Green tea, Chamomile tea, Mint tea, Rooibus tea – the list goes on and on, but amidst this vast array of teas, one hidden gem is Buckwheat Tea.
Known as Soba-cha in Japan, Memil-cha in Korea, and Kuqiao-cha in China, buckwheat tea is made out of roasted buckwheat kernels and has a smooth, sweet, and nutty flavour. If you enjoy genmaicha, or roasted brown rice tea, you will enjoy soba-cha as well.
Buckwheat Tea offers many benefits to the body and mind, including that it is:
- Good for Digestion
- Helpful for Weight-loss
- Free from Gluten, Wheat, Caffeine, and Sugar
- Suitable for Pregnant Women and Children
- Calming & Soothing
- High in Nutrients & Antioxidants, including Rutin
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1. Digest Your Worries Away - Buckwheat Tea as A Digestive Aid
Sip the brew during the day, or even as a digestif after a heavy lunch or dinner to truly maximise its benefits.
What's more, you can use the leftover buckwheat seeds post-brewing and add them to your smoothies, porridge, and other snacks to increase your fibre intake!
2. Drink good, Look good, Feel good - Buckwheat Tea For Weight Loss
As mentioned earlier, buckwheat tea offers many health benefits because it's rich in several antioxidants, one which is called "catechins" - the exact naturally-occurring antioxidant that makes green tea so famous for weight loss. And contrary to green tea, this is one tea which doesn't contain caffeine nor does it have a bitter aftertaste that some of us may not like.
The tea is sugar-free, and a single cup just has no calories - making it the perfect addition to any weight loss plan and a good alternative to calorific and sugary drinks.
3. #freefrom - Buckwheat Tea is Gluten-free, Caffeine-free, and Sugar-free!
Be worry-free as you sip on a cup of buckwheat tea, knowing you're drinking a tea free from gluten, caffeine and sugar.
Contrary to its name, buckwheat does not contain any wheat or gluten, nor is it a grain. It's a 'pseudo-grain,' similar to the likes of quinoa and amaranth, and its seeds come from a lush plant related to rhubarb.
Since the tea is gluten-free, it's suitable if you have coeliac disease, or a sensitivity towards gluten.
It's also a great drink to have if you're trying to cut back on your caffeine. With its satisfying nutty and roasted flavour, buckwheat tea works as a good alternative to coffee or tea - for example, you can replace your afternoon brew with a cup of soba-cha without having to worry about having a restless night's sleep or any caffeine-related jitters. And as a bonus, it'll help with digesting the food you just ate
4. Baby on Board - Buckwheat Tea is Safe for Mother & Child
It's also very calming and soothing - something one definitely needs during the pregnancy & postpartum months!
Being a caffeine-free drink, it's also perfect for kids, who love the sweetness in its flavour. Give it to them warm, or cooled down as a nutritious alternative to water.
5. Keep Calm And Drink Tea - Buckwheat Tea For Stress & Anxiety
Buckwheat tea is extremely calming and soothing - and it has shown to be very helpful in reducing stress and anxiety levels.
This is true anecdotally speaking, but also the buckwheat grain contains Vitamin B and magnesium - both which enable you to relax and calm yourself down at the end of a stressful day.
6. Secret Superpower - Buckwheat tea is high in Rutin, a Powerful Antioxidant
Rutin is a powerful antioxidant, also known as Vitamin P, and is found in abundance in buckwheat tea.
Buckwheat tea is typically made using the “fagopyrum tataricum” plant, also known as “tartary” buckwheat. This type of buckwheat plant grows best in subtropical climates, and its seeds contain about 100x more rutin than the common buckwheat plant.
What this means is that buckwheat tea contains much more rutin compared to that found in the buckwheat we are used to using as flour, grains, porridges, etc, and that a single cup of the tea will give you several benefits at once!
This includes:
- A reduction in blood sugar levels, directly helping with diabetes
- A decrease in blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, directly helping with cardiovascular diseases
- Improvement in blood circulation, which can also help with the 'chills' associated in colder winter months
- A reduction in inflammation in the body, thanks to all the anti-inflammatory properties offered by rutin and buckwheat tea as a whole
- Lowering the risk of cancer as rutin acts as a preventative measure against cellular mutation
Rutin also helps you absorb vitamin C more quickly and efficiently into your body, so often buckwheat tea is paired with foods high in vitamin C, like oranges. This gives a good boost of vitamin C, which is beneficial for many things including your skin, immune system, and overall energy levels.
So there we have it - Soba-cha, more popularly known as Buckwheat tea, offers so many benefits.
From internal well-being to external appearance, Buckwheat Tea is a "supertea" that can be had by people of all ages at any time of the day!
