Home from vacation, all my new tea is stored and put away, now it’s time to start trying some in a controlled and proper brewing style.
This is the first I will try, Gorreana’s Hysson cha verde. (green tea)
Gorreana boasts being Europe’s oldest tea factory, opening in 1883. The Azores also boasts one of the few places man did not introduce tea leaves, they grew there naturally. Of course, the volcanic rock nature of the islands make them much different from what we are used to, and that difference is apparent in this tea. More on that below.
I used a standard green tea brewing method. After a pre-rinse, I poured 180 degree water over 11 grams of leaves in my 32 ounce Bodum Assam teapot. I clearly have vacation brain, and I forgot to set the tea timer, so instead of a standard short 1:00-1:30 steeping time, this came out more like 3ish minutes. Oh well.
It still came out great. The grassy taste is nice and smooth, with a strong hint of wet Earth and a faint hint of butter. It is there, though.
There are some differences in this tea then I recognize from a standard green tea. First off, it has a bit of tartness to it. It’s not so much bitter, but more of a hint of a higher acidic level. Other reviewers have called it an apple taste, which I do agree with. It actually balances well next to the grass and Earth flavors.
Next brew I will try a short infusion to see if I can pull out a bit more of the butter that I know is there. You know, when vacation brain goes away…
One disappointment: I bought this at the Gorreana tea plantation on Sao Miguel Island in The Azores. I would like to see larger leaf particles in the bag. It seemed like they put it through the grinder as if to make tea bags, and put some in “loose leaf” bags as well. I would love to try this tea in a whole leaf style, I think it might have even more potential than it already has.
I also brought home some dried Azorean Jasmine from a neighbor on Pico Island, I might add some of that for its lemon flavor in the future. Should go well together!
-E
Flavors: Apple, Butter, Earth, Grass, Tart
Ironically I had the same wonder…as I, too, had a back Hysson experience in the past but I agree this one is GRAND :)
We have all had bad experiences with tea; mine was with a Jasmine Green tea and I have yet to try another. That being said, no Hysson experience as yet. Not sure what Hysson is. Don’t mean Hiccups ;-).
I think I am being ribbed and fell for it. I have been warned enough about posting etiquette. Thanks.
Maybe the tea you had before is a Hyson tea? http://bodzablog.freeblog.hu/files/hyson%20aj%C3%A1nd%C3%A9k.jpg. Which is very different from a Hysson tea, as this tea is made by Gorreana in the Azores and Hysson is just the name of their green tea, while Hyson is a Chinese company.
@Matt Gelowitz: No, I actually had a Hysson green tea, not from Gorreana, but, from another company (not Hyson company).
Hmm, I see. I was under the impression that Hysson was a Gorreana specific brand name, and not a type of green tea. Sorry about that.
OK… scratch my previous comments. When I first received this tea from Gorreana, I thought it was the same tea as Young Hyson, which is a Chinese green tea. So, when I said “this is Hysson?” I was referring to my experience with Young Hyson, but not Hyson from Hyson Tea Company. I probably thought that Hysson was the same as Young Hyson, since the names are so similar, and I must have wrongfully thought that Hysson was merely Gorreana’s name for their tea since it is technically grown in a different region than the classic Young Hyson. My mistake.
Too many Hys(s)ons!!!