Job's Tears Tea (はと麦茶, Hatomugi-cha)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small heavy pot or Japanese kettle
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Dry skillet, if roasting raw grains
• •Heatproof pitcher for make-ahead batches

Instructions

1. 1

   Check the grains

   Use roasted hatomugi if you can find it. The grains should be tan to light brown and smell nutty, not dusty or sour. This is not barley tea, though the two sit like cousins on the shelf. Barley makes mugicha; Job's tears make hatomugi-cha, and the flavor is cleaner and a little rounder.

   Sourcing is the first method here. If the grains smell stale before they meet the pot, the tea will taste stale after it leaves it.
2. 2

   Toast if needed

   If your hatomugi is raw or only lightly toasted, put it in a dry skillet over medium-low heat and stir for 6 to 8 minutes, until the grains deepen slightly and smell warm and nutty. Keep the pan moving so they toast, not scorch. A bitter black spot will speak louder than the whole pot, and not politely.

   Roasting develops the flavor before extraction. Water can draw taste out, but it cannot create the roasted sweetness that was never there.
3. 3

   Simmer gently

   Combine the roasted hatomugi and water in a small pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. The water should turn pale gold to light amber and smell cleanly toasted. A hard boil makes the liquid cloudy and rougher, so keep it quiet.

   You are extracting grain aroma, not forcing a stock. Gentle heat gives you clarity; rough heat gives you noise.
4. 4

   Steep off heat

   Take the pot off the heat, cover it, and let the grains steep for 10 more minutes. This resting time rounds the flavor without cooking the grains to dullness. Taste it near the end: it should be savory, faintly sweet, and clean, not sharp or medicinal.

   The steep is where the tea settles. Stop early for a lighter cup, or let it sit a few minutes longer for a deeper one, but don't chase strength with violent boiling.
5. 5

   Strain and serve

   Strain the tea through a fine-mesh strainer into cups or a heatproof pitcher. Serve it hot as it is, without sugar, or cool it and refrigerate for a summer pot. If you chill it, let it cool uncovered until warm before sealing the pitcher, so trapped heat doesn't flatten the aroma.

   Hatomugi-cha is usually drunk plain. Sweetening it turns attention away from the roast, and the roast is the whole point.

Chef Tips

• •Buy roasted hatomugi from a Japanese or Korean market if possible, and check the aroma before you buy a large bag. Good grain smells quietly nutty. Old grain smells like cardboard, and no method will make that honest.
• •Tea bags are a sensible stand-in for daily use if they contain only roasted hatomugi. They are not the same as loose grain, but they keep the spirit of the drink. Avoid blends if you want the clean taste of hatomugi-cha itself.
• •For a cold batch, brew it a shade stronger than you want to drink. Chilling tightens the aroma, and ice will thin it further. The tea should still taste clean after it meets the glass.

Advance Preparation

• •Hatomugi-cha keeps well for 2 days in the refrigerator. Chill it in a covered pitcher once it has cooled to warm room temperature.
• •You can toast raw hatomugi up to 1 week ahead. Cool it completely, then store it airtight so the roasted aroma stays clean.
• •For a lighter make-ahead cold brew, steep 1/2 cup roasted hatomugi in 5 cups cold water in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours, then strain. It will be paler and softer than the simmered version.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 285g)