Brewed from buckwheat grains, this healthy and delicious Buckwheat Tea or Sobacha will be your new favorite drink! A popular tea in Japan, it is a great way to get the many benefits, along with its antioxidant power. You could enjoy it cold or warm and it’s perfect for an evening drink just before bed.
Do you want to add a new and healthy beverage to your diet? If yes, then, you must try Buckwheat Tea or Sobacha (そば茶) and start drinking it regularly. The tea offers immense health benefits and it is absolutely one of our favorite beverages to relax and build up our immune system.
Of late Mr. JOC and I have started drinking more non-caffeinated drinks like buckwheat tea in replace of coffee and green tea. We still love our coffee and green tea, but we wanted to incorporate more simple yet healthy habits to keep our energy in check. Are you interested in knowing more about buckwheat tea? Keep reading this post!
What is Buckwheat Tea (Sobacha)?
Buckwheat tea, known as Sobacha (そば茶) in Japan, is a tea made from roasted buckwheat (soba 蕎麦,そば) grains, leaves, or flowers of the plant. The tea is drunk for enjoyment apart from health purposes.
Buckwheat tea is also known as memil-cha (메밀차) in Korea and kuqiao-cha (苦荞茶) in China. In the most recent development, tartari buckwheat grown in Gangwon Province in Korea is popular for making memil-cha, as it is nuttier and contains more rutin (plant pigment that is found in certain fruits and vegetables, and is known for powerful antioxidant properties).
What Does Buckwheat Tea Taste Like?
The tea has a dry, nutty, earthy taste and a light scent.
How to Serve Buckwheat Tea
Brew the buckwheat tea just like any other tea and enjoy it as is without adding any sweetener or milk. You can serve either warm or cold. In today’s post, I’ll show you how to make the tea from grains.
Where to Find Buckwheat Tea
Look for them at Japanese or Asian markets and health food stores. Amazon sells some brands as well.
Amazing Benefits of Buckwheat Tea
There are incredible health benefits to drinking buckwheat tea. Sure, green tea is rich in antioxidants and is beneficial for overall health. However, if you have been advised to cut down on caffeine intake in your diet, buckwheat tea is the best alternative, offering all the benefits of green tea sans caffeine.
In nutshell, here are some of the health benefits I found online:
- Helps in managing diabetes (reduce the concentration of glucose in the body)
- Helps in the immune system (high in various antioxidants and vitamins)
- Aids in digestion (antioxidant improves digestive function, eliminate bloating and constipation)
- Improves heart health (lower levels of blood pressure and cholesterol count)
- Prevents kidney problems (antioxidants slow the progression of the condition)
- Reduce the risk of cancer (help defend against cellular mutation and the spread of cancer)
- Promotes weight loss (low in calorie, stimulate metabolism, eliminate water weight)
But it is much more than the healthful compounds that I drink buckwheat tea; I also enjoy its subtlety and the relaxation it brings to my mind.
Note: Just One Cookbook is not specialized in health facts, so please do your own research if you would like to find out more about the health benefits of buckwheat tea.
How to Make Buckwheat Tea (Sobacha)
If you want to brew the tea, all you need is dry buckwheat grains* and a saucepan or teapot!
- Step 1: Boil 3 ⅓ cups (800 ml) of water in a saucepan on the stove or in an electric kettle.
- Step 2 – saucepan: Add 2 Tbsp (20 grams) of roasted buckwheat grains to the saucepan and boil for 30 seconds.
- Step 2 – teapot: Add 2 Tbsp (20 grams) of roasted buckwheat grains and boiling water in the teapot.
- Step 3: Allow the tea to steep for 3-4 minutes before straining.
- Step 4: Serve hot.
- Step 5: Brew 2-3 more times, but add a few minutes to the steeping time.
*When making the tea from leaves and blossoms, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of dried tea to 1 cup of hot water and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes.
Perfect Tea for The Evening
Since we tend to work late at night after our kids go to bed, we found ourselves battling to concentrate on the overwhelming list of to-do. It is not exactly the wisest thing when we have to film recipes in the late evening. We get tempted with the food and often find ourselves snacking our way to stay awake. With buckwheat tea, we are able to relax and concentrate better. While I am not sure if I can successfully lose weight with buckwheat tea, I sure feel more energized and sleep better. Since it’s not caffeinated, it makes a great cup of tea to drink in the evening. I hope you enjoy Sobacha just like we do!
Potential Downsides
Consumption of buckwheat is not associated with many adverse health effects when consumed in moderation. However, some people may be allergic to buckwheat.
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Brewed from buckwheat grains, this healthy and delicious Buckwheat Tea or Sobacha will be your new favorite drink! A popular tea in Japan, it is a great way to get the many benefits, along with its antioxidant power. Enjoy it cold or warm.
