Xinhui Citrus Pu'er Tea

Xinhui Citrus Pu'er Tea

　　    China's tea culture is profound and diverse, with countless beverages referred to as "tea." One of them is the "dried tangerine peel tea" from Xinhui, the citrus hometown. It is made by tearing authentic Xinhui dried tangerine peel into pieces and brewing them in hot water, resulting in a mellow, aged aroma and unique flavor. Though called "tea," it contains no tea leaves—instead, it’s actually a soup—"dried tangerine peel soup." The real dried tangerine peel tea is made by brewing dried tangerine peel together with Pu'er tea, known as "Dried Tangerine Peel Pu'er Tea." There is also a type of dried tangerine peel tea called "Xinhui Citrus Pu'er Tea." As the name suggests, it is made using Xinhui’s large red citrus fruit and Yunnan Pu'er tea leaves, offering yet another distinct flavor.

　　    The characteristics of Xinhui Citrus Pu'er Tea are, first, its mellow and sweet taste upon drinking, with a unique floral and aged aroma. This is due to the special fruity fragrance of Xinhui citrus and the long-term absorption of that fruit scent by the Pu'er tea leaves. Second, it offers notable health benefits, showcasing the "qi-regulating" properties of Xinhui dried tangerine peel. "Xinhui Citrus" is a national geographical indication product. Its peel, after aging, becomes the famous "Xinhui Dried Tangerine Peel," a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine for regulating qi, strengthening the spleen, drying dampness, and resolving phlegm. It is renowned both domestically and internationally for its superior quality and distinctive medicinal characteristics. Xinhui dried tangerine peel can be directly brewed into a soup. This "Xinhui Dried Tangerine Peel Tea" has been passed down through generations. Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, merchants in Xinhui even offered a luxurious "century-aged dried tangerine peel tea" priced at one hundred yuan per bowl—extremely refined. Xinhui dried tangerine peel is excellent for pairing—for example, in the "Two Aged Herbs Decoction" with pinellia, or with snake gallbladder and fritillaria, all of which are well-known. When paired with Pu'er tea, it creates another unique tea flavor. Pu'er tea aids digestion and stimulates appetite, and the two complement each other perfectly. "Citrus Pu'er Tea" made with citrus fruit far surpasses "Orange Pu'er Tea" made with oranges—the former is sweeter than the latter. Among citrus teas, those made with Xinhui citrus are superior in both flavor and efficacy to those made with other types of citrus. Xinhui Citrus Pu'er Tea is generally made with "ripe Pu'er," but "raw Pu'er" can also be used, resulting in an even sweeter taste. Some versions come in a "paired raw and ripe" package.

　　    China has a history of over a thousand years of combining citrus peels with tea. As early as the Tang Dynasty, Lu Yu’s *Classic of Tea* mentioned adding orange peel to boiling tea. Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty, Luo Tianchi, a scholar from Xinhui who served as an official in Yunnan, was inspired by how tea absorbs flavors. He hollowed out his hometown’s Xinhui large red citrus fruit, filled the cavity with local Pu'er tea, and after prolonged aging, the Pu'er tea absorbed the citrus peel’s aroma—thus creating "Citrus Pu'er Tea."

　　    Over a hundred years ago, Citrus Pu'er Tea was produced only in small quantities for Luo Tianchi’s personal taste. However, its commercial production today began only in this century. Someone from the Jiangmen area, while traveling in Xiamen, Fujian, noticed a local citrus orange tea used in the Fujian custom of "zhening" (Cantonese for pressing in the new year for luck), symbolizing good fortune. Although the tea looked nice, it tasted a bit astringent and wasn’t very pleasant to drink. Inspired by this, they returned and started experimenting with local citrus. In 2002, someone launched "Orange Pu'er Tea" in Heshan City. The author interviewed the person in charge of the Dafeng Tea Processing Plant in Daze, Xinhui, who reported that they began small-scale trial production of "Citrus Pu'er Tea" in 2003, mainly for internal processing and wholesale. In 2004, they applied for a patent, which was not approved. They have since established a company dedicated solely to producing "Xinhui Citrus Pu'er Tea," located in the Wuhe Development Zone of Daze, Xinhui. Currently, there is no national standard for Citrus Pu'er Tea, but this plant was the first to apply for an enterprise standard. To date, many workshops across Jiangmen have begun making Citrus Pu'er Tea.

　　    The production of Citrus Pu'er Tea is quite meticulous. First, the outer peel of the citrus fruit is washed clean with water to remove dirt and sweat, ensuring hygienic processing. The stem is cut along with part of the fruit to form a "lid," the pulp is scooped out, leaving behind the hollow peel shell. Pu'er tea leaves are then stuffed inside, the "lid" is put back on, and the result is a "tea fruit." Next, it undergoes drying, aging, and packaging. According to the enterprise standards set by Dafeng Tea, no coloring agents or additives are used during production. There’s also a “trick” in selecting the size of the citrus fruit—fruits that are four to a jin (500g) in size are chosen. After production, the fruits shrink, and the final product yields 22 "tea fruits" per jin. If the citrus fruits are too small, with less peel, they are difficult to work with. After aging for over two years, the Pu'er tea inside turns reddish-brown, must not be clumped, and should be free of any foreign impurities. However, because the peel starts off wet, preventing mold in the tea is the biggest production challenge. Without using preservatives, the tea selection must be strict, and technical measures must effectively prevent mold. Hence, the yield is not high. The finished "tea fruits" gradually turn brown on the outside but retain the shape of the citrus. The adorable-shaped tea fruits from Daze, Liangxi, are sometimes tied into strings with ribbons. Each tea fruit comes with a lid, and some even have their edges sewn with silk thread. The Dafeng Tea Processing Plant packages its "tea fruits" using EU-standard transparent plastic wrap, allowing customers to clearly see the color and check for insect damage on the shell. The longer the tea fruit shells (the citrus peel) are stored, the darker and more lustrous their color becomes—this richness contributes to the aromatic tars in Xinhui citrus.

　　    Xinhui Citrus Pu'er Tea is very convenient to drink, with a simple brewing method: take out a citrus tea fruit, remove the wrapping paper, pour out one-third to one-fifth of the tea leaves along with the torn bits of the peel shell, place them together in a teapot, and brew with hot water. The first brew still carries a bitter taste and should not be consumed—it must be poured out, known as "washing the tea." Starting from the second brew, the flavor improves, and the brewed tea takes on a bright red hue.

　　    Although Xinhui Citrus Pu'er Tea is not yet a premium or famous tea, it has been widely loved since its introduction. Mr. Liu Jianmin, Chairman of the Los Angeles Chinese Unity Promotion Association in the United States and a native of Shachong, Daze, Xinhui, highly recommends this hometown specialty. Since 2004, he has brought Xinhui Citrus Pu'er Tea back to Los Angeles, sharing it with fellow Chinese from the Five Counties (Taishan, Kaiping, Enping, Xinhui, and Heshan) community in the U.S. Liu Jianmin says he loves this tea, having drunk it for five years. It soothes the throat and relieves coughing, especially beneficial when smoking or experiencing dryness in the throat. His friends also praise it endlessly. He adds that although Xinhui has a relatively humid climate prone to dampness, when the tea is taken to drier regions, its fragrance becomes especially prominent. (Lin Fu Jie)