Four-Season Spring Oolong

'Four-Season Spring' or Si Ji Chun is the name of the oolong as well as that of the tea varietal.   About 30 years ago, an Iron Goddess tea farmer in Taiwan discovered some very hardy tea bushes in his land adjacent to his tea plantation.  This relatively new tea variety propagated and flourished in other tea gardens in Taiwan.  Si Ji Chun, as its chosen name implies, is a high-yield cultivar and can be plucked up to 7 times a year.

Si Ji Chun oolong is generally mild and quite green.  It is an everyday tea for its value and great for a novice oolong drinker.  This 2012 machine-harvested Si Ji Chun tea is no exception.   It is pleasant but not as alluring as other green oolongs, such as Dong Ding.   It is light and almost green-tea-like.

Four Seasons Oolong

Type:  Oolong    Producing Country: Taiwan     Preparation:  90°C 5 Min

Dry Leaf:  The small-medium semi-rolled beads are clean and vegetal.
Wet Leaf:  The wet leaves are floral (orchid).  The various sizes of individual leaves are an indication of harvesting by machines.
Liquor:      The tea is yellow in color.  It is very light, clean, vegetal and faintly floral.  It may be like a green tea but is smooth with no astringency.

Tee Score: 3 out of 5