Genmaicha & Mugicha

You just can't mess with the Japanese when it comes to tea.

My favorite hot tea is genmaicha. I have been known to pound multiple pots of it while studying. Last night, while working on my moot court brief 'til 2 AM (woo hoo, do I know how to party or what?), I drank an entire pot. Turns out, it's got a decent amount of caffeine. Apparently, there's enough to make even a diet-coke addict toss and turn for a few hours, regardless of how late it is. Rad.

Well. Lesson learned. I'll have to drink herbal teas while studying late at night. I used to alternate between an orange spice tea and a lemon-grass chamomile tea when I needed herbal tea. Of course, that was before I discovered Japanese roasted barley tea. After its discovery, the Japanese managed to take top billing in both the hot and cold tea categories.

Unfortunately, E & I made short work of the Mugicha we obtained from the Japanese grocery store adventure. Guess I'll just have to go back and get more.

The point is: if you're looking for a delicious, healthy, non-caffeinated, easy-to-make, refreshing, cheap, study beverage, you should find an asian grocery store that carries it, or order some.