Teazorean’s Hysson

Hysson by Teazorean
Green Tea / Straight
$16.83 for 32g

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Teazorean has provided me with Hysson for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

Teazorean describes Hysson as their “premium grade green tea”, and they sent me 10g to me in a cute little tin. The tea is a nice mix of different shades of green, with the pieces of tea leaves being flat. The smell that comes out of the tin of tea leaves is one that’s primarily vegetal and earthy – it reminds me a bit of mushrooms with a salty undertone.

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Hysson is a straight green tea. Teazorean shares details about where the tea leaves are grown on their website if you’re interested in learning about their tea farm on a volcanic island.

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Preparation

Teazorean recommends steeping Hysson at 205°F (96°C) water for 5 minutes. My initial steep of Hysson followed Teazorean’s recommended steep times.

First Taste

I found my initial steep of Hysson to be quite bitter and quite undrinkable due to the high levels of astringency – the initial steep at 5 minutes was a dark, dark orange. I attempted another steep of Hysson with water at 175°F (80°C) for 2 minutes. I found the tea to be palateable, with a mild astringency, no bitterness, and just some earthy mushroom notes in the tea. I really do think that the recommended steep temperature and time was far too hot and long for these leaves.

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A Second Cup?

I resteeped Hysson again at 175°F and for about 3 minutes, and found that the flavours were quite similar to the first steep. The big difference was less astringency and milder mushroom earthy notes to the tea.

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My Overall Impression

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I liked Teazorean’s Hysson. I was really disappointed with this green tea when I steeped it in the recommended temperature water and for the length of time. It was far too bitter and astringent at the recommended steeping instructions. Once I steeped it at a cooler temperature and for less time, I found Hysson was a tasty cup of green tea with delicate mushroom flavours. It’s a nice tea, and I really enjoyed it. I think this would make a great pairing with savoury foods.

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Teazorean’s Broken Leaf

Broken Leaf by Teazorean
Black Tea / Straight
$14.83 for 32g

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Teazorean has provided me with Broken Leaf for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

I mentioned some information of Teazorean’s conservation efforts in my last Teazorean (Orange Pekoe). The loose dry leaf came to me in a cute little tin, kind of the perfect size to tote extra tea in your bag around.  The dry leaf has a mixture of dark brown and reddish brown leaves, and there were some small sticks that I noticed in there as well. The sampler tin holds 10g of tea, I used approximately 3g for my small teapot.

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Broken Leaf is a straight black tea. The smell that comes from the black tea leaves was a malty aroma, that reminds me a bit of Assam tea, and there’s some peachy-apricot aromas coming from the tea leaves as well.

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Preparation

Teazorean recommends steeping Broken Leaf in 205°F (96°C) for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Broken Leaf steeps to a lovely light golden orange, it’s more pale that I expected for a black tea when I steeped it according to the length of time suggested by Teazorean. On first taste, the first thing that I noticed was the honey sweetness in this tea. Despite the aroma of the dry leaf having a maltiness to it, I noticed that there was quite the minimal malty flavour to it, and there was an apricot finish to each sip.

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A Second Cup?

I resteeped Broken Leaf two additional times. I found that the first resteep was slightly weaker than the inital steep – there was more apricot flavour that came out in the tea. The second resteep was weaker still, and not as enjoyable as the initial and first resteep. I would say that Broken Leaf is a good choice for one more steep.

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My Overall Impression

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I liked Teazorean’s Broken Leaf. I found the aroma of the dry leaf and the taste of the steeped tea to be enjoyable. The honeyed sweetness and the apricot flavours are delicious, and I think it’d be a great alternative to the traditional Earl Grey for an afternoon tea because it has a different flavour profile, but still has the robust flavours of a strong black tea.

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Teazorean’s Orange Pekoe

Orange Pekoe by Teazorean
Black Tea / Straight
$15.83 for 32g

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Teazorean has provided me with Orange Pekoe for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

When Teazorean got in contact with me about trying out their teas, I was intrigued. Teazorean describes themselves as a “socially conscious” tea company, where 5% of net proceeds of their products goes towards Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Also to set them apart is the fact that their tea originates from a tea farm in Europe (the only commercial tea farm in Europe!), and can be found in part of the Azores Islands in Portugal – which is a series of volcanic islands.

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Orange Pekoe came to me in a sampler-sized tin with 10g of the classic straight black tea. The tea leaves themselves vary in size, with beautiful golden orange tips at the end of some of the leaves. The aroma from the leaves is quite subtle, but there’s a sweet mixture of floral and a robustness that reminds me of Assam.

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Preparation

Teazorean recommends steeping Orange Pekoe at 205°F (96°C) for 5 minutes. I followed the recommended steeping instructions for my initial steep of Orange Pekoe.

First Taste

Orange Pekoe steeps to a beautiful golden orange, with a very subtle aroma that wafts up from the tea. I smell a touch of honeyed floral sweetness in this black tea. On first sip, I taste a slight sweetness, floral, with a touch of astringency. I found the flavour to be complex and inviting, while being fairly similar to the orange pekoe teas that I’ve enjoyed in the past. I found the Assam-like qualities to this tea to add a bit of oomph behind this tea, and reminds me of the strength of a classic breakfast tea.

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I added a touch of honey and cream to my cup of Orange Pekoe to make it reminiscent of the milk tea of my childhood. I found that the honey helped boost the floral flavours, while the cream helped to tone down the astringency of the tea.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped the Orange Pekoe leaves a few times and managed to resteep them an extra three times. I found that the flavour of the tea stayed true to itself for the first two resteeps, while becoming considerably weaker by the third. I would say that Orange Pekoe would be good for an additional two resteeps.

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My Overall Impression

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I loved Teazorean’s Orange Pekoe. The natural sweet, floral aroma and flavour to this volcanic island black tea is such a delight to the senses. I’m not terribly fond of the mild astringency that I found, but when I added the sweetener and cream (like I often do with some black teas), the astringency disappears. The robustness of this tea reminds me of breakfast teas, so this could do for a good coffee replacement if you’re looking to switch from coffee to tea. It takes sweeteners and cream/milk very well, so it’d also do well as a latte as well if you’re into tea lattes.

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