During the World Tea Expo, I caved and purchased three of these Yuzu Citron Black Teas from some tea farmers from Boseong Woohae Tea Plantation. These are Yuzu oranges grown off their tea farm, hollowed and stuffed with Korean black tea. I admired them last year, but they are priced out of my range. This year they were a bit cheaper, but some still ran up to $30 an orange. A couple Korean sellers had these yuzu stuffed teas, but Boseong Woohae had the cheapest, so they won.
Leaf and Steeping Instructions
This guy weighs in at 26 grams (almost 1 oz). These yuzu teas are crack as I huff this orange and my mouth waters. They smell zesty and sweet.
I learned that yuzus have thick skins that are impossible to crush with my hands or tea tools. I put the orange in a bag and smashed it with a hammer. I’m thinking ideally this orange is more of a 1 shot tea brewed in a large teapot.
I enjoy tea stuffed into oranges. I get those cheap shou puer ones and drink an entire orange when I’m sick. I won’t be drinking this orange in one shot as that’s a lot of money for a session for one person!
I’m going for around 1 gram of tea per 18ml of vessel size. I tend to go higher on the leaf here as oranges use weight and have lesser flavor payoff but this leaf is really fine looking so I didn’t go crazy. When I steep these tea stuffed oranges, I include the peel. I mean, I paid for the peel and intended to add the citrus flavor, so I include it. You can ignore the peel if you want less orange flavor. The orange flavor also gets less strong the longer the tea ages.
I’m using a glass gaiwan to see more of the damage, this one is thick walled so it’s not as bad as typical glass, but still, I’m being all fancy here over practicality, so use a teapot.
Tasting of Yuzu Citron Black Tea
First and Second Infusion:
This is syrupy sharp orange in flavor. Yuzu Citron Black Tea just about all yuzu citron in flavor, all zesty (kinda like a sweet lime orange) and sweet. There is a background of a medicinal bark flavor, but otherwise, I could fake this as an orange juice. The orange has a bit of tang to it, no pucker but enough to make you more thirsty.
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Infusion:
This is orange to the maximum, more orange than any other tea stuffed into oranges. It is strong yuzu flavor and aroma, leaving a yuzu flavor in my mouth that doesn’t quit. It got a bit more tart in these infusions to give a little pucker.
Have you ever had these yuzu honey teas that come in a jar? They look like marmalade, but you take a spoonful and stir it in hot water. You can find them at Korean Supermarkets (H Mart is my go to) but also Amazon.
This black tea stuffed into a yuzu orange tastes like that but way less sugar and sensation of throwing marmalade in your tea. Though with this tartness, a drop of honey wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Sixth Infusion:
And the citron tea is losing steam. It is mostly in the aroma, smelling as I drink and the lingering orange in my mouth. The tea itself is a bit tart, but the black tea comes out as a mineral wood. After a few moments, a strong dryness rolls through my mouth.
Comments
If you love orange stuffed teas, Yuzu Citron Black Tea from Boseong Woohae Tea Plantation is orange to the maximum that an orange can be. I’m sure each session of this tea will vary due to the amount of orange I use. The black tea was in the background, potentially taken over by orange a bit too much. Either way, I enjoyed this tea and will drink them all. A luxury drink compared to the stuff in the jar.
Orange teas are also one of the easiest to drink and introduce to new tea drinkers. The novelty is high and the flavor payoff is large, with orange as a familiar flavor. This yuzu one, of course, is a fancy version.
I am not sure how anyone outside the World Tea Expo experience could get there hands on this tea, but be on the lookout.
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