This is my first GABA green tea, and as I enjoy GABA oolongs, I was quite excited when this arrived.
The dry leaf fragrance is a nice mix of toasty and buttery aromas. Not at all unusual for a green tea, but perhaps a little more on the buttered toast side of things.
I gave the dry leaves a quick rinse (probably 10s in total contact time) with 85*C water. The leaves gave off a plume of more attractive buttery/toasty smells, but now with a starchy hint of plantain chips. That plantain character is clearly the GABA processing peering through. It is not vegetal (sweet potatoes) like some GABA oolongs can get. In fact, it feels right at home in the fragrance of a green tea.
After letting the leaves rest for 10 minutes or so, I steeped the tea for 30 seconds at 80*C. A hint of floral character starts to peak through in the aromas off the leaves. The body of the brew is thick, and the flavor is a buttery with some savory complexity. Subsequent steeps are consistently pleasant.
All in all, while this tea isn’t very complex, it is clean, quality material that is quite satisfying and does keep my interest throughout due to its well defined character. In addition, the GABA character doesn’t overshadow the tea flavors and aromas at all, but rather enhances the existing, comfortable green tea flavors and aromas. With each steep I slip a little further down in my chair (that is to say, it is indeed relaxing). I’m not usually big on green teas, and was maybe hoping for something a little “weirder,” but I certainly have been enjoying this.
