It is made from young leaves that are thinly rolled to have a long, twisted appearance that unfurls when brewed.
It is harvested earlier, "before the rains," and has a full-bodied, pungent taste and is golden in color.
To brew, use 1 teaspoon per 6 oz cup,[clarification needed] use water that is below boiling point, and steep for 2–3 minutes.
[1] Hyson tea has been described as light, warm, smooth, good-bodied, earthy, sunny, and spring-like in flavor.
[4] Hyson tea is referenced in the first stanza of "Xenophanes" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1847: "By fate, not option, frugal Nature gave One scent to hyson and to wall-flower, One sound to pine-groves and to waterfalls, One aspect to the desert and the lake."