This OSK Kumamoto Mugicha featured Kumamon on its packaging and I am powerless to resist his cuteness in exchange for refreshing barley tea.
The tea consisted of tea bags containing roasted barley grown in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The tea can be made hot (1 tea bag in 1.5 L for 30 minutes) or cold (1 tea bag in 1 L for 2 hours).
Steeping one 11 g tea bag in 1 L of cold water for 2 hours, the infusion was a clear brown colour with toasted nutty aroma. Served chilled, the same toasty nutty flavour came through with a clear sweetness in the body — similar to rock sugar but without the calories — before developing with a hint of bitterness towards the finish ahead of a clean aftertaste that refreshes the palate.
Steeping the tea bag a second time in 500 mL of hot water for 45 minutes, the infusion was a clear dark brown, almost black, colour with the sweetness and nuttiness dulled by a more prominent bitterness that recalled a refreshing coffee.
This OSK Kumamoto Mugicha contained 176 g or 16x 11 g tea bags. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2018.