Se Zhong

Tea: Se Zhong - 7007 (Glorious Seed under the new Lupicia naming scheme)
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $5.00 / 50g
Source: Fujian, China
Vendor Description: Popular oolong tea from Fujian Province, has a faint floral aroma and a greenish sweet flavor. The tea leaves are rounded small and firm.

Leaf: This tea is rolled into little balls similar to a Taiwanese oolong, but not as tightly. They're still farily loose. There are some rather sizable pieces of stem in the mix as well. The balls have a mix of green and brown hues to them.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 208F, 5s rinse, 45s

1st Infusion: This infusion has a clear yellow brownish hue to it. There is a very light yet uplifting floral aroma to this tea. The flavor is light and clear, to match well with the aroma. There is no aftertaste to speak of, just a simple clean flavor.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 208F, 1:15

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a rich dark yellow hue to it. The aroma is still floral, but lighter than the first infusion. The flavor is still somewhat light, but it is bolder up front this time. There is no aftertaste, but the front has a feeling like a very well balanced tea. It is bodied, but does not have much flavor behind it. It is like you can feel the texture of the tea, but can't bring to mind much in terms of a central flavor to concentrate on. It's an almost creamy flavor, but it has a very warm mouth feeling to it.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 2:25, 208F

3rd Infusion: This infusion has the same yellow-brown color as before. The aroma is even less noticeable this time around. Despite the decreased intensity it is still the same aroma. The tea has the same texture as before. There is a certain smoothness to it that is hard to describe. It finishes with a light astringency. Overall this infusion has a floral and pleasant oolong flavoring to it.

4th Infusion Parameters: 3:30, 208F

4th Infusion: This is again the same hue as the previous infusions. There is not much aroma to it this time around. The flavor is a little bit lighter. After sipping this tea there is a cooling feeling in my mouth. There is a medium sense of astringency on the backend, but not much else besides that.

Rating: 6/10

Conclusion: This wasn't a particularly mindblowing tea, in fact it feels quite mundane and average. It is however a very nicely priced oolong. It produced 4 rather solid infusions, which for it's price is quite good. I haven't had many oolongs which have a very similar flavor, so the flavor is somewhat unique.