Sobacha tea originates from east Asian cultures. Buckwheat groats are toasted then steeped to make a beautiful caramel colored tisane. Sobacha has a comforting nutty aroma and rich, malted, toasty flavor. As an avid drinker of all thing’s tea and tisane, I’m in love with sobacha and keep it on heavy rotation.
My two favorite ways to consume Sobacha are as a Green Sobacha Tea and an Ancient Grain Tisane. You can drink either preparation hot, cool or iced, they’re both delicious, fast and easy to make. Before we get to the recipes, here are a few tidbits about Sobacha.
FUN FACTS
- Buckwheat is an ancient grain that has been cultivated and used by humans, both as a beverage and food, for thousands of years.
- Despite the word “wheat” in the name, buckwheat is not closely related to wheat, or even considered a cereal. Buckwheat is related to plants like sorrel and rhubarb.
- Sobacha ranks low on the glycemic index, is vegan, gluten free, caffeine free and generally a GMO-free crop. It’s a celiac, diabetic and heart friendly beverage.
- Sobacha contains, protein, ammino acids, minerals and antioxidants, in other words, lots of healthful goodies!
- Strictly speaking, brewed sobacha is a tisane. The term “tea” technically refers to brewed Camellia sinensis or “tea” plant. Black, green, oolong and white tea all come from Camellia sinensis and refer to the varying degrees and types of fermentation before consumption. Sobacha and all other brewed plant matter are classified as tisane.
- You can buy pre-roasted, ready-made sobacha, but it can be a bit pricy. On the other hand, buckwheat groats are inexpensive and easily transformed into sobacha. All you need is a large skillet and your desired amount of buckwheat. Toast the buckwheat in a dry skillet, over medium heat, for 3-5 minutes, until lightly fragrant and golden brown. Remove from the heat, cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container until use.
- Don’t throw out your sobacha after steeping! The leftover, soft grains of buckwheat are delicious and packed with fiber and protein. Add them into a salad or soup. If you made a large batch of tea, combine the leftover sobacha with a little milk and sweetener for a yummy breakfast porridge or use it as a nutritious stand in wherever you would use rice. Eating your leftover sobacha is one of the ultimate and most enjoyable acts of recycling.
Without further ado, let’s get brewing. Sip, smile and be well!
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Green Sobacha Tea
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- Yield: Serves 1
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon sobacha (toasted buckwheat), per cup
- 1 teaspoon green tea, per cup
- Your preferred sweetener, to taste
- Filtered water
Instructions
- Decide how many cups of tea you want to make. Measure out your desired amount of sobacha and green tea. Put them in separate bowls as they have different optimal brewing temperatures and steeping times, set aside.
- Bring your desired amount of water to a boil. Put the sobacha in the steeping basket of a tea pot or mug and carefully pour the hot water over it. Allow to steep for approximately 3 minutes.
- Add the green tea to the steeping basket, completely submerging the leaves in the water and allow to steep for an additional 3 minutes.
- Remove the steeping basket, discard or compost the contents and add the sweetener of your choice to taste. Enjoy.
Notes
If you’re a fan of genmaicha tea (green tea with toasted rice) you’re going to love this tea. It has all the vegetal, bittersweet, toasty notes of genmaicha, but the toasty flavor comes from healthful, sobacha instead of rice.
Ancient Grains Tisane
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- Yield: Serves 1
Description
- 1 ½ – 2 teaspoons sobacha
- 1 ½ – 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 12 ounces of filtered water
- Your preferred sweetener, to taste
Ingredients
- Fill a tea ball or mesh strainer with the sobacha.
- Place your filled tea ball or mesh strainer in a heat proof mason jar or mug, large enough to hold at least 14 ounces of beverage.
- Bring the water to a boil.
- Carefully pour the water over the sobacha and steep for 5 minutes.
- Remove the tea ball or mesh strainer, discard or compost the contents. Alternatively, save the leftover steeped buckwheat for eating (see previously mentioned ideas for use).
- Add the chia seeds and sweetener to the prepared tisane and allow to steep for at least 5 minutes before drinking it. If you want to drink your Ancient Grain Tisane cold or like more chew, allow the chia seeds to steep longer or even overnight in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Instructions
- Fill a tea ball or mesh strainer with the sobacha.
- Place your filled tea ball or mesh strainer in a heat proof mason jar or mug, large enough to hold at least 14 ounces of beverage.
- Bring the water to a boil.
- Carefully pour the water over the sobacha and steep for 5 minutes.
- Remove the tea ball or mesh strainer, discard or compost the contents. Alternatively, save the leftover steeped buckwheat for eating (see previously mentioned ideas for use).
- Add the chia seeds and sweetener to the prepared tisane and allow to steep for at least 5 minutes before drinking it. If you want to drink your Ancient Grain Tisane cold or like more chew, allow the chia seeds to steep longer or even overnight in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Notes
This Ancient Grain Tisane is like Bubble tea’s healthier cousin. The chia seeds develop a chewy mucilage reminiscent of the tapioca pearls in Bubble tea but are smaller and a little crunchy.
1 thought on “Sobacha Tea Two Ways”
This tea is amazing