“My first of the club, and I so wish I joined before they sent out the Phoenix Village Dong Ding, because man, that one looked good. As for this one, it is certainly unique and the kind of tea my...” Read full tasting note
This month’s batch of tea being shared with the Eco-Cha Tea Club continues to intrigue us. It has qualities of a delicate Black Tea, with the complexity and depth that defines Oolong Tea. It’s mild in character, but very substantial and well balanced in its flavor profile. Smooth on the palate, with tangy, fruity notes, and a lasting heady finish. It’s got that composition that keeps you refilling your cup to get more!
WHAT MAKES THIS BATCH SPECIAL?
Through hands-on experimentation, our friend Mr. Xie has learned to make the best quality GABA tea we’ve tasted. The methods he uses are based on a recipe that was developed by Taiwanese Oolong Tea artisans who succeeded in making a specialty tea out of a product that was initially a health supplement made from tea leaves (see the sourcing blog post for more info). He also has integrated the practice, common among quality Black Tea makers, of letting the tea settle for one year after its made to improve its quality.
We are convinced that his farming practice is a prominent contributing factor to the quality of Mr. Xie’s tea. These naturally cultivated leaves unequivocally have more substance in their constitution. These are the reasons why we are inspired to share this month’s batch of tea with the Eco-Cha Tea Club. We’re pretty sure you won’t find a tea like this elsewhere!
BREWING THIS TEA
GABA Tea is similar to Black Tea in that it is fully oxidized. But it is essentially made by using modified Oolong Tea processing methods. This is where it gets its complexity of character from. For your reference, we found that 6g of tea in a 150ml gaiwan, brewed Gongfu style works quite well. We encourage you to explore your own preferred brewing style, but start out light on the leaves, and increase from there, if you’re inclined. If brewed too strongly, the richness and complexity are lost.
We’d love to hear what works best for you in brewing this tea! Please share your comments, photos, and even tasting videos on the comments below for all of us to learn from!
*WHAT IS ECO-FARMED?
Eco-Farmed is the term we use for teas that are sourced from farms with organic certification. Taiwan has the strictest of all regulations regarding the use of the term “organic”. So we are not able to represent this certification due to several legal stipulations, including packaging and branding. More importantly, we strongly believe that Eco-Cha’s practice of sustainability in the tea industry has more substance and transparency than the varied and often vague standards of “certified organic”.
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