Sobacha: Health Benefits of Soba Buckwheat Tea
“Sobacha (そば茶: Soba Tea)” is a Japanese buckwheat tea often served in soba restaurants. It is a tea beverage made from roasted buckwheat groats featuring a unique fragrance characteristic of buckwheat.
Sobacha (そば茶: Soba Tea)
In Japan, Sobacha comes in PET bottles and can be bought at convenience stores or from vending machines. Among others, the one from Itoen (Price: 140 yen/about 1.3 USD) is especially popular, and I have loved it for a long time.
Based on the product information on the official website of Itoen, this soba tea is made using both ordinary buckwheat grains and Dattan Soba or Tartary buckwheat grains.
“Dattan Soba (韃靼そば: Tartary Buckwheat)”, whose botanical name is Fagopyrum tataricum, contains about 50 to 100 times more rutin than average buckwheat and is said to have a high health value.
Health Benefits of Rutin
Rutin is a citrus flavonoid glycoside found in many plants, including Dattan Soba, soba, asparagus, mulberry, and cranberry.
And as you can see from the reddish note on the packaging, this Itoen Soba Cha (500 ml) offers 30 mg rutin.
Once called vitamin P, rutin has an antioxidant effect. Some recent research has found that the substance is beneficial to the human body, whose health benefits include the following.
- Rutin helps strengthen capillary blood vessels and promotes blood circulation. Thus, it can be effective for cold sensitivity.
- Rutin helps prevent lifestyle diseases, such as arteriosclerosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, and liver and heart diseases.
- Rutin helps the absorption of vitamin C.
Itoen Sobacha
This Itoen Sobacha PET bottle also contains vitamin C, and what is better, the buckwheat tea is caffeine-free.
The aroma is uniquely fragrant, and the beverage is very easy to drink. With this on a routine basis (unless you are allergic to soba), I think you will be healthier and live longer!
(Reference Pages: Wikipedia そば茶, ダッタンソバ, Masudasoba )
