Si Ji Chun (Ever-Spring) Oolong

Tea type
Oolong Tea
Ingredients
Oolong Tea
Flavors
Butter, Cream, Custard, Floral, Grass, Lavender, Lettuce, Tangy, Vanilla, Vegetal, Violet, Astringent, Milk, Cinnamon, Gardenias
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by cookies
Average preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 2 min, 30 sec 6 g 9 oz / 267 ml

Currently unavailable

We don't know when or if this item will be available.

From Our Community

1 Image

0 Want it Want it

2 Own it Own it

6 Tasting Notes View all

  • “I bought 50 g of this tea a couple years ago and am just finishing it now. Since the leaves were pretty broken up, I reduced the steep times to avoid excessive astringency. I steeped my remaining...” Read full tasting note
    82
  • “As soon as I smelled this tea I knew I had to try it. It’s that mineral, very slightly grassy and floral notes that really hit the nose and make you go… yup have to try that. It has such a pure and...” Read full tasting note
    80
  • “Alright so this is the 6th oolong that I’ve tried from Zen Tea, and the second to be labelled floral, which is really something I tend away from. Now the first one, the TieGuanYin (Review here:...” Read full tasting note
    91
  • “Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – November 2023 Tea #7 – An oolong tea Getting VERY few and far between on these sipdowns.  Almost only one month to go to catch up!  I’m enjoying what I drink anyway,...” Read full tasting note
    94

From Zen Tea

Ever-spring oolong tea is also called Si Ji Chun or four seasons (spring) oolong tea. The tea tree of Ever-spring is a natural hybrid, and was found at a tea garden in Muzha (木柵), New Taipei County about 20 years ago.
Ever-spring tea trees are found all around Taiwan island, from the north to the south. The Si Ji Chun cultivar, especially, thrives in the mid-level elevation gardens in the Nantou area.
Si Ji Chun shows off a perfect combination of a powerful bouquet of fresh-cut flowers and a light, sweet, buttery taste. The tea is rich in flavour with a strong aftertaste.

Origin: Nantou county, Taiwan
Harvest: Spring, 2014
Preparation:
Regular steeping (8 oz cup): 1.5 teaspoons (4 grams) of tea, 82-87 °C (180–190 °F) water temperature, 2-3 min. (Recommended to rinse the tea in your mug for 2-4 seconds before first steeping.) Re-steep 2-3 additional times.
Gaiwan steeping (in a gaiwan or small teapot under 6 oz): 2 teaspoons (4.5 grams) of tea. 82-87 °C (180-190 °F) water temperature, 2.5 min. first infusion, 2.5 min. second infusion, 3 in third infusion. (Recommended to rinse the tea in your mug for 2-4 seconds before first steeping. Re-steep 4-5 additional times.)

How the 4-Seasons-Oolong got its name:
Si Ji Chun in English translates to “four seasons like spring”, and means that Four Seasons Oolong tea can be harvested 4 times a year on a quality level equal to that of the spring season, while the year’s first harvest is generally considered as the best one for the typical teas of this region, and subsequent harvests are usually characterized by a quality decline.

About Zen Tea View company

Company description not available.

6 Tasting Notes

82
412 tasting notes

I bought 50 g of this tea a couple years ago and am just finishing it now. Since the leaves were pretty broken up, I reduced the steep times to avoid excessive astringency. I steeped my remaining 6-7 g in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 20, 20, 25, 25, 30, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

The first steep offers notes of lilac, violet, and other flowers, combined with grass, butter, lavender, and vanilla. The florals become headier in steep two, and the vague butteriness turns into custard and cream. This tea also has the tangy profile associated with four seasons oolong.

In the next few steeps, the grassy and lavender flavours come to the forefront, and the tea starts losing some of its complexity. It never really gets astringent, but the vanilla and florals fade quickly, leaving a pleasant but unremarkable tea by the sixth steep.

At under $10 for two ounces, this was a nice daily drinker. I’d happily buy more of it if Zen Tea decides to carry it again.

Flavors: Butter, Cream, Custard, Floral, Grass, Lavender, Lettuce, Tangy, Vanilla, Vegetal, Violet

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 6 g 4 OZ / 120 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

80
1232 tasting notes

As soon as I smelled this tea I knew I had to try it. It’s that mineral, very slightly grassy and floral notes that really hit the nose and make you go… yup have to try that. It has such a pure and airy flavor. Mineral notes are what I pick up on first; especially the more you steep it. Definitely buttery with an aftertaste for fresh cut flowers.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

91
141 tasting notes

Alright so this is the 6th oolong that I’ve tried from Zen Tea, and the second to be labelled floral, which is really something I tend away from. Now the first one, the TieGuanYin (Review here: http://steepster.com/teas/zen-tea/30494-tieguanyin-iron-goddess-mercy-oolong) was really not enjoyable, and so with this being the very next tea I reached for, I didn’t expect much. But luckily I was pleasantly suprised; the floral flavour is more of a subtle lightness, a sort of root flavour, but what jumps out at me are cream and milk and vegetality, it’s also very sweet with slight astringency. But what it does have is that really nice combination of astringency and creamy/sweetness that makes me unable to slow down my aggressive sipping, It’s a very nice tea :)

Flavors: Astringent, Cream, Floral, Milk, Vegetal

Preparation
2 min, 45 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

94
4166 tasting notes

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – November 2023 Tea #7 – An oolong tea

Getting VERY few and far between on these sipdowns.  Almost only one month to go to catch up!  I’m enjoying what I drink anyway, and that is what is important.  This was such a classy, CLASSIC oolong.  Going strong after probably eight years.  Was delicious then, still delicious now.  I’m sure the flavors are more muted by now.  But I’m glad it isn’t a great oolong that will sit around waiting to be steeped up any longer. Also, I managed to not buy ANY teas for black friday this year! YEAH. Also, still 34 pages behind on reading tasting notes. I was hoping to get caught up by the time you guys had the avalanche of advents!
2023 sipdowns: 96

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

90
193 tasting notes

I’ve only tried one other 4-season oolong before, and it’s a hard one to live up to. The Green Terrace Tea’s version is so complex and tasty it’s surely one of my favorite teas. The Zen version is a bit less expensive so I’m not expecting the exact same experience.

I western brewed this one for the first try. It’s quite a bit more floral than the western brew of GTT’s version. Mostly gardenia with some lavender at the end of the sip. It’s a little bit buttery but not as strong as a milk oolong. It reminds me of lavender shortbread. It’s a very interesting tea as it’s quite light in body, but is very strongly floral at the same time. A little bit of the cinnamon note I loved in GTT’s is faintly noticeable here. Yum, absolutely delightful. A nice bit of spring on this chilly winter day.

Honestly, both this and GTT’s versions are pretty affordable and I’d love both of them in my cupboard. Anlina mentioned Grandpa steeping her 4-season oolong and it sounded so good I went looking for an appropriate vessel. Cost Plus is currently having a sale and I was lucky enough to find a cute one for a really nice price http://www.worldmarket.com/product/laurent+floral+glass+tea+carafe.do?&refType=&from=Search I can’t wait to try it this way.

Flavors: Butter, Cinnamon, Floral, Gardenias, Lavender

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 7 OZ / 207 ML
Beorhthraefn

Ah, thank you so much for comparing GTT’s Four Seasons with this one! I was honestly wavering back and forth on trying this version, just because the GTT is so amazing, but your in-depth review helped push me forward. Much appreciated.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.