If you want to learn how to make adzuki bean tea, the short answer is simple: roast a handful of whole adzuki (red) beans until they smell toasty, then simmer them in water until you have a warm, nutty, gently sweet-and-earthy, caffeine-free cup. This roasted red-bean tisane, known in Korea as patcha (팥차), belongs to the same family of comforting roasted-grain brews as barley tea and black bean tea, and you can make it at home with nothing more than a pan, a pot and a strainer.
What adzuki bean tea is
Adzuki bean tea is a hot infusion made from small, deep-red adzuki beans (sometimes written azuki), roasted and then simmered in water until the liquid turns a comforting amber-brown. The flavour is toasty and malty with a light natural sweetness and a soft, earthy, bean-y depth, closer to a roasted grain drink than to anything floral or herbal. There is no tea leaf involved and no caffeine, so it makes a soothing cup at any hour, including late in the evening.
Roasted red-bean tea, or patcha, is a traditional home brew across East Asia, poured warm on a cold day much the way a mug of roasted barley tea might be. It sits comfortably in the broad world of caffeine-free herbal and grain teas, where the word "tea" really means a gentle decoction of a roasted plant food rather than an actual Camellia sinensis leaf. If you already brew barley or black bean tea, you will feel right at home here.
Adzuki bean tea vs red bean milk tea
This is the point that trips people up, so let us be clear: the roasted whole-bean hot tea on this page is not the same thing as sweet red bean milk tea. That other drink is a chilled, blended, milky, often boba-style treat built from cooked-and-sweetened red bean paste, milk and frequently tapioca pearls. If that dessert-in-a-cup is what you are craving, we cover it separately in our guide to red bean milk tea. The recipe here is the clear, warm, lightly sweet infusion, sometimes just called red bean tea or roasted red bean tea, that you sip like any other roasted-grain brew. Same humble bean, two very different drinks.
What you need before you start
The ingredient list is short. Dried adzuki beans are the star, widely sold in the dried-bean or East Asian section of most food shops and easy to keep in the pantry. You do not need a fresh crop or any special variety, and there is nothing to soak first. For equipment, a heavy, dry frying pan or small pot gives you the even heat that a good roast needs, plus a saucepan for the simmer and a fine sieve or strainer for pouring. That is the whole kit.
Ingredients
- About 2 to 3 tablespoons of dried adzuki (red) beans
- 2 to 3 cups (roughly 500 to 700 ml) of water
- Optional: a small pinch of salt, which quietly rounds out the natural sweetness
- Optional: a little honey or other sweetener, to taste
- Optional: a splash of milk if you like it creamy
Why you roast the beans first
Roasting is the step that turns plain beans into tea. Dry-toasting the adzuki beans in a pan before they ever meet water develops nutty, malty, gently caramel-like notes through the same browning reactions that give roasted barley and roasted black bean tea their character. Skip the roast and you get a flat, starchy, watery cup; give the beans a proper toast and you get real depth and colour. After roasting, you simmer rather than steep, because a hard, whole bean needs a longer stretch in gently bubbling water to give up its flavour. That slow simmer is a decoction, and it is exactly what separates a bean tea from a quick leaf infusion.
How to make adzuki bean tea, step by step
Here is the full method. It scales easily, so treat these amounts as a friendly starting ratio rather than a strict rule, then dial it in to your own taste over a pot or two.
- Rinse the beans. Put the adzuki beans in a sieve and rinse under cool water, discarding any that are shrivelled, cracked or discoloured.
- Dry-roast them. Tip the drained beans into a dry pan over medium heat and toast, shaking often, for about 5 to 8 minutes until they smell distinctly nutty and toasty and darken a shade. Keep them moving so they colour evenly and do not scorch; a few beans may pop or split, which is fine.
- Add water and boil. Pour in your 2 to 3 cups of water, turn the heat up and bring it to a boil.
- Simmer. Lower to a gentle simmer and let it bubble softly for 15 to 25 minutes. The longer you go, the deeper, darker and more roasted the cup.
- Strain. Pour the tea through a strainer into your cup or a teapot, holding back the beans.
- Finish to taste. Add a pinch of salt, a touch of honey, or a splash of milk if you like, then sip it warm.
Beans, water and simmer time at a glance
| Adzuki beans | Water | Simmer time | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 tbsp | 2 cups (~500 ml) | 15 min | Light, mellow cup |
| 2 to 3 tbsp | 2 to 3 cups (~500 to 700 ml) | 20 min | Balanced everyday brew |
| 3 tbsp | 3 cups (~700 ml) | 25 min | Deep, dark, nutty cup |
Getting the strength you want
Everything about this brew is adjustable. For a bolder, darker, more roasted cup, use the full 3 tablespoons of beans, push the simmer toward 25 minutes, and let it reduce a little so the liquid concentrates. For something lighter and more delicate, use fewer beans, a shorter simmer, or simply top up a strong pot with hot water once it is poured. Because the beans are only just softened after one round, you can cover the strained beans with fresh water and re-simmer them for a gentler, paler second pot, much as you might coax a second brew from roasted barley or black beans.
Ways to enjoy it and how to store it
Adzuki bean tea is at its best fresh and warm, cupped in cold hands, but it is easy to keep. Cool any extra, then refrigerate it in a covered jug and drink within about 2 to 3 days; it is lovely chilled over ice on a warm afternoon. A pinch of salt makes the toasty sweetness pop, a little honey turns it into a cosy treat, and a splash of milk gives a mellow, latte-like softness. The strained beans need not go to waste either: save the softened beans in the fridge and fold them into soups, porridge or a simple sweet bean filling within a day or two.
A light note on wellness and safety
Adzuki beans are an everyday food, so this is a food-based tea rather than a medicine, and any warm, comforting feeling it gives is best kept in perspective. Responses vary from person to person, and this is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication and you plan to drink it often, it is worth a quick word with your own healthcare provider first. One firm rule holds for any honey-sweetened version: never give honey to infants under 12 months, so keep a honeyed cup for older children and adults. Beyond that, adzuki bean tea is a gentle, caffeine-free brew you can enjoy freely.