Yuzu Tea: The perfect hit of Vitamin C

Growing up in Australia, it was common for people to drink lemon and honey tea to try and stave off any bugs during cold and flu season. Essentially the tea was just boiling water with a drizzle of honey and a hearty squeeze of lemon juice, but it has always been a comforting drink for me during the winter months - and that’s true irrespective of whether I'm sick or not.

I've come to really enjoy another form of citrus-based drink here in Japan courtesy of my neighbor, and that’s yuzu tea. My neighbor makes her own from scratch but you can easily buy it pre-made at some supermarkets, and I’ve also seen it at specialty stores like Kaldi Coffee Farm. It has a consistency similar to marmalade or jam, and you mix it with hot water to make a “tea” style drink that’s non-caffeinated. It has a zingy citrus flavor that I find really refreshing, and if you mix it with honey it’s 100% reminiscent of lemon and honey tea.

Even though the jury’s out on whether or not Vitamin C scientifically does much for keeping colds at bay, most sources do acknowledge that it helps to shorten the duration of illness - and in my opinion, that’s definitely enough incentive to keep it as a regular fixture on our shelves.

My neighbor makes her own yuzu tea, but there are store bought versions you can find at supermarkets and specialty stores.

If you do want to try and make your own like my neighbor does, there are a few online resources in English that make the process look pretty easy – so I think that’s going to be my next step. You can also use other citrus fruits if getting enough yuzu for the recipe is difficult, and I’m interested in trying it with mikan for a naturally sweeter variety.

Along with being a tasty way to get a boost of Vitamin C, yuzu tea has numerous other reported health benefits such as helping with digestion, inflammation, and even motion sickness. I typically enjoy a cup of it after dinner in the evenings, so maybe there is some truth to that digestion aid claim!

Have you tried yuzu tea before, or perhaps seen it at a store near you? If you’ve seen it before but haven’t tried it yet, this is your sign – I highly recommend it during the winter months here!