Boricha

Roasted barley steeped in water — barley one of Korea's ogok (five grains) for 2,000–3,500 years, the roasting creating nutty caramel notes without any caffeine.

Boricha is the Korean name for barley tea — an infusion made by steeping roasted barley grains in hot water and typically served chilled in summer or hot in winter — that occupies in Korean household culture the role that water or plain tea occupies in most other food cultures. Korean households routinely prepare large batches of boricha to drink throughout the day, serving it to guests as a default non-alcoholic offering and using it as the cooking water for rice in some traditional preparations. Barley, Hordeum vulgare, was introduced to the Korean peninsula approximately 2,000-3,500 years ago and became one of the five major grain crops (the ogok: rice, barley, millet, beans, and sorghum) central to Korean agriculture and food culture. The roasting process transforms raw barley's starchy, grain-forward flavor into a nutty, slightly caramelized, mildly bitter beverage whose profile resembles a very light coffee without the caffeine intensity. Boricha is naturally caffeine-free — a property that makes it appropriate for children and the elderly — and its gentle digestive properties align with traditional Korean medicine's concept of maintaining body temperature balance. The Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897) documented barley cultivation practices and barley-based food preparation extensively, and boricha's role as a daily household beverage was established well within this period.