Mugicha (Japanese roasted barley tea)

Japanese cold-brewed roasted barley tea

Origin: Nara / Kyoto, Japan

From the journey of Barley.

Mugicha (roasted barley steeped in cold water) is Japan's quintessential summer drink, as culturally embedded as cherry blossoms in spring. Barley arrived in Japan during the Yayoi period (c. 300 BCE) via trade routes through China and Korea, and it has been roasted and brewed into tea since at least the Heian period (794–1185 CE). Unlike green or black tea, mugicha contains no caffeine, making it the drink given to children and drunk late into the evening during the humid Japanese summer. It is served in pitchers in school cafeterias, at festivals beside rows of wind chimes, and in the kitchens of grandmothers who keep it cold in the refrigerator throughout July and August. The flavour is roasted, slightly smoky, faintly bitter, and deeply comforting: a flavour that, for most Japanese people, tastes simply of summer. The identical drink is known as boricha in Korea, where it is consumed hot in winter and cold in summer year-round.

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp roasted barley (mugicha grains or tea bags, from Japanese or Korean grocers)
  • 1 litre cold filtered water (for cold brew) or hot water (for hot brew)

Method

  1. Cold brew method (preferred for summer): Place the roasted barley or mugicha tea bags in a large glass jug with 1 litre of cold water. Cover and refrigerate for 6–8 hours or overnight.
  2. Hot brew method (for immediate serving): Bring 1 litre of water to a boil. Add the roasted barley or tea bags, reduce heat, and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, steep for a further 5 minutes, then strain.
  3. Strain out the barley grains (if not using bags). Serve cold over ice for the classic summer experience, or hot in winter without sweetener.

Notes

Mugicha tea bags are widely available at Japanese, Korean, and Asian supermarkets. The whole roasted grain gives a slightly more complex, nutty flavour than bags. In Korea, the same drink (boricha) is commonly served hot year-round as an everyday table beverage, often replacing water at meals. Mugicha is also used in Japanese cooking: reduced into a syrup for desserts or used as a flavour base for ice cream. Mugi gohan (barley cooked with rice) is a separate but equally beloved use of the same grain, eaten daily for its chewy texture and nutritional value.

The Gastrographer

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