Sobacha, or Buckwheat Tea

Although I love coffee as much as the next person (especially Cafe Bustelo and Cafe Britt), I am a tea girl at heart. I have a tea stash that is equal to my yarn stash, so much so that I have one shelf in the kitchen that is exclusively dedicated to feeding this obsession. Darjeeling and hojicha (roasted green tea) are my two favorites, but I think I have to add sobacha, or buckwheat tea to the list, thanks in large part to my mother and her evil care packages! She is a self-confessed food and drink evangelist, and when it strikes her fancy, will send me 5 lbs worth of whatever she loves at that moment. This tea happens to be it for now, and as for the taste? It is reminiscent of genmaicha, which is a blend of green tea and roasted/puffed rice, minus the green tea... The most American comparison I can make is that it resembles the taste of popcorn, which I think puts off a lot of people who are used to drinking the "normal" teas, which are made of leaves and have more of an herbal flavor. I however, became an instant convert as it reminds me of all the rice crackers I ate with my grandmother at her house during the summers of my childhood. I tried looking for a bag of the tea in the city the other day - I don't think it has caught on as of yet, but if one ever finds some, it's worth a sip! Just be warned that this tea takes awhile to steep, and that it will always have a yellow to light amber color that will never turn dark like most teas. You know it's done when the smell infuses the entire kitchen!