Hyeonmi cha is a tisane

Tisane

A herbal tea, tisane, or ptisan is a herbal or plant infusion and usually not made from the leaves of the tea bush . Typically, herbal tea is simply the combination of boiling water and dried fruits, flowers or herbs. Herbal tea has been imbibed for nearly as long as written history extends...

 made from roasted brown rice

Brown rice

Brown rice is unmilled or partly milled rice, a kind of whole, natural grain. It has a mild nutty flavor, is chewier and more nutritious than white rice, but goes rancid more quickly because the germ—which is removed to make white rice—contains fats that can spoil...

.

To make hyeonmi cha, brown rice (typically short-grain brown rice, Oryza sativa

Rice

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

var. japonica

Japanese rice

Japanese rice, or japonica, is a short-grain variety of rice which is characterized by its unique stickiness and texture. It also comes in a variety called mochigome which is used for making mochi...

) is washed, then roasted in a pot. Then water is poured into the pot, brought to a boil, and then simmered for approximately ten minutes. Finally, the leftover brown rice is filtered by a sieve and the beverage, which may range from pale yellow to light golden brown in color, is served in a cup, mug, or bowl. While it is generally served unsweetened, sugar or honey may be added according to the taste of the drinker.

Hyeonmi cha has been used traditionally for medicinal purposes, as hyeonmi (brown rice) is known to be good for blood circulation, motion sickness, shortness of breath, and due to it being abundant with fiber, preventing constipation. It is also known to be good for prevention of cancer and beri beri.

Pre-roasted rice is available commercially in Korean grocery stores, both in Korea as well as overseas, in plastic packages.

Hyeonmi cha can be mixed with green tea

Green tea

Green tea is made solely from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia. It has recently become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally...

 to produce hyeonmi nokcha (현미녹차), which is very similar to the Japanese tea Genmaicha

Genmaicha

is the Japanese name for green tea combined with roasted brown rice. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as "popcorn tea" because a few grains of the rice pop during the roasting process and resemble popcorn...

. In Vietnamese cuisine, a nearly identical drink is called nước gạo lức, nước gạo lức rang, or nước gạo rang.

See also

• Sungnyung
  Sungnyung
  Sungnyung is a traditional Korean beverage made from boiled scorched rice.This drink is typically made from nurungji, the roasted crust of rice that forms on the bottom of a pot after cooking rice...
  
  , a Korean beverage made from scorched rice
• Roasted barley tea (called bori cha in Korean), a similar tisane made from roasted barley
• Oksusu cha
  Oksusu cha
  Oksusu cha is a traditional Korean tisane made from boiled roasted corn kernels.The variety of corn most often used is called Gang-naeng-i , which is usually grown in the area of Gangneung, a city in the Gangwon province on South Korea's eastern coast, thus making this drink particularly popular...
  
  , a similar tisane made from roasted corn
• Sikhye
  Sikhye
  Sikhye is a traditional sweet Korean rice beverage, usually served as a dessert...
  
  , a sweet Korean drink made from rice