Korean honey citron tea is an herbal or tisane made with a citrus fruit. It contains no caffeine and it’s perfect for when if you’re looking for a little cold relief or just a nice hot beverage to warm up.

Want to save this article?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get recipes & tips every week!
CONTENTS
Recipe Highlights
- Korean honey citron tea or yujacha is a very popular and traditional Korean cold remedy. It’s made from a citrus fruit called yuja in Korean, or yuzu in Japanese. Yuja tastes like a mix of lemon, orange, and grapefruit all in one.
- No cooking needed to make this super easy recipe. Combine yuzu, honey, and sugar together and stir a spoonful into a cup of hot water to make a caffeine-free drink.
- The hardest part of making this recipe from scratch is tracking down fresh yuzu.
RELATED: Lemon Tea
Ingredient Notes

- Fresh yuja or yuzu
This citrus fruit is not easy to find and when you do, it’s pretty pricey. I paid $5.50 for EACH at a Japanese market. Try looking for them in Korean supermarkets too. - Honey
Any kind of honey you have will work. - Sugar
Use light colored sugar to keep the bright yellow color from the citron fruit.
Step-by-Step Instructions

For full ingredients and instructions, scroll down to see the recipe.
- Clean and slice citron fruit. Discard the seeds.
Since we’re using the entire fruit including the peel, make sure it’s thoroughly cleaned. Cut citron in half, then in thin slices. - Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
- Stir together citron tea and hot water.
Expert Tips
- The citron tea will last about a month in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
- You can make the citron tea by using all sugar or all honey but making it with all honey completely masks the yuzu flavor.
- Use brown sugar instead of white if that’s what you have but it’ll change the color of the tea.
- Giant glass jars of this herbal tea is sold in Asian markets and even Costco if you don’t want to make it from scratch.
- The biggest difference between homemade and store-bought is the cost. A store-bought jar costs about $8 and can make about 35 servings. My version costs about $12 and can make a whopping 6 servings. Ha. You won’t save money by making it but you’ll know every ingredient that goes into the homemade version.
Questions You May Have
Yes, In fact, you should! It packs a nice vitamin C punch.
Yup, it’s great any time you want a caffeine-free hot drink.
Make a syrup by diluting 2 tablespoons of sweetened citron in 2 tablespoons of hot water. Add cold water and pour into a cup with ice. It’s a great hot weather drink.

Related
Want to save this recipe to Pinterest for later? Pin it now to your Pinterest board!

Honey Citron Tea from Scratch
INSTRUCTIONS
- Clean and slice citron fruit. Discard the seeds.Since we're using the entire fruit including the peel, make sure it's thoroughly cleaned. I like to clean it by spraying it with vinegar then scrubbing it clean under running water. Cut citron in half, then in thin slices.
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl.In a bowl, mix together the sliced yuzu, sugar, and honey until well combined. The honey and sugar will break down the yuzu peel, making it soft.
- Stir 1 tablespoon of citron tea in a cup of hot water.Citron fruit peel can be eaten.
NOTES
- This citrus fruit is not easy to find and when you do, it’s pretty pricey. I paid $5.50 for EACH at a Japanese market. Try looking for them in Korean supermarkets too.
- The citron tea will last about a month in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
- You can make the citron tea by using all sugar or all honey but making it with all honey completely masks the yuzu flavor.
- Use brown sugar instead of white if that’s what you have but it’ll change the color of the tea.
- To make iced honey citron tea, make a syrup by diluting 2 tablespoons of sweetened citron in 2 tablespoons of hot water. Add cold water and pour into a cup with ice. It’s a great hot weather drink.
- Giant glass jars of this herbal tea is sold in Asian markets and even Costco if you don’t want to make it from scratch.
- The biggest difference between homemade and store-bought is the cost. A store-bought jar costs about $8 and can make about 35 servings. My version costs about $12 and can make a whopping 6 servings. Ha. You won’t save money by making it but you’ll know every ingredient that goes into the homemade version.
How about using dried yuzu?
Hi R, I haven’t tried dried yuzu but that’s a great idea!
I was introduced to this by a friend who has a Korean wife. When living in Toronto I used to buy the ginger ‘tea’ in T&T. Have you made your own ginger version? or another fruit?