Tea: Serene GABA Tea
A GABA Oolong from Health & Tea
Brand: | Health & Tea |
Style: | GABA Oolong |
Region: | Taiwan / Formosa |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Loose? | Loose |
# Ratings: | 1 View All |
Product page: | Serene GABA Tea |
Reviewer: Alex Zorach
✓ 1453 teas reviewed
✓ 1 of GABA Oolong
✓ 143 of Oolong Tea
✓ 11 of Health & Tea
✓ 75 from Taiwan / Formosa
Review of Serene GABA Tea
March 23rd, 2015
Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
4 of 10 | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 47 of 100 |
Mediocre | Fair | Reasonable |
Odd, just odd, and I didn't enjoy it very much. My first experience with GABA tea.
The dry leaf of this tea looks brown, like a moderately roasted oolong, and has a faint nutty aroma with hints of gingerbread cookie dough.
Upon brewing, the main thing I notice is the lack of obvious oolong aroma. The aroma is very strange. Up front, there's a quality I dislike, that I find hard to describe. Past this, the aroma is fruity, in a way completely unlike other teas. I've heard GABA oolong described as smelling like guava, and I do see the guava resemblance. There's also a suggestion of baked goods. I noticed that Nicole Martin once described a GABA tea as "biscuity", and I see that quality in this teas as well.
Astringent for an oolong, with an astringency that is similar to that of stronger black teas. The overall mouthfeel is much more like a black tea, as is the finish. I find the astringency, especially in the finish, to be unpleasant--and it certainly clashes with the commercial description of this tea, which claims a "long lasting smooth finish". I found the opposite, it left me with a noticeable puckering or sandpaper sensation on my palate.
I did notice feeling calm after drinking this tea, but the effect wasn't particularly pronounced or dramatic, and I have no idea how much of that was psychological.
This tea seems like a bit of an oddity. I can't see myself drinking it regularly because I don't like the flavor and overall experience of drinking it.