Barley Tea

While in Michigan I've been enjoying a wonderful Japanese restaurant called the Sushi Den. It's new in town and caters very well to both displaced Japanese natives and local Americans alike. Their prices are affordable compared to other authentic Japanese cuisine restaurants, and the food is both delicious and very Japanese.

If you eat in you are offered a choice between water or tea. The hot tea is a standard Japanese variety - green, I believe. However, there is also a cold variety. We learned that it is a barley tea, something very popular in Japan (and other nationalities, too). It had a rich, roasted flavor on par with a good coffee. It was so delicious.

I had never had barley tea before, nor did I even know such a thing existed. Before leaving we found some in tea bags at a local oriental market and brought some home. For more information there is a Wikipedia article on it.