Se Zhong - Unspecified Cultivar / Blend

[Herb_Master]

Se Zhong
Many, many months ago, I swear that somewhere I read that there were 12 superior Se Zhong varietals in Anxi county. These varietals were second only to Tie Guan Yin in producing great tasting Anxi oolong. I purchased a Se Zhong Mao Jie, and a Se Zhong Ben Shan and set out to try and find the other 10.

Along the way I tried to discover the meaning of Se Zhong, with limited and confusingly contradictory results. A great body of sites suggested it was to do with colour of the brew, but {but the word for word exactitude of the paragraphs on different sites suggested they were all cribbed from one source, further research suggested they were substantially inferior tea plants and could not be compared with any favour to any TGY plants wherever grown. Various postings on my original post helped add clarity and various posts further confused.

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?t=6786

The Idea was further pursued by LaoChaGui on TeaDrunk

http://teadrunk.org/viewtopic.php?id=3

I believe that Se Zhong is a term that can be maligned and therefore omitted from product descriptions by some suppliers, whereas others proudly announce it as a prefix to the varietal they are promoting. A suggestion that Tie Guan Yin producers actively denigrate all the Se Zhong cultivars, in order to falsely promote their own products, has a ring of truth. The growth in the market place of vendors using the prefix on their named cultivar offerings may suggest that the denigrators are not being entirely successful.

I cannot believe that a well tended mature Se Zhong Ben Shan from an elevated and favourable location in the heart of Anxi will be anything other than far superior to a crop from 10th generation TGY from 3 year old bushes on the fringe lowlands.

I now discount any suggestion that Se Zhong is to be avoided, and look to place it in drinking schedule when the time and inclination is right. I have enjoyed SZ Mao Jie, SZ Ben Shan, I unfortunately left my SZ Huang Jin Gui in Malaysia without forming a true impression of it. I have yet to try SZ Shui Xian, SZ Tou Tian Xing, SZ Fo Shou, SZ Qi Lan and am yet to discover what the other 4 or 5 superior SZ varietals are.

So under it’s own circumstances a Se Zhong Varietal can produce high quality tea that compares with all but the finest TGY, the trick is finding them. But where the circumstances fail to deliver exceptional leaf worthy of individual treatment then Se Zhong leaves from several cultivars will be blended to produce a satisfactory and economical brew. There may also be scope for middle ground where higher quality Se Zhong blends are made – viz – I see that Zhong Guo Cha sells 3 Se Zhongs at $0.07 or $0.08 per cup, and some TGY at $0.08 or $0.11 per cup, but has a higher priced Se Zhong (no cultivar named) at $0.17.
https://secure.worldsourceintl.com/productguide.htm

I am now about to try a Se Zhong from Wan Ling UK, James who runs the UK European on line sales presence for Wan Ling had previously told me that Wan Ling who runs a Tea House in Shanghai has to source her teas after the modern fashion. Nouveau Middle Class Chinese, the younger ones especially, are eschewing the traditional values and tastes to follow new modern fashions and styles. In tea this means she has to stock the lighter, less oxidised and roasted Oolongs that are now the favour in all big cities in China and tend to predominate in the west also.

However Wan Ling's sister who remains in Anxi and does a lot of the sourcing for Wan Ling has her own rural, traditional customer base and sources tea for her own local clientele. This year James is offering a local style Se Zhong (which would not be found in Wan Ling’s Shanghai shop).

http://www.wanlingteahouse.co.uk/uk_tea ... -yin.shtml

[Tead Off]

You might want to check out jing tea shop's Mao Xie. They say it's a competition grade tea. I find it very good, maybe better than most TGY's and longer lasting.

[Herb_Master]

You might want to check out jing tea shop's Mao Xie. They say it's a competition grade tea. I find it very good, maybe better than most TGY's and longer lasting.

I am glad to hear you praise Mao Jie. I have tried 2 with favourable results, but recently I have read that Mao Jie is a substandard cultivar of much lower quality than Ben Shan because it is overplanted in the wrong locations. I suspect that with the right situation, maturity, and a good Tea Master making the tea that all the Se Zhong cultivars can be good.

Again, I suspect, vendors selling Ben Shan are trying to rubbish the competition.

[Beidao]

I have a tea called Se Chung at home, really cheap green oolong (5 USD for 100 grams). I would describe it as the bancha of the green oolong world. It is nice but I would never compare it to a good TGY. Don't know if this is relevant for you though.

[Herb_Master]

I am impressed with Wan Ling's Se Zhong, difficult to say why but I like it.


Front of Packet



Rear of Packet


The contents weighed

10 grams for a 200ml teapot


Yellow Division Clay, made by Wang Xiao Fei

The tea bowls are from Wan Ling

The 75 Ml from last year is already a favourite of mine, but the 30ml which arrived with 2009 teas is equally delightful
http://www.wanlingteahouse.co.uk/uk_tea ... owls.shtml

The leaf looks varied enough - I think - but am a total novice at identifying leaf - maybe I can capture the spent leaf later for Tea Plant Sleuths and Leaf Spotters.

(Click to enlarge - but my photography is poor)

I tried (10g to 200ml) water at 95 according to Kamjove 11 second infusion no rinse

Seemed pleasant, enough florality for me, all the usual TGY and Anxi flavours - mm I don't know what is 'Local Style' about it - seems like all my other Anxi offerings.

I followed with 16 seconds more of the first, I don't know why I like it but I do.
Pale lemon colour perhaps ?

This Zen8Tea bowl was used for the photoshoot, I used the Wan Ling 30ml when drinking this tea.


Third brew 22 seconds, and a slight change in the taste, but I am enjoying this - very easy to drink.
It still seems to have all those Anxi tastes I recognise, it does not have any great body, none of the superb viscosity that I found in Rich Barbarians Summer Supreme + but continues to have fragrance, the Anxi flavours and as the infusions progress through 30 seconds, 45 seconds and 90 seconds there is something nudging away which I can't quite pinpoint.

The fragrance and flavour stay through all 6 infusions, but the the lack of mouthfeel (in the way I normally appreciate texture in a TGY) is made up for by something which I can't describe.

It is NOT Tart, NOT Bitter, NOT Astringent, NOT Mineral - but something which I like is providing the backbone.

The nearest thing I can think of - which may sound offputting, but which I can assure you it is not - is the soft bones in canned Pilchards. Forget the sauce or oil the pilchards are in, forget the pilchard flesh - just the soft bones and the taste only not the texture when you crunch them between your teeth

Maybe it IS Mineral - Calcium pehaps, but it helps keep the infusions enjoyable for me.

Bottom line, I like it, and at the price I like it even more.

[Herb_Master]

I am not a great photographer

I am even worse indoors

I find it difficult to arrange the leaves nicely

I find it difficult to tell leaves apart

In will do this only rarely

Se Zhong Leaves

They all look like the same cultivar to me

click on photo for large size