Barley Tea (From Ito En)

I started drinking Ito En bottled tea about a year ago when one of my best friends left for college. She loved Ito En tea and throughout high school her backpack always sported a bottle of it. I wasn't sure if I liked it very much, but after my friend left I decided to try it again, because I kept seeing it and being reminded of her. I came to the conclusion that my first impression of the Ito En was wrong and over the course of the past year I have enjoyed many Ito En green and jasmine bottled teas.

Recently I've been curious about barley tea because Lupicia has so much of it in so many different flavors. I was thinking of buying some but I didn't want to make that commitment before tasting it. So today I when I stumbled upon some Ito En barley tea I decided to try it. My first sip left me confused. There was a hint of something that reminded me of chestnuts but then it was dragged down by an overwhelming bitterness. However I wasn't ready to give up. Upon my return home I heated up the barley tea and sweetened it a bit, but I was still unimpressed. I asked my mother to taste it too and she said it tasted like watery coffee. I assume it's an acquired taste.