- 2 Tbsp buckwheat tea (20 g)
- 3 ⅓ cups water (800 ml)
- 2 Tbsp buckwheat tea (20 g)
- 3 ⅓ cups water (800 ml)
- 1 tea bag (See Notes for the brand I use)
- ¾ cup water (180 ml)
- Gather the ingredients. Please adjust the amount of water (or buckwheat tea) based on your preference.
Boil 3 ⅓ cups (800 ml) of water in a saucepan on the stove and add 2 Tbsp (20 grams) of buckwheat tea.
- Boil for 30 seconds and turn off the heat. Cover the saucepan with a lid and allow the tea to steep for 3-4 minutes.
- Strain the tea over fine mesh sieve and serve hot.
- Boil 3 ⅓ cups (800 ml) of water in an electric kettle or a saucepan on the stove. Add 2 Tbsp (20 grams) of roasted buckwheat grains to a teapot.
- Pour boiling water over the buckwheat in the teapot. Allow the tea to steep for 3-4 minutes before straining.
- Serve hot.
Boil ¾ cup (180 ml) of water in an electric kettle or a saucepan on the stove. Add 1 tea bag in a teacup or teapot and pour boiling water over the tea bag.
- Allow the tea to steep for 2 minutes before removing the tea bag. Serve hot.
- Let the buckwheat tea cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator. Serve cold.
- Brew 2-3 more times, but add a few minutes to the steeping time.
Buckwheat Tea (Sobacha) Tea Bag: You can purchase on Amazon.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
I am wondering if I could brew this using coarse or whole buckwheat groats or Kasha.
Hi Bond! Maybe you need to roast to get the flavor?
Yes, Nami’s comment is right. You could do it but you’d need to roast the grains first. Not only is this what draws out a lot of the flavor, but also it sanitizes them. Uncooked grains are considered a raw food and not always safe to eat raw (they can sometimes have harmful bacteria). Put them in a dry pan (no oil) on the stove and heat on medium-low to medium heat while constantly moving them around in the pan so they don’t burn. They’ll gradually turn tan or golden brown and become quite aromatic and that is when they are done. You can control the level of roast you like which will change the flavor (like with coffee beans), but definitely don’t make them get black or you’ve gone too far. Let the grains cool and then save them for use as tea later! I don’t recommend trying it in an oven as you can’t tend to the cooking to make sure they roast evenly.
Thank you for sharing your tip and knowledge, Lion! xo
Quick correction: I just saw another person comment about how to do it in the oven, so check out the comment further down if you want to try it. I guess which method you use is your own choice! If you like to micromanage like me, the stove is a winner. If you have trust and faith, the oven should work fine. 😛
Wow, I really want to try it now! I have barley tea at home and drink it fairly often, but have never had this! I will look for it at the local Asian market that sells mostly Korean and Japanese products. 🙂
Hi Lion! I think you’ll really enjoy this! I’m drinking it as I type… very nice taste too! Hope you can find it at the Asian market. 🙂
I have noticed that the Korean brands I’ve tried have been very light in flavor, so I much prefer to use Japanese brands, which have a more roasted and intense flavor. I’m wondering if the preference is different in Korea, or if the brands I bought were bad. I love mugicha, and always keep a pitcher in the fridge during summer!
Hi Susan! Even Japanese sobacha has different variations in flavor and color. The tea bag one is lighter compared to the loose tea I buy. I haven’t tried the Korean brands, so I now understand they are lighter in flavor. From the pictures I saw online, they are much lighter in color too. 🙂
I wasn’t able to find a Japanese brand in our local market but I did find a Korean one, so I bought it. The roast is lighter than the ones you show in your pictures here. The flavor is brighter and grassier than I expected, but also with very nice nutty, roasted, and earthy tones to it. I think it is very well balanced and I really enjoy it! Thanks for making me aware of this tea! I am always looking for easy-to-brew teas that can be drank late at night or go good with a meal and I think this suits both situations very well! I think I like this even more than boricha, but both are so good.
Hi Lion! Happy to hear you like Sobacha too! 🙂
Hi, for the buckweahth tea sobacha, can I brew it and keep it in the fridge to serve it cold? How many daysdo you reckon I can keep the tea in the fridge?
Hi Matt! Yes, you can do that. 🙂 I would drink it within 3-4 days.
I roasted my own buckwheat (greenish groats) in the oven 180°c for 50 minutes. You need to stir it occasionally. Let it cool and store. It makes a great tea just like Nami suggests, delicious. My new night time ritual
Hi Nao! Wow… your nighttime ritual sounds so relaxing and I can totally imagine the scene! Thank you for sharing your roasting tip with us!
Hi, I have korean buckwheat tea in a pack, can i eat the buckwheat grains? i tasted the roasted one , and i love to eat like that
Hi Noni! I’ve never done it but it looks like people make recipes using the used grains!
https://cookpad.com/search/%E3%81%9D%E3%81%B0%E8%8C%B6%20%E5%87%BA%E3%81%8C%E3%82%89%E3%81%97
Hope this helps for your inspiration. 🙂