Today I want to talk to you about one of my favorite caffeine free tisanes (infusions not from the camellia sinensis plant). In the afternoon and evening, I usually switch from caffeinated beverages to caffeine-free ones. There is as much variety in the herbal tea realm as in the camellia sinensis world and I love discovering new flavor profiles.

Soba cha, also known as roasted buckwheat tea, comes from a type of buckwheat that is related to the one that is commonly used in the kitchen. I cook with buckwheat all the time and I’ve been familiar with it since childhood. In my home region in northern Italy, we have a type of pasta made from buckwheat flour, pizzoccheri, which is typically served with steamed cabbage or greens, boiled potatoes, lots and lots of cheese and butter. It’s delicious. I love savory crepes (French-style thin pancakes) made from buckwheat flour and I will often have buckwheat groats as a side dish to my meals when I’m keeping them gluten free.

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I brewed my soba cha in a glass teapot with a removable strainer basket. I used 12 grams of buckwheat and 12 fl oz of water heated to 205 F. I let it steep for 5-10 minutes. It is very forgiving, it’s probably not even necessary to set a timer!

I served it in the beautiful tulip-shaped glass tea cups from Turkey that my friend Ayca gave me for my birthday. I found that their shape was perfect to appreciate all the subtle aroma notes!

Soba cha tastes deliciously comforting, like a fine cashmere sweater. Expect natural sweetness, toasty, caramelized and nutty notes, almost reminiscent of brown rice. You know what it reminds me of? It reminds me of a bowl of lightly sweetened corn flakes doused in good quality soy milk.

It also reminds me of roasted barley coffee, which is a caffeine-free alternative to regular coffee, very popular in Italy.