Korean Boricha: Cold-Brew Roasted Barley Tea for the School Thermos

If your barley is only lightly toasted, tip it into a dry skillet and toast over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan, until it smells nutty and looks a shade darker. Let it cool.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup roasted barley (bori), from a Korean or Japanese grocer
• 2 liters cold filtered water
• 1 small piece of dried tangerine peel (optional)
• Ice, for serving
• 1 tablespoon honey or rice syrup (optional, for a lightly sweet version)
• Lemon slices (optional)
• 1 small pinch of sea salt (optional, for hot summer days)

Instructions

1. If your barley is only lightly toasted, tip it into a dry skillet and toast over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan, until it smells nutty and looks a shade darker. Let it cool.
2. Rinse the toasted barley briefly under cold water in a fine sieve to wash off any dust.
3. Place the barley (and tangerine peel, if using) in a large pitcher or jar and pour over the 2 liters of cold water.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours, or overnight. Cold-brewing pulls out the toasty sweetness without any of the bitterness that boiling can bring.
5. Strain the tea through a fine sieve into a clean pitcher and discard the grains. It should be a clear amber color with a nutty aroma.
6. For a lightly sweetened version, stir in the honey or rice syrup while the tea is cold, tasting as you go; most Korean families drink it plain.
7. Serve over ice with a lemon slice, or pour into an insulated thermos for school. It will stay cold and fresh through the afternoon.
8. Keep the strained tea refrigerated for up to 4 days. For a quick hot-brew version, simmer the barley in the water for 10 minutes, then strain and chill.
9. Boricha is the water of Korean households: served free at every restaurant, kept in the fridge door all summer, and poured into children's bottles before school because it is naturally caffeine-free and gently hydrating. Made from roasted hulled barley, it carries a toasty, almost chocolatey aroma that Koreans associate with home and comfort, and traditional medicine credits it with aiding digestion and cooling the body. Japan drinks its own version as mugicha, and both cultures treat it less as a recipe than as a daily habit. Cold-brewing it overnight is the modern shortcut that makes this ancient thermos filler practically effortless.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 5 kcal
• Protein: 0g
• Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 1g
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 0g
• Sodium: 5mg