GABA Four Seasons Oolong

Flavor: Smooth, gentle sweetness, slightly fruity, Spring-like aroma. A little goes a long way as these rolled leaves open and expand to become huge.

100 gram pouch (3.53 ounces)

Harvest: Spring 2025 - Xin Yi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan - 1,250m elevation.

The Story Of This Tea:

Four Seasons Oolong tea is named after the specific cultivar that is used to make this aromatic tea, Si Ji Chun. This cultivar first appeared in Taiwan in the 1980’s. The story is supposedly that one farmer near Taipei noticed a tea plant in his garden growing much more quickly than others. He then planted cuttings from that particular bush in a systematic way with the hope of being more productive. He successfully harvested leaves from those tea plants throughout four seasons of the year, including the winter when many tea plants are somewhat dormant or growing at a very slow rate.

Four Seasons Oolong has become very popular in Taiwan, as well as other countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam.

This delicious GABA Oolong tea is made by putting the freshly harvested tea leaves in oxygen-free vacuum-sealed drums for 7-8 hours, then removing them and slowly tumbling the leaves in a large horizontal bamboo cylinder for about 3 hours. This is repeated 3 times which means that the processing alone of each batch of our GABA Oolong tea takes 2-3 days! When the leaves have oxidized to the desired amount, they are put in a small high-temperature forced air dryer to cease oxidation by terminating the naturally occurring lives enzymes in the tea leaves. After this, the leaves are slightly rolled (twisted) and dried.

The GABA processing for teas was discovered in Japan around the late 1980’s. You can find GABA black and green teas, but most are oolong teas. Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) is one of the main neurotransmitters for the Central Nervous System (CNS). It’s most important role is to reduce neuron excitability. Thus, GABA supplements are most commonly associated with their calming effect on the nervous system. These teas are known to improve relaxation and sleep quality, lower blood pressure, and lowering cholesterol levels. Some students in Japan are even using GABA teas to improve their performance on exams. Some articles online even suggest that GABA Oolong teas can help fight off schizophrenia.

Numerous scientific studies have confirmed that GABA is an excellent treatment for high blood pressure. Because of its inhibitory function it causes the muscles lining blood vessels to relax which increases blood flow. The same inhibitory function is responsible for GABA's role in anxiety reduction and stress relief. GABA is increasingly being prescribed as a natural alternative to pharmaceutical tranquilizers. It has no side effects and is non-addictive.

GABA Oolong tea is considered by many to be a more natural form of GABA than supplements. Even though it affects you in the same way many people like the more natural aspect. Along with the synergy of L-Theanine there are possibly other compounds in tea that add to the relaxing effects. Not all of the ingredients in tea have been isolated and there are others that possibly add to the calming effect.

The synergistic effects of GABA and L-Theanine found in oolong tea really help to ease the mind and relieve stress for many people.

Brewing advice -

Water temperature: 195 degrees (just below boiling)

Number of infusions: 2 to 5. Each infusion creates a unique flavor profile.

This tea is shipped to you in it's own hermetically sealed, reusable zipper pouch.