Honey Citron Tea from Scratch

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.

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.

1. 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.
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
3. 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

Related

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• Roasted Corn Tea
• 15 Herbal Tea Drinks
• Hibiscus Tea
• Rose Tea

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Honey Citron Tea from Scratch

Author: Jee Choe

Korean Honey Citron Tea is an herbal drink made with yuzu or yuja fruit.

4.8 from 17 votes

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Prep Time 7 minutes mins

Total Time 7 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Yield6 servings

INGREDIENTS

 

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• ▢ 2 large yuzus or 4 small yuzus (about 1 cup of sliced yuzu)
• ▢ ½ cup sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup honey

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.

NUTRITION

Calories: 114 | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 7mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg