Portugal Green Tea

In addition to black tea, Portuguese Gorreana Tea Estate also produces green tea called Hysson using techniques passed down by Chinese tea experts from Macau over 100 years ago.  The Portuguese were able to establish a trading station in Macau in 1557 and likely had easy access to tea masters there.

This Hysson is not identical to Hyson (with one 's').   Hyson was popular in Europe in the 18th century.  Because its Chinese name sounded like that of a wealthy Londoner Phillip Hyson, it took on his moniker.  Hyson is one of the teas destroyed at the Boston Harbor in 1773.  Chun Mei is a type of Hyson.

Gorreana Hysson brews an amber cup of green tea.  Its leaves and flavors do not resemble Chinese Hyson.  It is uniquely Portugal green tea.

Portugal Green

Type:  Green      Producing Country: Portugal   Preparation:  85°C 3 Min

Dry Leaf:  These olive green leaves are herbaceous and peppery.  Some stems are mixed in with the cut leaves.
Wet Leaf:  There is a faint herbaceous note to the leaves.
Liquor:      It is an amber-colored green tea with sediments.  It has some astringency and has a flavor similar to cooked Chinese cabbage.

Tee Score: 3 out of 5

Portugal Black Tea

Father Jasper de Cruz of Portugal was the first European to encounter and write about tea in 1560.  Later the Portuguese developed a trade route to China and shipped tea back. When Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza married King Charles II of England in 1662, she brought with her a chest of tea as part of her dowry and was credited for making this beverage fashionable in Britain.

Tea growing in Portugal began in the 19th century in the Azores, the volcanic islands in the mid-Atlantic Ocean.  Today Gorreana is the only remaining tea plantation there.

This Gorreana black tea is made from younger leaves grown in Sao Miguel.  It is full-bodied with an impressively rich flavor.

Portugal Black 

Type:  Black      Producing Country: Portugal   Preparation:  95°C 4 Min

Dry Leaf:  The dark and broken pieces of leaves are herbaceous, spicy and raisiny.
Wet Leaf: The wet leaves are also herbaceous and spicy, with hints of wicker, cocoa and prunes.
Liquor:      The color of the tea is coppery brown and bright.  It is full-bodied with mid-astringency.  It is cinnamon-spicy and floral.  It is nice with milk.

Tee Score: 4 out of 5

Red Rhythm Black Tea

Red Rhythm (Hong Yun or TRES #21), Taiwan Assam #8 (TRES #8), and Red Jade (Hong Yu or TRES #18) are some of the tea cultivars and teas developed by the Tea Research and Extension Station (TRES) in Taiwan.  Prior to 2003, TRES was known as Taiwan Tea Experiment Station or TTES.

Red Rhythm is a relatively new tea variety, named by TRES in 2008 as #21 and Hong Yun (meaning red rhythm).  It is a cross between Chinese Keemun and Indian Kyang.   Although the leaf appearance is large resembling Assam, the brew is flavorful like Keemun.

This tea is farmed in Yuchi, Nantou.  It is a wonderful black tea to be appreciated for its exquisite flavors without sugar, milk or lemon.

Hong Yun

Type:  Black      Producing Country: Taiwan   Preparation:  95°C 5 Min

Dry Leaf:  The leaves are long, dark and wiry, and their aroma is deliciously biscuity.
Wet Leaf:  The large wet leaves are very fragrant, reminiscent of roses, orange blossoms and red currants.
Liquor:      It is a bright coppery tea.  It is medium-bodied and smooth.  The interesting flavor profile includes sweetness, fading roses, citrus and berries.

Tee Score: 5 out of 5

Sochi Black Tea

Russia has a rich tea history as well as tea culture, symbolized by the samovar.  The first attempt to grow tea started around 1883 from Chinese tea seeds in the southern Caucasus.   Through many trials and tribulations, today commercial tea plantations have established themselves in Georgia (part of the former Soviet Union) and Sochi.

Sochi, Russia, is the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics.  The Sochi region is located along the shores of the Black Sea and enjoys a subtropical climate.  With warm summers and mild winters, the hardy Sochi variety tea plants thrive around here.

