Ever Spring Oolong Tea Si Ji Chun - 25 g

Ever Spring oolong tea with low oxidation "always spring" comes from the Nantou region on the island of Taiwan and owes its name to the area where its plants grow. 

At an altitude of about 1200 meters, in the north-east of this region, where the camellia cultivar si ji chun is found, which translated means "like spring", there are several streams that generate such a fog as to always maintain a pleasant cool temperatures similar to spring and able to protect the plantations from direct sunlight. 

These climatic conditions allow the leaf to give already quite elaborate flavors and aromas in the cup for which it is chosen to adopt a low level of oxidation which preserves them as unaltered as possible from the plant to the liqueur. 

Due to its processing, this dry tea shows a leaf rolled up on itself which, however, already has a strong vegetal aroma. 

Tasting - Sight and smell Ever Spring oolong tea leaves have a rather tight ball shape. 

The color is a bright dark green with jade green hues and ocher tints at the stems. 

Once infused, the leaves release floral and sweet, almost milky aromas, with more vegetal and herbaceous final notes and a freshness reminiscent of basil. 

Furthermore, as the leaves open both in the teapot and in the gaiwan, it is possible to observe how the margins are reddish due to the particular manufacturing process and in particular to the shaking and bruising phases, which give the leaves an initial start of oxidation . 

In the cup the color is pale yellow, very clear and bright. 

Tasting Notes GONG FU CHA The first infusion of Ever Spring oolong tea is very delicate: it has the sweetness of granulated white sugar and still shy floral notes, which emerge more decisively in the second infusion. 

Here the floral bouquet becomes more pronounced and flowers such as lily of the valley, gardenia and orchid stand out, with a sensation of extreme freshness on the palate. 

There are also sweet and milky hints reminiscent of cream. 

With the third and subsequent infusions, the body becomes thicker and oilier: the sweetness that is felt is now full-bodied like custard and the milky hints are much more evident. 

Fruity notes of ripe yellow peach are also perceived. 

The persistence is fresh and the florality of the liqueur is always very accentuated. 

WESTERN STYLE The first sip of Ever Spring oolong tea is delicate and very sweet: in fact, it leaves a sugary sensation on the whole palate and on the tongue. 

A slightly vegetal and then immediately floral note follows with intense hints of lily of the valley, lilac and magnolia. 

The body is decidedly oily, with creamy notes that recall milk and honey, custard and vanilla pudding. 

The finish is very fresh, with floral and sugary notes that remain pleasantly persistent. 

Place of origin In the northeast of Nantou, Taiwan Production After harvesting the Ever Spring oolong tea leaves wither in the sun for a few hours before resting on covered bamboo trays. 

From here the oxidation starts through a manual massage of the leaf which is performed by the master producer. 

Given the low oxidation of this tea (about 20%) it will take a short time before the tea passes to the next phase where the leaves pass in a charcoal-heated oven to block the enzymatic activity and fix the characteristics of the product. 

After this phase in the oven, the final shape is given by hand to the leaf by rolling it up on itself so that its aromas can be better preserved. 

Once the product has dried, which will allow it to keep the rolled shape fixed, it will be ready for consumption. 

Preparation We highly recommend infusing Ever Spring oolong tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. 

Following this preparation, 4 grams of leaves (about 2 teaspoons) can be used in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to obtain several infusions with different tastes. 

After a quick rinsing of the leaves in water at 90°C, you can proceed with a first infusion of 15 seconds and, after which, keeping the water at the same temperature, you can proceed, increasing the time by 5 seconds each time compared to the previous infusion (15 – 20 – 25 …) This tea has a longevity of about 6 infusions. 

For a classic Western-style preparation, we recommend 2 grams of leaves (about 1 teaspoon) in a 150 ml cup with water at 90°C for an infusion time of one and a half minutes. If you want to try and experiment with infusions with this tea with different amounts of leaves, try to think of the right amount to allow the leaf to expand freely in the liquid without being compressed or hindered in