Soba-cha

Before coming to Japan I had never heard of soba-cha (buckwheat tea). To be honest, tea would have been the last thing to pop into my mind after hearing the word 'buckwheat'. Like most of the tea I've tried in Japan, my first encounter with soba-cha came about due to curiousity. I saw a bottle of the buckwheat tea in a convenience store and decided to try it. I was familiar with noodles made from buckwheat, so I figured the taste must be similar.

At first, I thought the taste of soba-cha was peculiar, but there was some interesting flavor present that kept me drinking. It wasn't until I tried hot soba-cha that I realized how delicious the brew is. Slightly sweet and not as dry as mugi-cha, soba-cha has a very unique, nutty flavor. In my opinion it's one of the easiest teas to drink due to its smooth flavor.

The two variations of soba-cha I have tried are regular and roasted, both of which are deliciouis, though I feel regular soba-cha has a much deeper flavor. The roasted version loses some of its unique, nutty 'buckwheat' flavor during the roasting process. However, don't let that dissuade you from trying the roasted version. It really is amazing.

In terms of health effects, buckwheat contains rutin, a chemical that strengthens capillary walls. Additionally, chemicals in buckwheat have been studied in relation to treating Type II diabetes.

Regular:

Score: 5 out of 5
Color: Light brown
Taste: Sweet and nutty, not sour or bitter
Served: Cold or hot (I recommend hot)

Roasted:

Score: 4 out of 5
Color: Yellow
Taste: Sweet and nutty, not sour or bitter
Served: Cold or hot (once again I recommend hot due to the great aroma roasted soba-cha has)