Polygonatum vs barley tea
Two roasted, nutty, sweet drinks served in place of water across Korea and Japan. One is a rhizome and the other a grain, and in the cup they are closer than that suggests.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Polygonatum | Mugicha |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A steamed and roasted rhizome, sliced. | Roasted whole barley grain. |
| Flavour | Nutty, sweet and toasty with a slightly fuller body. | Toasty and clean with a lighter body and a faint sweetness. |
| Where it is the default | Korea, where it is poured free in restaurants and made by the jug at home. | Japan and Korea both, and it is the more widespread of the two. |
| Roast | Sets the flavour completely; unroasted material is bland and slightly mucilaginous. | Also sets the flavour, and the range on sale is wide. |
| Cost | More expensive, and treated as slightly more of a considered drink. | Among the cheapest drinks in East Asia, sold in bulk bags everywhere. |
The short answer
Barley is the everyday default and polygonatum the slightly richer alternative. Anyone who likes one will almost certainly like the other.
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