Brown rice-buckwheat tea

“This is an ideal tea for late winter or early spring, when you’re in need of something deep and earthy that will warm you to the core,” says New York City–based recipe developer Sarah Jampel. The roasted flavor, she explains, comes from two sources: toasted buckwheat groats (hulled grain kernels) and genmaicha, a green tea mixed with roasted rice. Research has shown that buckwheat has health benefits like lowering cholesterol, providing antioxidants, and reducing blood pressure levels. If you can’t find pre-toasted groats, simply toast them in a dry skillet. Warming spices like star anise and cinnamon add even more complexity to the tea, which can be finished with maple syrup and a squeeze of bright Meyer lemon juice.

Brew Time: 20 minutes
Makes about 2 cups

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Photography by Robert Bredvad