Can you help me source this Japanese tea?

January 6, 2023 12:26 PM

I bought this magical tea at a Japanese shop in Paris: dropbox link. I hope I can buy it here in the US! It's buckwheat tea, I know that much, but I can't find it via Google Images or other means. Can a Japanese person help source it? If not this specific brand, does it have any attributes that I need to be looking for in another brand, such as toasted etc? Thank you in advance!
posted by cyberian to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

You can buy it from Amazon, although if you'd like the English translation to search around locally it's called dattan soba-cha. Soba meaning buckwheat. It's a roasted buckwheat tea!

A similar tea I love in the summer is mugicha, which is made from barley.

Edit to add a link to how to make it yourself; I like getting bulk grains from nuts.com OR trying to grow my own buckwheat (mixed results there, but I didn't try that hard)
posted by OhHaieThere at 12:40 PM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Try searching for "dattan soba" tea (from a quick search, I see a listing on amazon that has it translated as "Tartary buckwheat" tea. Another site says it is also called "bitter buckwheat" tea.)

I don't see a brand name on the packaging image you linked--sometimes the brand/manufacturer is indicated in the back label. Would be happy to take another look if you can post a pic of the back :)
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 12:41 PM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Sockin, thank you for the suggestion to look on the back, I found it!!

Here it is at the original Paris shop:

And here it is sold in the US, whee!


(there was a tiny nearly invisible English label stuck to the back of the package... I obviously failed my Sherlock Holmes 101 test)
posted by cyberian at 1:00 PM on January 6, 2023

I also *love* genmaicha, if you haven't tried it...
posted by pinochiette at 1:14 PM on January 6, 2023 [6 favorites]

Yay! [French accent] < < Infusion de sarassin > > has a slightly different ring from Dattan soba cha...
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 1:22 PM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

I also *love* genmaicha, if you haven't tried it.

It's Japanese green tea with roasted rice (instead of buckwheat). More readily available; you may find some among the YamaMotoYama offerings at your local yupscale supermarket.
posted by Rash at 2:01 PM on January 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

In case anyone else gets stuck, Harney and Sons have one (and ship internationally and/or occasionally on your country's version of iHerb).
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 8:21 AM on January 7, 2023