Yuzu Hojicha by Tsujiri Premium at Tanjong Pagar

I visited a Japanese teahouse-style cafe in Singapore as it has one of the most authentic interior designs. It is Tsujiri Premium in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore. (Note that this is the one closer to Maxwell MRT... there is another non-premium branch a few doors down.) Most of their drinks were typical Japanese cafe-type drinks, such as their ceremonial matchas and matcha lattes, all of which are decent. However, I was most intrigued by their Yuzu Hojicha Iced Tea, which is a flavour pairing I had not yet tried.
Yuzu Hojicha by Tsujiri Premium
It turned out to be a really complementary pairing. The plain iced brewed hojicha is the traditional Japanese version, which brewed from tea leaves rather than a powder. Unlike Taiwanese or Chinese versions which are more fragrant, this Japanese version is more smoky and earthy, with toasted grain notes and a hint of cocoa.

When paired with yuzu syrup, the aromatic, grapefruit-like citrus notes provide an invigorating fragrance, while the bitter and herby notes from the peel blend perfectly with the earthy, smoky and grain base notes from the hojicha to provide a very therapeutic yet refreshing experience.

The yuzu syrup naturally already had sugar, so the drink was a little sweet, but it felt just right and refreshing. It came across as a 2-3% sugar level in grams per 100ml. They also provided a little beaker of syrup, but I found that the yuzu syrup enough.

I did also order ceremonial matcha latte as shown in the picture, but that wasn't my focus, so the milk is a bit overexposed so that I could capture the colours from the hojicha more clearly.

Apart from the nice traditional drinks, the cafe has a very zen-inducing Japanese teahouse aesthetic, so it is always worth the visit for the ambience, especially if you want to spend time to reflect, journal or do other thinking work. Below is a photo of their little indoor garden or tsuboniwa (坪庭), typically found in traditional Japanese tea houses, followed by a photo of ikebana-style interior decor.
Tsujiri Premium at Tanjong Pagar - indoor garden tsuboniwa
Just a warning, however, that the price seemed quite steep. There seemed to be a lot of extra charges. (I forgot to check the receipt, but those 2 drinks of around $9 + $14 and a single scoop of $6 ice cream somehow added up to almost $38. Even with all the extra service and tax charges, there seems to have been some other additional charge that I wasn't aware of, so do check your receipts.) 
Tsujiri Premium at Tanjong Pagar - ikebana style interior decor
Nonetheless, I think it is still worth it if you intend to spend a long time there, especially for the upper level which features a traditional zashiki (座敷) found in many traditional Japanese restaurants, where guests remove their shoes. Here is a photo of their zashiki that I took, although I didn't utilise it because I didn't want to take off my shoes. (I didn't specifically check if the mat was real tatami, but it seemed to be.)
Tsujiri Premium at Tanjong Pagar - zashiki traditional Japanese upper room
Discover other interesting teas and hojicha/yuzu treats

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