Which Is the First of (Hopefully) Many Recipes

Anyone who knows me knows I have a mild addiction to tea. That may be putting it mildly. During the winter months in Charlottesville and Boston this year, I found myself consuming record-breaking (for me, at least) quantities, sometimes in the realm of 15 cups a day. It was a great way to stay warm and an even better way to procrastinate from writing. It's entirely possible that my roommates mistook a teacup for an extension of my hand, since I was very rarely without one.


Lately, though, I've had to cut back. The levels of caffeine are a factor, but also it's just so darn hot! Florida at 90+ degrees (and sometimes 90% humidity too) makes a steaming pot of Earl Grey far less appealing. Not that I've done away with it entirely, but I am probably down to about three or four cups of tea a day now. It's sad.

Enter mugicha! Iced barley tea, or mugicha as it's called in Japanese, is a staple summer drink in Japan. It's light, tasty, and more refreshing than plain water, plus it is completely caffeine free! Barley tea has a slightly roasted flavor that reminds me a little bit of iced coffee when I drink it. I've never tried sweetening mine, but I bet it'd be plenty tasty and still healthier than soda for those with an incurable sweet tooth.

Today I decided to help tea/tisanes to a summer-time comeback in the form of mugicha and made my first attempt at icing it. It turned out so well that I'll probably do it again tomorrow. For anyone who wants to give it a go, my “recipe” is below. I don't think barley is picky enough to require an exact process or timing or temperature, so feel free to play around with all the variables. Barley is readily available in tea bags or loose at most Asian markets... I've even found it at Middle Eastern markets before.

Iced Barley Tea

½ cup loose roasted barley
4 cups boiling water
ice cubes
2 quart glass pitcher
container for steeping
strainer

Combine barley and boiling water in container and steep about five minutes. Meanwhile, fill the glass pitcher about half way with ice cubes. When the tisane is done steeping pour it through a strainer into pitcher. Voila! That sure was hard, eh? You can store it in the refrigerator to keep it cool throughout the day. If you're lazy and don't feel like getting out the ice cubes, make it up the night before and refrigerate overnight so it'll be ready when you want it.

Like I said, there really is no reason to be particular about the process when it comes to barley tea. JustHungry, one of my favorite Japanese food blogs, has a wonderfully detailed post about it if you want more ideas or info. Enjoy!