discarding the spent grain. Taste, and sweeten very lightly with honey or sugar only if you wish, though it is traditionally drunk plain.
  5. Serve hot in winter, poured straight from the pot. For summer, cool the strained tea to room temperature, then chill it thoroughly and serve over ice as a refreshing, caffeine-free drink.

Notes

You can roast a large batch of barley at once and store it in an airtight jar, ready to brew by the cupful; many households keep a jar of pre-roasted grain on hand. The same method underlies Korean boricha and Japanese mugicha, and the spent grains, far from being waste, are perfectly edible and pleasantly nutty. For a deeper, slightly bittersweet character, a small handful of roasted maize is sometimes added alongside the barley, a common practice in the wider East Asian family of grain teas.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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