GABA Oolong from Taiwan’s “Frozen Summit” (Dong Ding Mountain)

$29.85

A high mountain Taiwanese tea, Dong Ding (冻顶) "Frozen Summit” is renowned worldwide for its exceptional flavor profile and unique growing conditions at 1600 meters. This is a GABA-enriched tea: GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter that can induce relaxation and a remarkable sense of focused calmness, and diminish anxiety. The taste is aromatic and floral, like perfectly ripe fruit, with less astringency and metallic taste than most GABA oolongs. The tea “liquor” is bright and golden in color.

In the 1980s, tea growers in Japan developed special GABA-enriched/fortified teas, known simply as GABA teas, through an oxygen-free fermentation process. These enriched teas contain 800% as much GABA as a regular cup of oolong tea. Several studies tested GABA oolong teas, in particular, with an Australian study concluding that its consumption led to a significant decrease in the immediate stress score and a significant improvement in heart rate variability, concluding that “even a very small amount of GABA-fortified oolong tea leads to a significant effect on acute stress levels reflected by the improved HRV measures” (Hinton et al, 2019).

This tea has a lower caffeine level, less than half of a cup of coffee, which makes it a great choice for drinking late into the day.

Packaged in resealable packet.

Instructions:

  1. Scoop out about one teaspoon of tea
  2. Place your tea pearls into the infuser or cup, then pour water at about 200 degrees (just under boiling) over the tea pearls. Allow the tea to steep for 2-3 minutes, adjusting for taste
  3. Strain and enjoy

Note: The tea can be steeped for multiple infusions, with each infusion revealing different nuances of flavor.