Korean Tea: Corn, Beans, Barley

updated Jun 4, 2019
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

As the weather warms up, we’re craving fewer pots of hot tea (yes, pots – we go through two or three a day!) and are swapping them for refreshing glasses of iced tea. Some of favorite ingredients for iced tea are from the Korean market – corn, black beans, and barley.

We know these teas may sound a bit odd to some – bean tea?! – but we enjoy the change from traditional black or green tea. They may be served hot or cold, yet we think they are particularly delicious when chilled. Corn tea, or oksusucha, is made from roasted kernels that give the drink a sweet and, well, distinctly corn flavor. Barley tea, or boricha, is nutty with a slight bitterness that is reminiscent of coffee. Combining corn and barley is also a common practice. Earthy black bean tea is actually made from roasted soybeans and supposedly aids digestion. All of these are caffeine-free and simply made by steeping the ingredients in boiling water for a couple of minutes and straining.

Have you tried any of these teas?

Buy it: Korean grocery stores or koaMart.com

Related: Recipe: Sujeonggwa (Korean Persimmon Punch)

(Image: Emily Ho)