CLASSIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION. 75 



is never exported owing to its limited production and being 

 also very lightly fired in curing, it is very susceptible to 

 moisture, the damp of a sea voyage tending to greatly 

 impair its delicate properties. 



Young Hyson Is a corruption of the Chinese term, 

 Yu-he-tsien or " Early spring," from being picked early in 

 the season. In make the leaves of the finer grades are 

 extremely small, firmly, if not artistically twisted, and 

 almost wiry in texture, being prepared from the 

 youngest and tenderest leaves just expanding. The 

 leaves of the later pickings are correspondingly larger 

 and looser in make and appearance, and relatively 

 inferior in drawing and drinking qualities to the earlier 

 pickings. 



Hyson Known to the Chinese as He-tsien, " Flour- 

 ishing spring," from being gathered in the full spring- 

 time is a large, loosely-curled leaf, prepared from the 

 older leaves of the respective pickings which can- 

 not from their size and lack of succulence be either 

 rolled or curled. They bear the same relation to 

 Young Hysons that Imperials do to Gunpowder, and 

 preserving the same characteristics in a relatively minor 

 degree. 



Hyson-Pekoe Called by the Chinese "Loung-tsien " 

 literally " Tea-of-the-wells-of-the-Dragon," a term used to 

 describe an exceedingly rare, peculiar and expensive 

 variety of green tea, which, owing to its extreme tender- 

 ness and delicacy and very light firing is never exported. 

 It has a small, evenly-curled leaf, rich, natural green in 

 color, with whitish, downy or silvery ends. The infusion 

 is of a pale or light-golden yellow tinge, clear and spark- 

 ling as champagne in the cups and possessing what the 

 connoisseur would term a simply exquisite aroma or 

 " bouquet." 



