Barley Tea

Barley tea is a caffeine-free infusion of roasted barley grains, known as mugicha in Japan and boricha in Korea, and a household staple across East Asia. Whole barley kernels are dry-roasted until deep amber-brown, then steeped or boiled in water to give a clear reddish-brown to golden liquor that smells of toast, coffee-like roast and warm grain. It tastes toasty and nutty with a faint, clean bitterness and a whisper of natural sweetness, and — because it holds no tea leaf and no caffeine — it is drunk freely by children, the elderly and the caffeine-averse. In summer it is brewed by the pitcher and chilled, the default thirst-quencher poured cold from the fridge; in winter the same roast is drunk hot as a soothing, comforting cup.