Chenpi (Aged Tangerine Zest)
This Chenpi is aged for 10 years and is produced in Xingui, Guangdong, China.
All tangerines are mandarins, but not all mandarins are tangerines. ‘Mandarin oranges’ are a classification of citrus fruits which are small, sweet, and easy to peel. These include the tangerines of South East Asia, but also clementine oranges of North Africa, and the satsuma oranges of Japan.
Chenpi uses tangerines. Tangerines are believed to have originated in Southeast Asia, like other mandarins, and were introduced to the Western world via North Africa. The name “tangerine” comes from the city of Tangier in Morocco, which was a major port for the export of the fruit to Europe and the United States in the 19th century. Although the exact origins are unclear, the name stuck, and it is now commonly used to refer to a variety of mandarin oranges.
The Clementine is currently the most popular type of tangerine in North America, second to the Dancy. Dancy’s are often called the “Christmas orange” because they’re in season during the winter months.
Chenpi has a rich history in China’s Guangdong and Fujian provinces, the latter being the western port province for the beginning of the tea trade with China. Chenpi can be made from any tangerine zest, but the top tier of chenpi use a specific localized variety of tangerine called Cha Zhi Gan 茶枝柑 from Xingui, Guangdong. As a fruit, Cha Zhi Gan is unappealing because the pulp is quite sour, it is however perfect for chenpi because the zest contains a powerful tasting oil, and pleasant fragrance. I’d like to make a brief mention that bergamot and kaffir/makrut limes are similar in many ways, but I’ll come back to that later.
While many of the volatile oils in Cha Zhi Gan are also found in standard oranges, the key differences lie in the concentrations and balance of these compounds. Cha Zhi Gan has higher levels of certain terpenes, such as γ-terpinene, citral, and methyl N-methylanthranilate, which give it a more intense, complex, and fragrant aroma compared to the more straightforward citrus scent of standard oranges.
Chenpi seems to have first been mentioned in the ‘Divine Farmer’ Shen Nong’s Materia Medica 神农本草经a compendium of various herbs and their uses written in the Han dynasty during the 1st century AD. This compendium classified medicinal substances into 3 categories based on their effects on the human body. Superior, Medium, and Inferior.
In this context, chenpi is medium strength, warming and drying. It helps promote Qi and blood circulation, removes phlegm, and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. There is great value in the maturation process to increase both the medicinal potency of chenpi, and its complex flavor. The fresh and somewhat typical aroma of mandarin orange is transformed to something resembling dried dill and star anise.
At one point in Chinese history, chenpi was a worthy contribution to a bride’s dowry. She would use it throughout her future family’s life, not only for medicinal reasons, but for the wonderful flavor it brings to some classic dishes such as: chenpi stewed pork belly, chenpi and duck soup, chenpi congee, chenpi (orange) chicken, and chenpi and red date soup.
The best aspects of chenpi develop over time, and as I said, this chenpi is 10 years old. I’d like to consider this merely at the beginning of the zests aromatic journey once it departs the uninitiated tasters’ expectations. It is a crucial flavor agent in the aforementioned dishes. If you’re a professional chef, or enthusiastic amature who wants to level up their spice collection with something seriously interesting, chenpi might just be what you need!
Several years ago (maybe 9 or 10?) I had the opportunity to try a horizontal of 3, 8, and 18 year chenpi. I loved the experience and splurged for a small portion of 18 year zests. They were quite costly, and fortunately I still have a few left so I can compare them. Before I consider stocking something so esoteric such as the 18 (or my 28) year old zests on this site, I’d like to see how the 10 year versions do.
Now lastly, as tea:
Aged zests remove themselves almost entirely from the flavors and fragrances associated with oranges. I’d compare the teas aroma to something you’d experience while camping. Sitting around a campfire in clean mountain air, the smoke not directly in your face but an aroma that you cannot escape. When you get really close to the coals, perhaps when poking them with a stick to observe the brilliant orange colors of the embers. If you can imagine taking a sausage, a proper wurst, skewering it and submerging it into the coals. The skin blistering and cracking from the heat, the juices coming out and mingling with the smoke. Add a touch of orange fragrance to that and you’ll get the idea of what Chenpi tastes like as tea.
Some people drink chenpi tea as a caffeine free digestive aid after dinner, others blend it with a tea base such as shou puerh or black tea to have a richer, more appealing flavor. Whatever you end up doing with your chenpi, I’m going to drop a link to the article I wrote about Earl Grey here. Not because my earl grey uses chenpi, but because it seems obvious that the prototype for earl grey must be chenpi black tea, for reasons you’ll read over there.
One of these packaged bags contains 15g of Chenpi, that’s an average of 3 zests, but sometimes if they’re smaller you’ll get 4.
Thank you for considering buying some! Ciao!
