Cold Barley Tea, the Pitcher a Hot Kitchen Runs On
Roasted barley steeped like tea and chilled. It costs about forty cents a gallon, has no caffeine, and tastes like toast. Every kitchen I worked in kept a jug of it in the door of the fridge.
Posted Nov. 9, 2026 · 2 quarts, about 8 glasses
The drink nobody talks about in American kitchens is the one half of Asia keeps in the fridge all summer. Roasted barley, hot water, nothing else. In Korea it is boricha, in Japan mugicha, and in both places it is what comes to the table instead of water, hot in winter and cold the rest of the year.
I got into it on a line where the walk-in was twenty feet away and the dish pit ran at ninety degrees. Soda made you thirstier, iced coffee made your hands shake by nine, and a gallon of barley tea cost about what a single can costs. It tastes like the smell of toast, a little nutty, with no sweetness at all, and it is the rare drink that is just as good warm the next morning.
What you need
| How much | What |
|---|---|
| 1/2 cup | roasted barley (boricha or mugicha), loose |
| 2 quarts | water |
| 1 pinch | salt, optional |
| 1 strip | lemon peel, optional, for serving |
How to make it
- Bring the water to a boil in a pot. If the barley came raw and pale instead of dark brown, toast it first in a dry skillet over medium heat for five minutes, until it smells like toast and darkens a shade.
- Drop the barley into the boiling water, cut the heat to low and let it go fifteen minutes. It turns the color of weak coffee.
- Take it off the heat and leave the grains in another ten minutes, longer if you want it stronger. It does not get bitter the way tea does.
- Strain into a two-quart jar or pitcher. Add the pinch of salt while it is still warm if the water where you live is very soft.
- Cool on the counter, then chill. Serve over ice, with a strip of lemon peel if the jug has been open a few days.
Cook’s notes
- Roasted barley is sold in one-pound bags at any Korean or Japanese market, and online, labeled boricha or mugicha. One bag makes about fifteen gallons, which is why the kitchens I worked in never bought anything else.
- Do not sweeten it. The whole point is a drink that does not coat your mouth, and sugar turns it into weak iced coffee.
- The grains are good for a second, weaker pot the same day. After that they are done.
- It keeps five days in the fridge and starts tasting flat after that, so a two-quart jar is the right size for two people.
FAQ
Is there caffeine in it?
None. It is a grain, not a tea leaf, which is why it gets served to children and late at night.
Can I drink it hot?
Yes, and in winter that is how it is usually served. Skip the chilling and pour it straight from the pot.
Do the tea bags work?
They do, and they are easier. One bag per quart, the same fifteen minutes. The loose grain is cheaper and tastes a little rounder.