Batch 106 of the Eco-Cha Tea Club is an Eco-Farmed GABA Oolong Tea, hand-picked in July of this year. We tasted it a couple weeks after it was made, and immediately asked if we could procure enough for our tea club. It was a very small batch, and we got first dibs! Learn more about the story of this tea in our sourcing blog.

The appearance of the leaves above shows how GABA tea is similar to Black Tea in that the leaves are effectively fully oxidized. However, GABA tea is made using Oolong Tea processing methods. So the fundamental difference between GABA and Black Tea is that GABA tea leaves are not rigorously rolled to tear the leaves and expose the constituents within the leaves to air — like they are in Black Tea processing. GABA tea leaves are simply wilted and oxidized extensively — to the point of being fully oxidized. This, along with the fact they are wilted and oxidized in an oxygen-free atmosphere — namely, a vacuum-sealed steel drum. So this anomaly of tea processing is what produces this unique type of tea.

The visual appearance of the brewed tea is much more akin to an Oolong Tea. It is limpid, bright, and more of a golden copper color than the reddish hue of a fine Black Tea. In a word, GABA has a fruity character. The fruity quality ranges from malty sweet to tart and tangy. So there are dried fruit and cooked fruit, as well as vibrant fresh fruit qualities. There is definitely a spectrum of flavor notes to be enjoyed from these leaves. And a lot is determined by how the leaves are brewed.

For gong fu brewing with a small teapot of 200mL or less, we recommend starting with a 1:18 leaf to water ratio. Start with 40-50 seconds brewing time, and slightly increase the brewing time with each successive brew. Using this method, the leaves can be brewed at least six times. These leaves also make a great cold brew! Simply put about 5g of leaves into 1L of water and let it sit for a few hours at room temperature, or in the fridge overnight. It's a wonderfully tangy/sweet, refreshing cold beverage!

Watch the tasting video for the full story of this tea and commentary on how it brews up!