Healthy GABA Taiwanese Gaba Tea (Enhanced version with more GABA)

A review of Taiwan Gaba Tea by Fong Mong Tea

Date: 11/15/2012
Company: Fong Mong
Tea Name: Taiwan Gaba Tea
Tea Type/Varietal:
Region: Taiwan
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf: cup/ loose leaf
Plucking Season:
Liquor Color:
Leaf Characteristics:

1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 180 Fahrenheit
Time: 5 minutes

I am enjoying another great cup of this tea. I simply cannot find words for describing this tea. It is smooth with a complex texture; tea’s color is of malt and coffee like. There is not hint of one aroma or another that can describe what this tea smells like. It is not bitter, not astringent, and not fruity. It has a dry smell and not unlike water since water is clear with not a smell. Similarly is this tea with regard to odor.

The tea is dry on my palette and not heavy and when I take a sip, I simply want to sip continually without stopping, it is that good.

Leaf: 6 gr
Porcelain teapot 180 ml
Temperature: 95C
Infusions: Rinse – 30s – 45s – 65s – 90s – 120s – 180s

Dry leaf – The leaf is unevenly and spontaneously curled with brown tones that remind of the withered autumn leaves. Some long and woodsy stems catch the attention of the eye. In this heap I sniffed subtle notes of flowers and something close to cocoa.

Wet leaf – Wet leaf bears a darker shade of red clay, reminding more of Sun Moon Lake black tea than the Oolong. Leaves are pretty much intact and almost leathery. Final sniff reveals mild notes of apples and cocoa.

Infusion I (30s) – Bright amber tone with rich aromas of baked apple, vanilla and cocoa on the surface. It sits easy in the mouth with the freshness that leans toward fruity acidity type and ends up in a mild sweetness in the throat. After a few sips in the middle of the smoothness is revealed with flowery and honey notes develop with additional sips.

Infusion II (45s) – Aside from the notes that followed from the first steep there’s a certain bake-y touch present in the cup. The mouthfeel is a bit fuller, sweeter and notes more pronounced notes of honey and smoothness. As the liquor cools an interesting development occurs as there’s even more smoothness in the mouth that moves in the front and give even a sticky sensation on lips. Immediately after swallowing notes of apple pits and vanilla came to presence and mingle with other elements, allowing to be savored for a long time.

Infusion III (65s) – Pronounced fruity touch of freshness and acidity like followed from the previous infusion.

Infusion IV (90s) – The fourth infusion came to be unexpected and quite a surprise as it balanced between the first and second infusion.

Infusion V (120s) – Prominent freshness, starting to notice a decline in taste and aroma.

Infusion VI (180s) – Liquor goes further into decline with some accent to long lasting silky smoothness on the tongue.

A sipdown! (M: 8, Y: 16)
I am drinking this tea all day. A kudos to derk who sent it to me, and Leafhopper that is original and previous owner. 4 grams — 125 ml gaiwan, gongfu session.

Well, what to say. It contains lots of GABA and made me relaxed today. It wasn’t needed, but somehow appreciated. First steeps were very green, vegetal, pleasantly (maybe not that much) sour, green apple, sweet/sour sauce. Later yeasty notes appear, honey and bit of stonefruits, or white grapes.

Finished in the evening with long steep, which was very yeastyy, yet comfortable.

I am glad I have finished it; and well, it’s not much tea for flavour profile, but for GABA instead I guess. At least for me. Keeping rating on 78.

Down to the last few teas from a big Leafhopper swap!

I cracked the seal on a 100g bag of this tea a few months ago. Only now am I getting around to a tasting note.

Bowl tea this morning, quickly becoming my preferred method!

This is a full single leaf with spare twigs in the mix. The large leaves are not balled so they are probably best prepared how I’m rolling this morning or western steeped in a basket infuser or a larger gaiwan. They will not fit in a tiny teapot with a small mouth, nor in a regular ball infuser.

The aroma is moderate, sweet and savory with baked butternut squash, golden raisins, baked apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and a little vanilla.

The taste of the tea is very similar, mostly as a result of the aroma. The only thing I can taste without breathing in the aroma is that Si Ji Chun (Four Seasons) cultivar-specific florality and some wood. I wonder if this is tea is made with that cultivar. The liquor is thick with pectin, buttery, sweet-tangy. When I sip and breath, I get an impression of a baked mixture of butternut squash, apples and rhubarb; thinned honey, overripe honeydew and wood. The finish is vaguely fruity and leaves an after-feeling of being pleasantly sour. In the aftertaste, I get mild fresh apple, grass, white grapes and apricot. My tongue is coated with a smooth, thin layer of oil. The flavor profile really speaks to me as an autumn afternooner.

I notice I don’t get the sweats from this tea like I have from pretty much all other GABA teas I’ve tried.

So, this tea is old, probably produced in 2015 or 2016. Luckily Leafhopper had the prudence to not break the seal :) This tea tastes just as fresh as any other GABA tea I’ve had. I’m impressed! Because I really enjoy GABA teas, the 100g bag will be an easy one to sip through. Thank you, Leafhopper!

Thanks to Fong Mong for the sample. I steeped the entire 6 g in a 120 ml teapot at 185F for 20, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds, plus a couple long infusions.

Wow! The sample nearly fills my teapot to the brim! The first steep has notes of baked apple, brown sugar, and pleasant sourness with a long, sweet/sour aftertaste. Maybe because of the baked apple associations, I get some nutmeg in the second steep. The next couple rounds add a yeasty flavour, which turns into honey and GABA tanginess in the next several infusions. The tea keeps this profile until the end of the session, when a bit of malt is detectable.

This is a smooth, easy-drinking tea that would probably be great cold. Whether you enjoy it will largely depend on how you perceive the taste of the GABA processing, which is noticeable. I found it to be pleasant and mellow, although I prefer other tea types.

Dry leaf
Upon inspection the bag had a lot of twig and branches which usually I don’t mind if it is a leaf set with 3-4 leaves attached but they appeared to be just random long twigs thrown in to increase weight. I kept an open mind thinking of ku ki cha green tea which usually adds stems for varying texture and flavor.

Infusion
Amber colored liquor that smelled sweet like a dried raisin.
Will revisit exact notes and nuances when I am not sick but I was able to taste.
I got a sweetness with trailing notes of honey graham crackers. Incredibly enjoyable and will gladly have a cup a few times a week due to taste and cheapness.

This is my 3rd source I have tried for GABA oolong not as complex as the others and less “tea drunk” relaxation of the others but gave some to a non tea drinker who was over and my friend asked if he could take some home. I think this tea is not bad flavor wise but still unsure of quality of plucking/sorting( high leafless twig/branch content) and the concentration of gaba.

Summary
Great taste, while negligible “GABA effect” it is a super cheap daily drinker