I was recently given ‘buntan’, a citrus fruit known as ‘pomelo’ and is an ancestor of the grapefruit. I was very curious about what it would taste like when it’s combined with tea and decided to give it a go!
Buntan is familiar to me but maybe not for other people living in different areas of Japan. It has a very nice refreshing aroma! The flavour and taste is similar to a grapefruit but a little bit milder.
Buntan is native to Southeast Asia, China, and Taiwan and then later came to Japan during the Edo era. It’s not a hybrid but one of the original citrus fruit species. It has been hybridised and many kinds of citrus fruits were created such as grapefruits. Approximately 90% of the production of buntan in Japan is from Kochi.
The white part of the buntan fruit is very bitter and astringent, so I used the thinly sliced surface of the skin and the flesh.
:: Cold brew recipe ::
Tea leaves 8g
(↑light-steamed sencha or other green tea)
Skin of buntan (thinly sliced surface) 2 pieces
Flesh of buntan 20g
Water 500ml
Temperature of water room temperature
Steeping time about 8 hours
Put all of the ingredients into a bottle or a teapot and cold brew in the fridge for about 8 hours. If the steeping time is too long, it can taste too bitter.
:: Hot brew recipe ::
Tea leaves 5g
(↑light-steamed sencha or other green tea)
Skin of buntan (thinly sliced surface) 2 pieces
Flesh of buntan 10g
Hot water 150ml
Temperature of hot water → 1st brew: 80℃/176°F, 2nd brew: 90℃/194℉
Steeping time → 1st brew: 1 minute, 2nd brew: 10 seconds
1st brew: Put tea leaves and the skin of the buntan into a teapot and pour hot water.
2nd brew: Put the flesh of the buntan into a tea cup and pour the second brewed tea.
The aroma of buntan is very refreshing! If you like a subtle flavour just add a little bit of buntan. This should be enough because the flavour is quite strong. I recommend drinking this tea when you want a change of mood or when you eat something sweet and want to clean your palate.
If it’s difficult for you to get buntan or pomelo you can try using grapefruits or other citrus fruits which has a similar flavour. Make sure they are organic and non-waxed if you are using the skin. Also, the strength of the flavour might be different so you need to change the amount depending on your preference.
Please give it a try sometime!