This black tea is cultivated and produced by Matsesta Tea Company, one of the six major tea growers in the Sochi area.   The 180 hectares tea plantation is in the Matsesta valley, at an altitude of 400 meters, in the Krasnodar region, and it processes tea utilizing Japanese know-how.  This most northern grown Sochi tea has a bright aroma and has adequate briskness to take milk, honey, sugar or jam.  Comparing it to Georgia black tea, the Sochi black is stronger.

Snowshoeing tea bag

Sochi variety tea plant and tea

Sochi black tea

Type:  Black            Producing Country: Russia           Preparation:  95°C 4 Min

Dry Leaf:  The nose of the short twisted dark leaves is a potpourri of raisins, hay and cocoa nibs.
Wet Leaf:  The wet leaves are brownish and have a weak scent of wicker and dried fruits.
Liquor:      The color of the black tea is mahogany.  It has some interesting flavors: sweet, chocolaty, spicy and floral.  Its astringency is medium-light.

Tee Score: 4 out of 5

Scottish Heather Tea

Heather is a symbol of Scotland.  It grows abundantly and veils the Scottish moors and heathlands with its purple blooms.  "The heather was blooming, the meadows were mawn..." - Robert Burns

Heather flowers have been used to make herbal infusions for fighting symptoms of colds and flu.  The Scottish Heather tea contains black tea from Africa and India, and 4.5% heather blossoms.   The appearance of black tea mixed with purple buds is very lovely like Sakura Sencha but the brewed beverage is relatively plain.  However, the hills seem to come alive with the sound of bagpipes when a splash of single malt Whiskey is added to the tea.   Still, the tea is blended for taking milk and has subtle earthiness, likely from heather.

Heather Tea

Type:  Black         Producing Country: Scotland           Preparation:  95°C 4 Min

Dry Leaf:  The cut pieces of dark leaves blended with purple buds have the familiar breakfast tea scent without any hint of flowers.
Wet Leaf:  The wet leaves smell strong wicker and wet straw.
Liquor:       The tea is chocolate in color.  It is strong and has medium astringency.  Its flavor notes are cocoa and moss.

Tee Score: 3 out of 5

Matcha Tea Grinder

For a matcha purist, a portable tea grinder is the answer.  Both Kyocera and Porlex of Japan make quality ceramic burr tea grinders.   Standing 6-inch tall, a matcha tea grinder comprises a handle, a chamber, ceramic burrs and a tea catcher.   It is easy to assemble. Although the tool is ideal for grinding Tencha into Matcha, it can also churn out other types of fine or coarser tea powder, which is used in baking or cooking.  This nice toy is not for grinding coffee beans.

Tea Grinder

ceramic burrs

Anatomy of a tea grinder

Input-process-output

(tencha-tea grinder-matcha)

Matcha!

Kabusecha Green Tea

Kabusecha, Gyokuro and Tencha are three Japanese shaded teas.  Kabusecha plants are covered (filtering 50-70% sunlight) for about one week before their leaves are plucked and processed.  Gyokuro tea leaves are covered (filtering 90% sunlight) for approximately three weeks prior to being harvested.  As for Tencha, it is also shaded (filtering 90% sunlight) for around three weeks.  Tencha is deveined and used for producing Matcha.  Shading forces tea plants to generate more chlorophyll.

The appearance of Kagusecha, literally means covered tea, is not easily distinguishable from its relatives, Sencha and Gyokuro.   The flavor profile of Kabusecha is middle-of-the-road.  Kabusecha has the astringency of Sencha and the savoriness of Gyokuro.  It is refreshing and has a clean aftertaste.  The brewed leaves are soft, edible and tasty.

Shaded teas (top:Tencha, left: Kabusecha, right: Gyokuro)

Kabusecha


Type:  Green      Producing Country: Japan    Preparation:  80°C 3 Mins

Dry Leaf:  The dark green thin needles and pieces have a delicious aroma of brioches or biscuits.
Wet Leaf: The soft wet leaves are savory and vegetal.  They look like boiled spinach and taste like cooked arugula.
Liquor:      Lime green is the color of Kabusecha.  It has the toned-down astringency of Sencha and the mild savoriness of Gyokuro.  Its mouth feel is  mild, clean and vegetal.

Tee Score: 4 out of 5