Mugi Cha (Barley Tea) For (My) Health

Mugi Cha (Barley Tea) For (My) Health
by Zig Noda

Mugi cha is a popular drink in Japanese families especially in the summer (served refreshingly cold) and also in winter (served warm). It is a drink made of roasted barley and water. It is also a popular drink in Korea (called Bori cha).

Barley itself is a “super green food” high in minerals and amino acids, so it goes to make sense that Barely “tea” also contains those same elements.

It is not really a “tea” and it does not contain caffeine. It has an earthy taste closest in color and flavor to a weak coffee. Depending on the time and strength of brewing it can taste somewhat sweet to more earthy in flavor.

The traditional method of preparation calls for boiling roasted barley and then letting it sit and then cool in the fridge. However in these modern times the more popular and convenient way is to use pre-bagged Mugi cha that you drop in a liter to a liter and a half of water and let sit in the fridge for an hour or more. After the first hour to few hours it tastes kind of sweet, but left for more than 24 hours it is much stronger and “smoky” in flavor, it is best consumed within 12 hours.

The health benefits from my personal experience and observations are that I believe it regulates my blood sugar as I don’t succumb to “sweet tooth” cravings as much. Thus consumed long term it could help lead to losing weight, this could partially explain why many Japanese and Koreans are slender. Another anecdotal observation is that it seems to lessen the growth of my gray hairs if consumed regularly everyday. I once read somewhere online that barley and Mugi cha have a high copper content, and according to my sister and brother in law, copper is a good supplement that prevents gray hair (my 50-something-ish brother in law is living proof of this since he supplements his diet with copper and does not have ANY grey. Amazing.)

There are also sources online that say Mugi cha lowers cholesterol and purifies the blood, both being excellent benefits.

The amazing thing about Mugi cha is the cost. For example the brand I am drinking now is from Japan and distributed by Ito En in Honolulu. It is a bag of 54 serving packs each good for a liter of barley tea or more. It is distributed in Japanese markets. The cost? My wife bought it for less than $5 (yes…less than five dollars for the whole bag. Amazing.) We bought ours at “Don Quixote” a Japanese supermarket chain from Japan located in Honolulu for $3.99 (3 dollars and 99 cents).

The bottom line here is that Mugi cha tastes good, and is easy to drink, HEALTHY, and inexpensive.

Cheers!

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