I used to love roasted barley tea, but I've since become gluten-free, and barley contains gluten, so I can no longer drink it. I decided to tack this onto an order from Maeda-en because I was hoping that it would be a good substitute.

Now, to give you some perspective on where my review is coming from, I think buckwheat tastes a bit funky, even when it's fresh. It's a very strong, acquired taste, even under the best of circumstances.

I didn't smell much of that when smelling the dry tea, but the wet tea (after giving it a rinse) was strong with buckwheat scent. The tea was decidedly buckwheat scented and had a bit of a buckwheat taste with a slight sweetness which is less than that of roasted barley tea.

I think that this would be better if I use less of the tea per cup (I used 2tsp per 110ml). I also think it would be better if I make a large jug and cool it and add some honey (it's also a good way to make roasted barley tea).

The effect was interesting. My throat was a bit strangely affected by it which wasn't great, but it did feel like it had a good amount of nutrients in it.

I'm a bit on the fence for the time being. I think I'll have a better idea of how good this is after trying to acquire the taste a bit. (Buckwheat is definitely an acquired taste, in general, and I haven't had it in a while so this was a dramatic tasting experience for me.)

I'd say that if you like the taste of buckwheat, give this a try. If you hate buckwheat and aren't even interested in trying to let it grow on you, don't waste your money. I don't think there will be a way to avoid the buckwheat funk in this.

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