TeaHQ

Si Ji Chun

A Taiwanese cultivar that flushes almost year-round, giving it its name. Grown mostly at low elevation, it carries a strong lilac-like aroma that makes it the cultivar behind most inexpensive Taiwanese oolong and a great deal of bubble-tea base.

OolongModerate intensityAccessible to appreciateForgiving to brew四季春
Brew at 90–95 °CUse 5–7 g per 100 mlFirst steep 25sGongfu brewing (gaiwan)Full schedule and equipment →

Character

Strongly floral for the price, with less body and a shorter finish than high-mountain tea. Its aroma is often mistaken for elevation.

Flavour
Floral, Sweet
Aroma
Orchid
Mouthfeel
Medium, Smooth
Complexity
Straightforward
Notes
lilac, gardenia, light cream
Aftertaste
Floral and quick to fade.

Moderate intensity: noticeable weight or grip, but neither dominates the cup.

Provenance and production

Origin
Taiwan
Region
Mingjian
Cultivar
Si Ji Chun
Oxidation
Lightly oxidised
Harvest
Year round
Processing
Withering → Bruising (shaking) → Oxidation → Kill-green (fixation) → Cloth-ball rolling → Drying

Authenticity: Aroma and altitude are different things. Si Ji Chun is the cheapest way to imitate one with the other, and does so convincingly on the first sip.

History

A chance seedling found in Muzha in the 1980s and propagated for its near year-round flushing. It now underpins Taiwan’s bulk oolong and bubble-tea supply, which is a large industry resting on one accidentally discovered plant.

Brewing

No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.

If you like this

Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.

Editorially linked

Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.

  • Alishan oolong

    The clearest lesson in Taiwanese tea: Si Ji Chun’s aroma is cultivar, Alishan’s thickness is elevation, and the two are constantly confused.

  • High mountain oolong

    Gaoshan is an elevation claim and Si Ji Chun is a cultivar. Si Ji Chun’s strong aroma imitates high-mountain character convincingly on the first sip and not through a session.

Similar sensory profile

Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.

  • Ben Shan

    Shares 5 descriptors with Si Ji Chun: floral, sweet, medium, smooth and orchid.

  • Ben Shan

    Shares 5 descriptors with Si Ji Chun: floral, sweet, medium, smooth and orchid.

  • Huang Guan Yin

    Shares 5 descriptors with Si Ji Chun: floral, sweet, medium, smooth and orchid.

  • Jingmai sheng pu-erh

    Shares 5 descriptors with Si Ji Chun: floral, sweet, medium, smooth and orchid.

  • Ling Tou Dan Cong

    Shares 5 descriptors with Si Ji Chun: floral, sweet, medium, smooth and orchid.

  • Qing Xiang Tie Guan Yin

    Shares 5 descriptors with Si Ji Chun: floral, sweet, medium, smooth and orchid.

Compare this tea with another

Journeys featuring this tea