Citrus Sencha Cooler
The Citrus Sencha Cooler originates from a small seaside tea house in Kamakura run by a retired gardener who grew her own sencha on a hillside overlooking the ocean. Surfers would stop by after long mornings in the water, asking for something refreshing but not sugary.
One summer afternoon, she began brewing her sencha lightly, chilling it, and brightening it with freshly squeezed yuzu from her garden. The result was crisp, aromatic, and deeply hydrating — the kind of drink that feels like standing in ocean wind after a hot walk along the shore.
Locals named it “the breeze in a glass,” and it became a beloved summer ritual for anyone passing through Kamakura.
Ingredients
300 ml chilled sencha tea
20 ml yuzu or lemon juice
10 ml honey or sugar syrup
Orange slice
Ice
Method
Brew sencha lightly to avoid bitterness and cool completely.
Fill a tall glass with ice.
Add the citrus juice and sweetener.
Pour in the chilled sencha.
Stir gently.
Garnish with an orange slice.
Notes
If you want a sparkling version, swap 80 ml of the sencha with soda water.
Yuzu provides ideal aroma, but lemon works beautifully as a year-round substitute.
