Emerald GABA Oolong Tea 50g

Emerald GABA Oolong Tea is a rather particular product due to its low level of oxidation. When you search for tea rich of GABA, in fact, you generally come into an oolong because, in order to allow the formation of the gamma-aminobutyric acid, the leaves needs a certain amount of time during which it is natural for an oxidative process to take place.

Here the product had enough time to develop an high content of GABA but it also manage to maintain a totally green leaf. Thanks to the attentions of the tea master the oxidation level remains so low (around 10%) to consider this tea more close to a green type than an oolong ones.

The rare combinations of features from the green leaves and GABA could help people who don’t loves bold and tannic teas to get into the products rich of gamma-aminobutyric acid.

The infusion given by GABA Emerald Oolong Tea is a good combination of fresh and slightly spicy flavors. The fresh aspects related to the low oxidation of the leaves are a clean and satisfying mouthfeel, and, after some sips, the release of a sweet aspect reminding the taste of a white melon. The rounded and spicy part gives by the high presence of GABA, instead, is more evident and enjoyable in the aftertaste.

In order to feel better the oxidation level of this product and understanding why it is placed into the green teas category, we suggest you to do a comparison with the Four Season Organic Oolong Tea.

Tasting – Sight and smell

Emerald GABA Oolong Tea has leaves of various shades of green, with contrasts between dark and light shades and some nuances between ocher and chestnut near the stems. The leaves are rolled tight, like the classic low-oxidation oolongs. Once infused, they release a truly wide range of sweet aromas: caramel, honey, cotton candy, malt biscuits, notes of candied fruit and melon and some slight hints of wild flowers. In the cup the liquor is of a delicate pale gold color, with a medium dense and silky body, without astringency even after numerous infusions.

Tasting Notes

GONG FU CHA

The first infusion of Oolong Emerald GABA Tea is a surprise on the palate: the sweet notes of linden honey and heather are followed by strong hints of caramel and candied fruit. The sweetness also remains in the second infusion, which offers notes of ripe fruit such as melon, apple and plum. With the third infusion and the following ones, to the hints of caramel and honey always present are added vanilla notes and notes of wild flowers, sometimes the flavor of the crumb of white bread. The persistence is long, soft, sweet of caramel and honey.

WESTERN

The first sip of Oolong Emerald GABA Tea envelops the palate with the softness of the liquor: notes of caramel, panna cotta and linden honey at the beginning suggest the extraordinary sweetness of this tea, which evolves into fruity hints of melon, ripe pear and apple compote. The closure is vanilla and toffee, with a sweet and milky persistence that remains on the palate for a long time.

Place of origin

Taiwan

Production

After harvesting, the leaves of the Oolong Emerald GABA tea wither for a short time in the sun before being placed to rest on indoor bamboo trays. Now it’s time for the producer’s touch who have to decide when and how to activate the oxidation process by bending, manually or mechanically, the leaves.

Furthermore, for GABA tea, the product is put to oxidize in an oxygen-poor environment so that a higher concentration of gamma-aminobutyric acid develops.

When the tea gets to the desired oxidation level (here around the 10%) it goes into an electric or coal oven where, thanks to the high temperature, it’s possible to stop the enzymatic activity. After a while the leaves are pull out of the oven and they are ball rolled by a special machinery in order to get the best shape to be stored.

Before being packed the product rest for few hours in order to dissipate a bit of the residues heat and humidity.

Method of infusion of Oolong Emerald GABA tea

We strongly recommend infusing Emerald GABA Oolong Tea in the traditional Chinese method (Gong Fu Cha) with a gaiwan with a capacity of about 150 ml. By following this preparation, multiple infusions can be made with 5 grams of leaves that are useful to best capture all the flavor nuances of the tea.

Heat the water to a temperature of 85°C: conduct a short rinse of the leaves and then an initial 15-second infusion. Keeping the water at the same temperature, you can then continue to exploit the same leaves by adding more water and increasing the infusion time by 10 seconds each time (15 – 25 – 35…).

This tea has a longevity of about 7 brewings.

For a more classic preparation according to the Western style, we recommend 3 grams of leaves in a 200-mL cup with 85°C water for a 3-minute infusion time.

For a better tasting experience, we suggest that you strain the tea as soon as the brewing time is over. The infusion timings we suggest can be slightly modified to your liking to achieve a more or less intense taste.

Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

Benefits of GABA tea

The teas rich of GABA have a particular relaxing effect on our bodies. The gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), in fact, is a neurotransmitter that our organism already produce and use when it is necessary to reduce the excitement of the nervous system.

So the GABA teas, thanks to their light exciting effect, can be drunk any time during the day even by the most sensitive people. In the leaves, anyway, there’s a bit of caffeine but its effect is almost insignificant because of the high concentration of gamma-aminobutyric acid.

Other than being easy to drink at every hour, the GABA teas give some minerals and antioxidants capable of reducing the cellular aging together with an healthy lifestyle.