LDK: barley tea

barley tea

05.08.03

Posted by Jun
[ Food ]

暑くなってきたので麦茶を作りました。部屋中に充満する麦のかおり。夏休みのかおりですね。子供の頃、母がヤカンに何リットルも作ってたのを思い出します。麦茶は日本最古のお茶で、緑茶が伝来する以前の平安時代から貴族達に飲まれてたとか。夏バテにもアリアリのようで。

It's getting very hot and I thought about making barley tea. The scent of wheat all over the room and I remembered a child's time and got very nostalgic. My mum made lots of tea for us in a summer time. We had to wait tea in a kettle get cool down and put in a fridge... Apparently barley tea is the oldest tea in Japan. Aristocrats were drinking barley tea from the Heian period (794-1192) before green tea descends. It seems effective against Natsu bate (weariness from the summer heat).

Chuck Swenson wrote:

I start drinking barley tea in May and continue through September of each year. It has a fresh, astringent quality, that I find refreshing. I usually place the bags in a large pitcher of water and place it out in the sun to steep. Four to five hours seems to do the job. I frequently add ice and some citrius juice when I am drinking it. A really nice rest change of pace from the sweet teas so prevelant here in Georgia.

Jun wrote:

Hi Chuck. Adding some citrus sounds very new to me. I have to try next time! If you can buy roasted barley grains, please try them to make tea. In a large kettle bring 1L of water to boil. Add 30-40g of whole grains (not milled) in a kettle, cook for 10 mins. After let it cool down a bit, filter out the grains and bottle. Put a pitcher in a fridge. It is more aromatic than tea bags.