Inspired by Sophia’s “food profile” post, I kept thinking of what defines myself….well, first start, in terms of drink:
I drink lots lots of waters every day, especially when I am at home and need to hold a warm cup at hand all the time. Besides morning cup of Joe (sorry, still addicted!), I drink various kind of “weird” drinks. Need something really thick , creamy, sweet , and fresh??? try this Mocha Milk Tea I just got in the newly opened Asian grocery store. Mocha is pronounced as “mo cha”(green tea flavored), instead of “mo ka” (chocolate)
The milk tea originated from Hong Kong ( I guess), made with black tea and real milk, with splash of sugar or condensed milk. It have a coffee-like color, velvet texture, taste very creamy , with the distinct flavor from black tea. This Mocha milk tea is made of green tea powder that is extremely popular in Japan. The green-colore makes me feel I am drinking veggies (well actually I am not!), that’s the very reason I was attracted!!! Lightly sweetened, according to my sweetness tolerance scale:-P, and very creamy. In terms of taste , I would give it a 4/5. what’s that 1 point missing? well, it has hydrogenated oils which are bad for your health. I know its bad, but still drinking it!! oh man. plus, there is some green tea powder will be left at the bottom of the cup…which is kinda bitter flavor!!
Sibling sweet teas is always a pleasure in the afternoon. No wonder there is a milk tea brand called “3:15 milk tea” , haha
. Another special tea I would like to introduce is the Home-made Korean Barley Tea :
The Barley tea has a toasty taste, with slight bitter undertones, and perfect substitute for the coffee if you are craving something thing that has a bold roasted flavor. In addition. Barley tea is very good for your health: (http://www.teabenefits.com/herbal-tea-benefits/barley-tea-benefits.html)
- Barley tea may help supplement daily nutrition levels.
- Barley tea may help improve blood sugarlevels.
- Barley tea may help in reducing bad cholesterol levels.
- Barley tea may help protect against certain forms of cancer.
- Barley tea may help facilitate proper digestion.
- Barley tea may help in cleansing the body of toxins.
- Barley tea is believed to be good in relieving early symptoms of colds.
Nice huh. Now comes the very simple steps of making Barley Tea:
heat a frying pan, NO OIL!! pour in Quaker medium Barley. Stir it constantly, for about 10 minutes, should be like this :
When it became brown colored, turn off the heat. and let it cool down completely.
Seal it in an air-tight bottle, should be able to stay fresh for a couple of weeks. (not empirically tested though, I drink them all within 3 days!
)
Boil a Barley Tea, please , so yo can get the maximum flavor from the roasted barley. for 1/3 cup of Barleys, pour in 5 Cups of water, bring it to simmer for about 15 minutes, till the water become clearly browned too. Then enjoy!!
For the Barley leftovers: you can mix in honey and have it as a bowl of high-fiber grains:
Or, use the crunchy and chew barley in your favorite breakfast cake recipe:
I used : about 1 cup of Barley, 1/2 cup of boiled green beans, 2 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of starch, 1/4 cup of sugar, and some pumpkin spicy.
Enjoy your teas with a sweet side:
or with this cute mocha mochi :
I hope you all have a good cup of water, dear blog friends



































































