Organic Lucky Dragon Hyson Tea

• Country of Origin: China
• Region: Anhui Province
• Shipping Port: Shanghai
• Grade: Young Hyson
• Altitude: 1500 - 4200 feet above sea level
• Manufacturer Type: Steamed green tea
• Cup Characteristics: Bold and full flavored with hints of pine on the finish. An excellent example China green tea and a great value!
• Infusions: Pale yellow green
• Ingredients: Luxury organic green tea

Hyson is perhaps one of North America’s most literary teas. Literary? Yes, literary. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Hyson was one of the most popular teas on the market, prized for its warm character, bright cup and overall sunny disposition. As well as gracing the tables and tea sets of those who had an appreciation for the finer things the East had to offer, Hyson inspired the work of many poets and writers of the period. Nowhere was this truer than in Boston. Unfortunately for merchants of the great city, tea’s place in the great literary tradition of the time wasn’t always a good thing. Following the Boston Tea Party of 1773 for example a Boston poet penned the following:

Throw aside your Green Hyson Tea,
And all things with a new fashioned duty…

Revolutionary poems, like the one this excerpt is taken from, helped remind people to wean themselves off the tantalizing beverage. These poems appeared on handbills and posters that were distributed throughout the city to great effect. Still, although Hyson consumption did decrease as a result of the anti-tea campaign it remained a popular beverage in some circles, particularly literary ones. As the war ended and society moved into the 19th century, Hyson again began to inspire Boston’s poets, this time in a more positive way. In 1847, Ralph Waldo Emerson noted the tea’s rare scent in his famous poem Xenophanes:

By fate, not option, frugal Nature gave
One scent to Hyson and to wall-flower…

It is no surprise that Emerson chose to write about Hyson’s fabulous aroma. Typically bright on the nose its scent hints at spring, the season in which it is produced. In the cup the tea is equally bright, round and full bodied with a touch of grassiness. We’re pleased to offer this Organic Lucky Dragon as a tribute to Hyson’s literary past. With its fine full leaf, intricate cup and heavenly aroma, it has the power to inspire the poet in all of us. Brew a pot, pull out a pen, and let your mind wander!