Job’s tears vs barley tea
Job’s tears is called adlay, pearl barley and hatomugi, and is not a barley. The Korean powdered drink made from it is thick and cloudy where barley tea is clear and light.
botanical
What is being compared
Why these get confused
Every English name it carries — adlay, pearl barley, hatomugi — points at barley, which it is not.
Point by point
| Aspect | Job’s tears | Mugicha |
|---|---|---|
| The plant | Coix lacryma-jobi, a Southeast Asian grass whose hard-shelled seeds string easily as beads. | Hordeum vulgare, ordinary barley, roasted whole. |
| The drink | Yulmu-cha in Korea is thick, milky and closer to a light meal than an infusion. | Mugicha and boricha are clear, light and drunk by the glass all day. |
| Flavour | Nutty and cereal-like with substantial body, especially in the powdered form. | Toasty and clean with a light body and a faint sweetness. |
| Form | Sold as whole roasted grain and as powder blended with rice, soy or nuts. | Sold as whole roasted grain, in bags, and ready-made in bottles across East Asia. |
| How it is served | Hot from cafés and vending machines in Korea, whisked with sugar. | Cold from a jug in summer and hot in winter, unsweetened in both cases. |
The short answer
If you want the everyday water-replacement drink, barley is it. Job’s tears in its Korean powdered form is a different proposition and a more substantial one.
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