Soba - Roasted Buckwheat

I think I’m just in the mood for comforting teas tonight. This is soooo good!!! I still think it’s like drinking warm puffed wheat. A touch a sweetener, and a splash of milk and it’s like hot cereal in a mug. Devine….

Thanks ifjuly for sending me some of this wonderful tea.

Sipdown!! (159)

I am sad to see it go but I have more on the way plus, what better time to enjoy my beloved tea than watching GAME OF THRONES!!!

SO GOOD!

I LOVE this tea. Not necessarily just the Harney version, but I love buckwheat tea in general.

I brewed up a big 2 L pitcher of hot tea. It is a bit light tasting because I didn’t use enough buckwheat. But it is still good. It is roasty and toasty. There is a sweet honey flavour without having to add anything.

I like to make a hot brew and half-puff the buckwheat, then I do a cold brew. I find it you try to do a cold brew straight away, it doesn’t steep as good.

Then I eat the evidence.

SO GOOD!

So this tea is still in its probationary phase with me. And I’ve liked it, but I’m already pretty certain i won’t be restocking it. I’m also pretty certain that I’ll be doling out a lot of it to you guys, so if anyone would like some, speak up. I don’t dislike it, but I also don’t like it enough to think I need to horde it or anything. I should have known better because I don’t tend to like things that are described as “roasty”, and that descriptor has come up in pretty much everyone’s tasting note. But then I heard that people were adding milk and sugar, and you know that’s my jam, so I was willing to give it a try. And I like it better than Genmaicha, which seems to be far more savoury.

So yes, probation continues, but the sharing also starts now.

I also followed that tea up with a lot of cotton candy and a south park episode. Mmm.

Apparently today is my day for looking at the teas that keychange sent my way :) I pulled this one out again tonight to enjoy while watching a movie with the other half. I think i was mostly interested in something that was more savoury that any of my fruitier herbals teas. I’m super glad that keychange didn’t like this one haha because it means that it got to come live with me. I don’t often look at placing orders with Harney because for some reason in my head, i want to buy tea from the actual shop. In part because canada shipping is stupid, but i have a tea mule, so i can always ignore that…i just haven’t been as driven to order from them. I want to smell the teas! or something. Either way, i’m happy this one came to live with me, tying me over for just a little longer before i feel compelled to order with harney…maybe it’ll give me time to plan a weekend get away to NY!

After an emotional but then ultimately hopeful day we sat down to watch Le Plaisir as it was one of Kubrick’s favorite movies. Made a big pot of this for it. Husband loves it! He says it reminds him of mini-wheats (which he used to subsist on as a bachelor); for me it’s like toasty, roasty rice. Agree too that it’s kind of like the half-popped kernels of popcorn at the bottom of the bowl. Like a snack in a cup. Not sure if it was the tea or the emotional wind up and release or what, but I was sleepy as all get out after having this.

I looooooove genmaicha, so when I saw the soba I thought, hmm… I wonder what this would be like paired with a green, oolong or white tea? So I took the plunge.

I wouldn’t drink this alone- it is not that kind of flavor for me. I’m going to use its toastiness to give new life to teas I’ve stopped drinking. First, I tried it with my new Harney & Sons Lung ching and I really like the results. Not like genmaicha, really, but obviously in the same category, adding a toasty, roasted dimension to a slightly sweet green tea. The soba doesn’t have the drama of toasted rice but subtlety doesn’t make it bad or uninteresting. I can’t wait to add it to some other teas in my collection.

I must say: I’m one of Harney & Sons’ new fans. I read up on them before buying from them and liked what I found- they are real tea experts who care about their product. I like the quality of the items I purchased- fresh and nicely packaged. Good job!

Thanks jessiwrites!

This is reminding me a lot of genmaicha. I’m getting a stronger taste but I like it :)

Resteep is pretty good, still flavourful.

I came home from work today and I felt like I needed a cup of tea. I made a bit of Harney & Son’s Tower of London Blend (Review on that one later) and then felt like having another. This tea smelled like strong wheat – very rich, roasted and hearty grains. The taste isn’t very different from the smell. It’s a starchy kind of tea with a whole bunch of toasty flavor. What I dislike is that there is very little dimension to the tea. It’s just relatively flat.. toasty, almost like bread.. but not the good kind. I think this would be good if you paired it with some kind of food. On its own, I’m not impressed and a bit underwhelmed. Soba Cha isn’t necessarily BAD, it’s just uneventful for me.

From Kawaii433 a while ago!  Thank you!  Roasted buckwheat!  Though the brew isn’t dark in color at all, there is almost like this sense there is a couple of drops of coffee hidden in the mug among the mostly toasty, nutty flavor.  It’s similar tasting to barley teas, but it’s a little different.  This is just a great flavor when you want to switch it up with a flavor that is completely different from drinking a string of rooibos teas night after night.  I definitely intend to always keep either some form of soba or barley tea around.
Steep #1 //  1 teaspoon for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2-3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 15 minute steep