Description
Sobacha (Buckwheat Tea), 100g
Origin: Hokkaido and Nagano Prefectures Blend
Sobacha, Buckwheat Tea, is 100% caffeine free, is also gluten free, and has a low glycemic index. It infuses just like tea*, with either hot or cold water, and can remain flavorful through 2-3 infusions.It infuses to a warm golden honey to dark straw color, and has a sweet, nutty, and toasted flavor and aroma. When served hot, it can be made with water just off of the boil, so it can be enjoyed hot in a large cup to warm one up during the colder seasons, and at any time of day or night with no worries about caffeine intake. *If using an unglazed tea pot, we recommend using a separate tea pot than that used for green tea due to the toasted aroma and opportunity for fragrance transfer.
Hokkaido and Nagano are Japan's top one and two soba producers, with Hokkaido growing the country's lion's share at almost 45%. Soba is grown is most Japanese prefectures, and the rest of the country, combined, makes up the other half+ of production. Although Shinshuu (Nagano) Soba production is only about 15% of Hokkaido's, it enjoys a reputation for high-quality soba for noodles and tea. Our producer blends Hokkaido and Nagano Sobas, uses one or the other individually, or blends in soba from Shiga Prefecture, depending on each year's harvest to create a delicious and consistent flavor profile.
Sobacha has long been a traditional drink, partly for medicinal uses, across East Asia. In China, it is kuqiao-cha (苦荞茶); and in Korea, memil-cha (메밀차). It is not a true "tea," from the camellia sinensis plant, and not an herbal or grain infusion either. It's often categorized as a grain, or confused as a type of wheat, but is actually a pseudocereal. In fact, it is the seed of a plant in the rhubarb family. I make no health claims here; but in traditional Asian medicine, it has been used as an anti-inflammatory, for digestive and cardiovascular health, and to regulate blood sugar and metabolism. Modern research has found buckwheat to contain phyto-nutrients such as Rutin (an antioxidant flavanoid), Quercitin (an anti-inflammtory compound), D-chiro-inosital (which is undergoing research for blood sugar management), and water-soluble fiber.