Roasted barley tea

A cup of roasted barley tea

Japanese mugicha tea bag

Grains of roasted barley

Roasted barley tea is a caffeine-free, roasted-grain-based infusion made from barley, which is popular in Korean, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine. It is also used as a caffeine-free coffee substitute in American cuisine.

Roasted barley tea is called mugicha (麦茶) in Japanese, dàmàichá (大麦茶) or màichá (麦茶 or 麥茶) in Mandarin Chinese, and boricha (보리차) in Korean. In Japan it is generally regarded as a cooling beverage, while in Korea and China it is served year-round, warm in summer and cool in winter. Originally, roasted barley seeds were stewed in warm water (this is still the method generally used in Korea), but tea bags containing ground barley became more popular during the early 1980s; this is now the norm in Japan. It can be found from many different distributors in vending machines all over Japan.

In Korea, roasted unhulled barley is used to prepare the tea. Often the barley is combined with oksusu cha (roasted corn), as the corn's sweetness offsets the slightly bitter flavor of the barley. A similar drink, made from roasted brown rice, is called hyeonmi cha.

Roasted barley tea, sold in ground form and sometimes combined with chicory or other ingredients, is also sold as a coffee substitute.^[1]

Health effects

Roasted barley tea was found to inhibit bacterial colonization and adhesion, specifically with respect to the major cause of tooth decay also implicated in cardiovascular diseases, Streptococcus mutans biofilms.^[2] It also lowers blood viscosity, proportional to the level of alkylpyrazine in the tea.^[3] The roasting process revealed 200 - 600 micrograms/kg of acrylamide among Japanese mugicha.^[4] The same article notes that this is far less than the amount found in potato crisps and other whole potato snack foods which had levels >1000 μg / kg. Only a few grams of roasted barley are used to make a cup of tea. The article does not propose that the full amount of acrylamide found in the dry roasted barley is ingested when the grains are soaked in hot water and then discarded. Acrylamide and its metabolite, glycidamide, react readily with a number of biomolecules including haemoglobin.^[5]

See also

• Barley water
• Caffé d'orzo
• List of barley-based beverages

References

Barley History Domestication Neolithic Revolution Triticeae Types of barley Genus: Hordeum Cultivars: Bere Agronomy Barley diseases Trade Australian Barley Board Canadian Wheat Board Corn exchange Production by country Wheat pools in Canada Parts of the plant Bran Germ Husk Kernel Gluten Straw Basic preparations Milling: Flour (types) Groats Middlings Parboiling As an ingredient Barley bread Barley honey Beer Caffè d'orzo Irish whiskey Japanese whisky Máchica Malta Roasted barley tea Scotch whisky Talbina Barley water see also: Category:Barley-based beverages Associated human diseases Gluten-related disorders Coeliac disease Non-celiac gluten sensitivity Wheat allergy Dermatitis herpetiformis Gluten ataxia Related concepts Bread riot Cattle feeding Plant breeding Refined grains Staple food Whole grain Further information

Coffee Topics Economics Fair trade History Production Coffee production List of countries by coffee production Species and varieties Arabica S795 coffee Charrieriana Liberica Robusta Components Cafestol Caffeic acid Caffeine Coffee bean Processing Coffee roasting Coffee wastewater Decaffeination Home roasting Preparation AeroPress Chorreador Coffeemaker Coffee syrup Cold brew Drip brew Espresso lungo ristretto Espresso machine French press Handpresso Instant coffee Knockbox List of coffee dishes Moka pot Percolator Turkish coffee Vacuum maker Coffee drinks Affogato Americano Bica Bicerin Cà phê sữa đá Café au lait Café de olla Café con leche Café Cubano Caffè mocha Café Touba Caffè corretto Café com Cheirinho Caffè macchiato Cappuccino Carajillo Coffee milk Cortado Espresso Flat white Frappuccino Galão Garoto Greek frappé coffee Iced coffee Indian filter coffee Ipoh white coffee Irish coffee Karsk Kopi Luwak Kopi tubruk Latte Latte macchiato Liqueur coffee Long black Mazagran Red eye Ristretto Rüdesheimer Kaffee Turkish coffee White coffee Yuanyang Organisation lists Coffee companies Coffeehouses Lifestyle Barista Café Caffè Caffè sospeso Coffee break Coffee ceremony CoffeeCon Coffee culture Coffee cupping Coffee Palace Coffeehouse Fika Kopi tiam Latte art Viennese coffee house Substitutes Barley tea Barleycup Caro Chicory Dandelion coffee Inka Postum Qishr Roasted grain beverage Misc. Coffee and doughnuts Coffee leaf rust Third wave of coffee Coffee portal  Category: Coffee