Teavivre Tangerine Peel (Chen Pi) White Tea

Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: compressed, greens and browns with scattered orange peels
Water Temperature: 203 degrees
Steep Time: 25 seconds
Preparation Method:  porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: brassy gold

Teavivre is a company whose teas I have been reviewing since 2011. It’s been a while so they reached out to send some samples. I combed through their site looking for unique teas and the Tangerine Peel (Chen Pi) White Tea immediately caught my eye. I’ve had a chen pi (usually whole tangerines stuffed with tea) before but never in a compressed form. This particular tea was produced by the Hou Linggang Tea Garden in Fujian Province in May using the Fuding Dabaihao cultivar. The tea was harvested in 2019 and the tangerine in 2018. The two elements were then pressed together in May of 2023.

Leaf

The leaves were pressed into a flat square biscuit. Each one contains about 5g of tea. They had a darker appearance, as you might expect from Shou Mei, but there were still fuzzy tips visible throughout. The tangerine peels looked like they were cut into symmetrical strips. This likely made it easier to compress them. The aroma of the dry tea was woody and sweet with only the faintest hint of citrus.

I prepared this tea in a porcelain gaiwan in a porcelain gaiwan and 204℉ water. After a quick rinse, I started with a 25-second infusion and gradually increased from there. While Teavivre’s very explicit directions can take the guesswork out of making tea, don’t feel like you have to stick strictly to them.

Liquor

Tangerine Peel (Chen Pi) White Tea brewed up a brassy gold-colored liquor. The taste at the beginning of my session was fairly soft and sweet. I was able to taste the tangerine right away. There was a tiny bit of smokiness but the overall effect was quite juicy. That started to fade after the fourth infusion or so. Later infusions tasted like a nice mellow shou mei. There was hardly any astringency and it never became bitter.

I think the main advantage of this format is its ease of use. Carrying around a delicate tea-filled tangerine just isn’t practical. I easily tossed one of these squares into my bag and brewed it up in my Airbnb while attending the Toronto Tea Festival. I think it would also work very well in a travel mug or even grandpa style.

Have you ever tried tea with tangerine peels in it? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Tangerine Peel (Chen Pi) White Tea sample was provided for review by Teavivre.

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