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“I bought this tea at the request of a friend who had heard about it and was interested in the purported health benefits of the GABA-rich tea. I thought it sounded intriguing, and I’m always up for...” Read full tasting note
This unique oolong tea was developed through research in Japan that initially had nothing to do with tea production. In 1987 scientists were studying alternative, natural methods for preserving foods. This research led to the discovery that tea leaves exposed to nitrogen (rather than oxygen) during the drying process dramatically increased (by almost 10x) the level of a naturally occuring amino acid, Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA).
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Our GABA tea is produced by taking traditional Taiwan oolong tea bushes which are harvested by plucking the upper two leaves and a bud. The tea is then withered and in the drying process is placed in stainless steel drums for rolling where the oxygen is removed from the drum and replaced with nitrogen and maintained at a specific temperature in order to create the highest concentrations of natural GABA in the tea leaves. Organic GABA Oolong tea has a green oolong tea flavor profile slightly modified by the nitrogen processing that creates a slight honey/mango sweetness. Like other oolong teas, each cup of tea will allow for multiple infusions of the same tea leaves.
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How to Brew Gabaron (GABA) Oolong Tea
Heat water and allow to cool slightly (to 190˚F), add one teaspoon loose leaf tea per cup (apprx. 8 ounces). Allow plenty of room for the tea leaves to expand by brewing straight in the hot water or with a large capacity infuser basket. Infuse the tea leaves for 1-2 minutes depending on taste preference. May be infused 2-4 times.
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INGREDIENTS: Organic oolong tea. Origin: Chiang Rai, Thailand.
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Taiwan SourcingI bought this tea at the request of a friend who had heard about it and was interested in the purported health benefits of the GABA-rich tea. I thought it sounded intriguing, and I’m always up for an oolong, so I tried it. The dry leaf was brown rather the green I expected from their photo, and when brewed I was a bit disappointed at the relatively thin flavor: I used a quantity that usually is enough to fill my thermos with rich, deep oolong flavor from wuyi, anxi, or taiwanese teas.
I steeped it at 185 degrees, several infusions totaling about 2-3 minutes of infusion time, and combined the infusions to fill my thermos. The result was a brown infusion, with flavor of highly oxidized, almost black tea—no hint of bitterness, but a lightly fruity flavor, without much spice or earthiness.
I have passed it on to my friend after we shared the first infusion, and doubt I’d buy it again. It wasn’t particularly memorable, and I didn’t feel particularly mellow afterwards either.
Addendum: as I was cleaning up last night, I discovered the leaves from this tea were still left in my kamjove, and about 10 hours after the infusion, they were springy, not as soft as typically rehydrated tea leaves, and had a wonderful plum scent—probably more accurately, a very pleasant prune scent—fruity and sweet, and I was regretting giving the entire rest of the bag over to my friend, because it seemed like something with so much good scent must have more flavor potential as tea. Sigh. But if he figures out how to make it yummier, maybe I’ll try a smaller sample again.
Thanks for this review! I’m really curious about GABA oolongs. So sad to hear that that the taste is thin.