Discover Four Seasons Spring – Easy-Drinking Floral Oolong
Four Seasons Spring, or Si Ji Chun, is a widely loved Taiwanese oolong cultivar prized for its vibrant floral aroma, soft body and friendly, easy-drinking character. Grown in Mingjian Township, Taiwan’s most productive tea region, it thrives at lower elevations and offers reliable quality across multiple harvests throughout the year.
 
This particular winter harvest, known as Dong Pian (冬片), occurs only when warm weather returns briefly after the first winter chill. The tea bushes respond with a surprise flush of tender new leaves. The result is a naturally sweeter, lighter and more fragrant tea, with a smooth texture and gentle floral finish.
 
Unpretentious but delightful
This tea is machine-plucked and not considered a showcase of elegance or complexity. But what it offers is something just as valuable: consistency, affordability and charm. Its clean florals — often reminiscent of gardenia or osmanthus — and soft, mellow taste make it a favourite for casual daily brewing.
 
Perfect for Cold Brew
Thanks to its low bitterness and naturally aromatic character from the winter harvest, Four Seasons Spring is also one of the most popular teas for cold brewing in Taiwan. A few hours in cool water brings out its sweet, floral qualities and smooth finish — with no need for sugar or additives. It’s refreshing, accessible and endlessly drinkable.
 
Historical Background
Unlike many modern Taiwanese cultivars developed through formal breeding programmes, Four Seasons Spring (Si Ji Chun) was discovered by chance in the 1980s by a tea farmer in the Muzha area of northern Taiwan. The farmer noticed a naturally occurring tea plant with an unusual ability to flush tender leaves across all four seasons. Its growth was vigorous, the yield consistent, and the cup aroma distinctly floral — qualities that quickly attracted attention from neighbouring growers.
 
Genetic studies later suggested that Si Ji Chun likely descends from Wuyi as the maternal line, with Qingxin Oolong or Qingxin Damao as the probable pollen parent. This natural hybridisation may help explain its combination of robust growth, resilience and fresh floral aroma.
 
Rather than being bred through hybridisation, Si Ji Chun was propagated directly from cuttings of the original plant. Though never given an official Taiwan Tea number, it spread rapidly throughout Mingjian Township in Nantou, where lower elevations and warmer climates allowed for year-round harvests. For farmers, it offered stability and productivity. For tea drinkers, it provided a clean, floral oolong with soft texture and accessible flavour.
 
Today, Four Seasons Spring remains one of Taiwan’s most cultivated and consumed teas — appreciated not for prestige, but for its reliability, affordability and easy charm. It is particularly popular for cold brewing and daily drinking, making it a quiet staple of modern Taiwanese tea culture.