Nabeshima: Hida Mugicha Barley Tea

2023 An Ode to Tea – N

From derk a while ago, thank you! I love the barley or buckwheat option! Will definitely keep one or both of them around. This seems to be unhulled, with my limited knowledge of grains, so it still has the husk on them. Unique looking to other barley I have tried! The flavor is lighter, so I should maybe be using more than one teaspoon for a mug. This particular barley has a hint of BBQ spice to it, which is unexpected!
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug // 22 minutes after boiling // 1-2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 10+ min

Thank you Togo for the very genous bag of this tea! I had it for the first time last weekend and it made for a very relaxing and comforting late night mug. I steeped it up in the largest Western style mug that I own and that perfectly golden and caramelized toasted barley and almost peanut brittle-like flavour with its delicate roasted coffee undertones couldn’t have been more perfect for a chilly Autumn evening. I actually resteeped the leaf as well in my 30 oz mug I was drinking and, when it comes to resteeping Western teas, that’s something I almost never do – which to me is just a sign of how pleasant this truly was!

This was sent to my by the lovely derk!

Ok, so I’m going hard for the music right now and left my kettle (you know, the one without the keep warm function) sit for 15 minutes after boiling. And then, after that, I still didn’t turn down the music and I don’t know how long my beeper was going off before I went to get the tea. So while I aimed for 212F/8min, it’s probably wildly off.

Anyway, this tastes like coffee? I’m so confused. It tastes like a roasted, nutty coffee, and I don’t know how that works? I’ve really been jonesing for coffee lately (I know, revoke my login), and getting the new Keurig machine has led to me buying a bunch of coffee and drinking it. So yeah, this hits the spot. Very VERY much like nutty coffee.

So thanks for the sample derk!

Quick tasting note:
I had it in the afternoon and now writing it after watching Cirque de Soleil show on TV. Love it!

As for “tea”, I took two teaspoons for 300 ml glass mug. Hot water.
Other family members thought it’s weak, unflavourful.
But my senses are saying something else. I liked light roasted notes, bit nutty, bit coffee bitterness (I had dark coffee just once, otherwise I drink cappuccino or latté, if I do).

It was interesting and I will try cold brew too.

PS: tomorrow I am leaving for week long holiday. No, or very limited internet connection. Taking my DF teas with me to drink while other will have afternoon coffee. I won’t make tasting notes for sure. I will be okay, I will come up with some very nice tea!

Sipdown of a 300g bag.

I prepared this last brew according to one of the two ways outlined on the package: boil 2L water, simmer 25-30g for 3 minutes, then turn off, cover with a lid and let steep for 30 minutes.

Though the brew is thin, I enjoy the more concentrated flavor of this method. It’s so much like honey nut cheerios :)

Pulled this out for the January sipdown prompt “drink a tea paired with a favorite hobby.” I’m a solo-person manga/manwha scanlation team, and decided this would be good to sip on while I work on some cleaning and script progress for two different projects this afternoon. One is a Korean manwha and one is a Japanese manga, and roasted barley tea is a popular drink in both countries (“Boricha” in Korea, “Mugicha” in Japan).

This brand of mugicha I have is pre-packaged into 10g bags to make a liter of iced tea (which I do often, and love). But I am fighting a cold and craving hot beverages, so I broke open the packet and repackaged the roasted barley into two 5g fillable teabags. I put one in my 500ml teapot and am leaving it to steep indefinitely.

The steeping tea has that divine smell of roasted barley, which always smells like a dark roast coffee to me. There is also a bit of a toasty grain smell as well. The brewed tea is such a satisfying and warming bittersweet roasted note.

Lovely!

Cold brew review:

This tisane is really suited for a cold brew. It is very easy to drink and possesses a great balance of honey sweetness, roasted nuttiness and a hint of sour notes. Although not very complex, it is enjoyable and refreshing. I like the mouthfeel too, it is neither drying nor mouth-watering, but coats the mouth very well.

For the price it is a great deal!