Name: Organic Se Chung Oolong Tea
Brand: LeafSpa
Type: Oolong
Form: Loose leaf
Cost: $8.95 for 3 ounces
Review: Now this is a nice treat: A dark oolong with rare complexity. Bring it on!
This tea infuses to a medium amber: The first infusion has a floral nose, though that quickly gives way to a spice in subsequent infusions. What makes the tea really special is its flavor: It begins with distinct floral notes, midway gives over to spicy/peppery flavors, and then finishes with a bit of camphor.
Incidentally, Se Chung Oolong holds up better than many dark oolongs to multiple steeps: I’ve got four good steeps out of my last cup, each revealing different flavors: While the floral nose dissipates after the first infusion, floral flavors re-emerge more strongly in the third and fourth steeps.
Experiment. Enjoy.
Sample Provided by Manufacturer?: Yes
Affiliate Links in this Post?: No
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This is interesting…all the Se Chung’s I’ve tried have been on the greener side. I’ve recently put together a page on se chung oolong and I’d be grateful if you’d check it out. The sourcing is spotty…I’ve been relying on somewhat esoteric forum discussions. However, reading reviews like yours and comparing to my own experience with this type of tea reinforces what I have on the page there, which is that it is not one particular style so much as a broad class of oolongs from Anxi county.
But I’ve found that I really like every Se Chung that I’ve tried…they’re very different but they do share certain qualities in common, and they tend to be both very good and very reasonably priced (and from my experience, good for multiple steepings too).
Do you think this one you tried could possibly be a Qi Lan oolong? It sounds like it could be, from how you described it…but I’ve only tried one Qi Lan so I can’t really say much.
Thanks very much for the review Lanie! And just in response to Alex’s comment, no this is definitely not a Qi Lan Oolong (although we do carry one of those as well). Rather, the Qi Lan’s (that we sell at least) are much more floral and definitely a greener oolong in appearance as you note. Rather, this is definitely a Se Chung Oolong that is truly a unique oolong from Fujian Province and consists of dark fermented, unrolled charcoal brown leaf with greenish highlights. A sophisticated dark amber liquor reveals flavors of chrysanthemums and peonies with a spicy-peppery finish.
Glad that you liked it Lanie, we hope you’ll try it Alex, and, we hope to encourage everyone to check out our website at http://www.leafspa.com
Sincerely,
Steven and Jennifer
Co-Founders
LeafSpa Organic Tea
.-= Steven´s last blog ..George Carlin on Fruit Flavored Teas =-.