Red Jade GABA

Red Jade GABA from Taiwan is a unique take on a GABA-rich tea that is made from an organically grown ‘Ruby’ or ‘Red Jade’ cultivar. Tightly rolled leaves make a medium strength liquor that is crisp and smooth, with a lingering flavour of raisins, tart fruits and a hint of mint.

Brewing guide: 2.5g in 250ml water at 90°C for 3-5 minutes

£4.00£14.00

(10-50g)

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Origin:Mingjian Township, Nantou County, Taiwan
Elevation:350m
Cultivar:Hong Yu 'Red Jade' (紅玉) TRES #18
Harvest time:March 2023
Sourcing:Direct from the farmer

Description

Red Jade GABA black tea from Taiwan, winner of a 1-Star Great Taste Award in 2018.

An unusual black tea from Taiwan, Red Jade GABA (紅玉佳葉龍), also known as Ruby GABA. This tea is made from Hong Yu TRES No. 18 cultivar. Hong Yu translates as Red Jade or Ruby, hence the name for this tea. GABA tea is also known as Jia Ye Long in Chinese (佳葉龍). This batch is from March 2023 harvest.

The Red Jade cultivar was developed in Taiwan very recently in an attempt to reinvigorate black tea production of the country. This cultivar was developed from an Assamica strain from Burma and the local wild tea from Taiwan. By the way, the Taiwanese Wild Shan Cha is available to buy in our online shop, where you can also read more about that unique strain of Camellia. Wild Shan Cha compares interestingly to the new Red Jade cultivar. They both exhibit similar qualities, however the teas made with the new Red Jade cultivar have a unique eucalyptus and mint edge to them. But if you try them side by side you can definitely see the ancestral relationship between them. Our Yuchi Red Jade is also crafted from the Hong Yu cultivar.

Our Red Jade GABA black tea is organically grown around Mingjian Township of Nantou County. After plucking and rolling, this tea undergoes oxidation in an oxygen deprived environment. This is the unique process that is employed to achieve all GABA teas. The tea is placed into large tanks. Oxygen is then flushed out with nitrogen and the tea is left to oxidise. As the environment is oxygen deprived, the oxidation process happens very slowly. This results in a much larger amount of GABA molecules being present in the finished tea.

Red Jade GABA black tea comes in tightly rolled oolong-style leaves, producing a medium strength liquor with a scent of raisins and currants. The taste is crisp and very mellow, which is the result of the slow oxidation process. The flavours prevalent are of sweet raisins and tart dried fruits. The flavours linger in your mouth and there is a definite minty aftertaste detectable that is a characteristic quality of this tea. Although the flavours do linger, the finish is very clean without any tannins or astringency. A very interesting and unusual tea – definitely worth taking time to enjoy this one!

This tea is best brewed with water at 90°C for 3-5 minutes and can be brewed multiple times. Red Jade GABA is absolutely delicious cold so make sure to try this as an iced tea!

This Red Jade GABA black tea was first featured in our June 2016 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.

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