When I’m at a Korean restaurant I try to get roasted corn (oksusu cha) or roasted barley (bori cha) tea. Both have a refreshing earthy flavor, without any caffeine. Even though it’s no longer summer over here, the teas are great chilled for the hot Californian days.
My version combines both corn and barley. The corn lends a sweetness that takes the edge off of the burnt taste of the roasted barley. (The barley’s aroma reminds me of Postum, a coffee substitute my grandmother used to drink.)
I get the corn and barley, already dried and roasted, from a local Korean market. They come either loose or in 10-gram packets like tea bags.
Ingredients
- 2 10-gram packets of roasted corn
- 2 10-gram packets of roasted barley
- 2 quarts filtered water
Method
- Pour the water into your serving pitcher. Toss in the packets of roasted corn. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Pop the packets of roasted barley into the pitcher. Chill for another 10 minutes.
- Remove all four packets from the pitcher. Chill another hour or three before serving.
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