Sakura season (cherry blossom season) is coming. People look forward to the start of the blooming, which is forecast for the end of March in the Tokyo area this year, and celebrated by having foods or products with sakura. In this article, I'll introduce you to a traditional tea called sakuracha which has been drunk for more than 400 years since the Edo period (1603-1868).
What is sakura-cha?
Sakuracha(桜茶), also called sakurayu (桜湯), is a drink made from hot water and salt pickled sakura blossom(桜の塩漬け).
Traditionally, it used to be drunk at celebrations such as engagement ceremonies as a lucky charm,as the blossoms open up in the tea cup, and so, people wished for a "blooming" future for the couple.
A variety of cherry blossom called Yaezakura (double-layered cherry blossom) are usually used for the tea, so you can see beautiful and gorgeous layers of petals in the tea. (Yaezakura, the photo below.)
How to make sakuracha
It's simple to make. Basically, pour hot water into a cup with 1-2 blossom. The key is to remove some salt. The tea will be too salty if you put the blossom into your cup without removing any salt.
Soak the blossom in warm water for about 5 minutes, and then put them into your cup. Pour hot water over it. You can add a teaspoon of the soaked water into your cup to add the flavor more.
With cold water
It's not a traditional way of drinking tea, but I made a bottle of water with salt-removed sakura blossoms for my walk on a warm day. As the blossom has some saltiness and sourness, I enjoyed the water when I got sweaty. I think you can enjoy it like a detox water.
Also the good thing about this water is that you can enjoy the bright pink color from the blossom.
Other drinks with the blossom
It's nice to add the blossom into sencha green tea or hojicha roasted green tea. In these cases, it will be good to remove more salt than for sakuracha. Soak them into cold water for 2-3 hours ,changing the water.
Black tea and kudzu root tea go well with them, too.
With black tea : Sakura Tea Latte Recipe
With kudzu root tea : Sakura Kudzu-yu (Kudzu root Tea) Recipe
Other ways of using the blossom
You can add them into your baking, too. The saltiness matches cakes or biscuits. The special flavor and the cute color will add a twist to your baking.
Enjoy the flavor of spring time in Japan !!
Today's Recommendations
Salt pickled sakura blossoms in this article
Iijima Seitarou Shoten KN003: Salt-Pickled Sakura Blossoms (Japanese-grown) 桜花の塩漬
This family-run factory, located in Odawara, Kanagawa, grow sakura and ume trees, and use the techniques inherited over the generations to make these salt-pickled sakura, umeboshi (dried Japanese plums), and yukari (ume-pickled purple shiso leaves).
