GABA Oolong (Deep Baked)

Description

What the Great Taste judges thought: “Nicely roasted with nuttiness and crisp, roasty notes. It’s rich yet clean and light with some sweetness behind the roasted character.”

Our Award Winning Deep Baked GABA Oolong (深焙佳葉龍烏龍茶) is grown in Nantou County of Taiwan and is fully organic GABA tea that has quite a unique flavour. After the initial processing, it undergoes extensive baking, which is described as ‘Deep Baking’ or ‘Deep Roasting’. This type of finishing is also sometimes referred to as ‘Charcoal Roasted’ because of the unique roasted charcoal flavour. The tea master employs her extensive skills to achieve a very special flavour that is more akin to an Autumnal Darjeeling than a classic Taiwanese Oolong. The cultivar used to make this Deep Baked GABA Oolong is the Si Ji Chun ‘Four Seasons’ (四季春) cultivar that is used for our popular Four Seasons Oolong. The current batch is from May 2021 harvest.

We also offer a wide variety of GABA-rich teas, ranging from classic GABA Oolong to the more unique Red Jade GABA and GABA Oolong Cakes!

To demystify the acronym in the name, GABA stands for Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid. This molecule, which is mostly found in the human brain, purportedly can reduce stress and anxiety. Deep Baked GABA Oolong undergoes a complicated manufacturing process, which involves vacuum tanks and oxidation by way of exposure to nitrogen rather than oxygen. The very high GABA content is the direct result of this processing, which was developed by Japanese scientists over 20 years ago.

There are differing opinions on how well our bodies can actually absorb GABA from our food and drink and while some people report feeling particularly relaxed and calm after drinking GABA tea, others do not see any significant difference. So while the effects of this tea are a very personal experience, most will appreciate this tea for the unusual and distinctive taste.

Deep Baked GABA Oolong has very tightly rolled dark brown and black leaves that are typical of oolong teas. When brewed it produces a dark umber liquor with a complex smooth, sweet and tart taste and aromas of burning log fires. A very unique cup of tea with a toasty flavour full of notes of roasted nuts and dried fruits.

It is best brewed at 90°C for 3-5 minutes. Brew multiples times to enjoy the developing flavours from each brew of this unique tasting tea.

This Taiwanese Organic Deep Baked GABA Oolong tea was first featured in our March 2016 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.