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Yuja Tea, Korean Citron Tea Small Jar Square
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5 from 1 vote

Yuja (Citron) Tea with Any Citrus Fruit

Yuja tea is a super refreshing drink that requires very little time to make. This citrus drink is not only a great drink year-round but also works well with a wide variety of citrus and flavors!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Chinese, Japanese, Korean
Keyword: asian lemon tea, korean citron tea, korean lemon tea, yuja cha, yuja tea
Servings: 1 mason jar
Calories: 60kcal

Ingredients

Yuja-Cheong (citron marmalade)

  • 1 part citrus ex: yuzu or lemon, see post above for more suggestions
  • 1 part sweetener of choice ex: white sugar and/or honey, see post above for more options adjust the ratio to preference

Yuja Tea Ingredients

  • 2-3 tsp marmalade syrup
  • 2-3 slices of citrus from the marmalade
  • 1 cup water hot or cold water

Instructions

Make the Marmalade

  • Add glass jars to a pot of water. Boil for about one minute to sterilize the jars. Set the jars aside to cool and dry.
  • Rinse the citrus. Scrub the outside skin of the citrus with baking soda and/or salt. Let the citrus air-dry or pat dry with clean towels.
  • Slice the citrus thinly into roughly equal sizes. Make sure to remove any seeds to prevent bitterness.
  • Add the sliced citrus to a clean bowl with the sweetener and toss well to combine. Then, you can choose to dissolve the sugar using three different ways:
  • Microwave: Microwave the citrus sugar mixture in intervals (30 seconds - 1 minute), stirring in-between until all of the sugar is incorporated.
  • Stovetop: Add the marmalade mixture to a pot. Place it on a stove and cook until all of the sugar dissolves. (This process will cause the texture to slightly resemble jam, which is closer to how yuja tea is sold in stores. However, the taste will remain the same).
  • Letting the mixture sit: Add the marmalade mixture to the sterilized jars. Close the jars and let them sit at room temperature for 1-3 days until the sweetener has dissolved. You can use a clean spoon to stir the marmalade each day to help speed up the process.
  • Pour the prepared marmalade mixture into a jar, and store in the fridge. The citrus slices will continue to sweeten as it sits in the syrup. The marmalade will last for about a month.

Make the Yuja Tea

  • In a cup, mix all of the ingredients together. Enjoy hot or cold.

Notes

  1. See my post above for suggestions on citrus to sweetener ratios, different types of sweeteners that can be used, and types of citrus to experiment with.