Japanese barley tea made from traditional Rokujo barley (''six-row barley'') in Hida Takayama, Gifu prefecture.
Mugicha is made from roasted barley grains which can be steeped hot or cold. Most teas sold as mugicha are made from the roasted leftovers of industrial barley agriculture, but not this one. This barley is processed in the sole objective of making tea. It tastes rather sweet, with light caramelized aromas and a gentle nuttiness in the flavor.
From the producer: "Winters in Hida are intense, with the snow piling up and frigid cold. The Rokujo barley we use in our barley tea is sown in November through December, before the cold snap. The barley is allowed to slumber in the snow to develop a richer glucose content. The result is a barley with smaller granules and excellent sweetness.
Barley tea is generally made from inferior quality, low-grade barley. Our Hida Barley Tea, by contrast, utilizes 100% grade AA barley, the highest grade, produced locally."
Barley doesn't contain any caffeine, so drink your heart away!
Mostly drank cold in Japan during the summer, but also makes a very comforting hot beverage in the winter.
