Hyson

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Hyson, or Lucky Dragon Tea, is a Chinese green tea that comes from the Anhui province of China. It is made from young leaves that are thinly rolled to have a long, twisted appearance that unfurls when brewed. The name Hyson is probably derived from an Amoy name (Chinese: 熙春茶; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hi-tshun-tê; lit. 'flourishing spring tea')^{[clarification needed]}, although there are also anecdotal claims that it was named after an English tea merchant, Phillip Hyson.^[1][2] Hyson is graded into the following three categories: Mi Si, Cheng Si and Fu Si.

While hyson tea is often thought of as a low-grade or mediocre quality tea, young hyson is considered high quality. It is harvested earlier, "before the rains," and has a full-bodied, pungent taste and is golden in color.^[3] Young hyson tea is subdivided into Chun Mee (a hard, small, twisted leaf), Foong Mee (a long, large, curly leaf), Saw Mee (a small, non-hard, twisted leaf), and Siftings. It is also sometimes classified as First, Second, and Third Young Hyson. The Chinese name for young hyson is Yu Chin Ch'a and is categorized as the following: Mi Yu, O Yu, I Yu, Ya Yu as well as Si Yu.