GABA Bouquet, a special white tea
$ 20.40
天然培育 伽瑪芳香白茶
A very rare white tea
Mr Yu rarely wears shoes and walks in his little tea fields barefooted. He loves the contact with the soil that he keeps so naturally fertile, and uncontaminated. So much so that we smell the sweetness walking into his garden. He brews his own fertilisers and devises various ways of natural pest control. He is so into natural farming that a national university has setup quite a few joint projects with him. He totally worships Nature but his hobby is mechanical engineering. He proudly showed me the GABA deoxygenation tank that he modified and explained to me how it is better in processing the tea.
Tea Hong’s GABA Bouquet is an invention by him. I have yet to find another tea with this kind of fruity bouquet, smoothness and even a good umami tone. He tried quite a few times before arriving at this distinctive taste quality. This is a rare batch and we can only restock when everything will work the same in the next production. It’s all dependent on Nature after all.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Wide kraft-alu pack
In stock
Taste profile
Nose: Fruity bouquet that hints of guava, on an undertone of steamed bamboo leaf and accents of aged ham and fermented soy.
Palate: Bright, lively and fruity. Long with touches of umami and floral aroma. Very slight bites of the bitterness of nuts.
Finish: Lightly sweet but long lasting bouquet presence.
Infusion tips
Recommended infusion temperature: 90°C, leaf to water ratio: 2g to 100 ml for 5 min, raise ratio for strength or for shorter infusion duration.
Do whatever you want with this very flexible and wonderful tea but do not under brew it. It will be a waste if so. Use it as your tea mug tea or party teapot. This is also a tea that can give a dense and velvety “expresso” that is another world from that of the coffee bean.
Water quality is critical
In England and some other parts of Europe, we have found that the tap water is so jammed with TDS that people incline to steep the tea very slightly to avoid the tragic of a cloudy and not so pleasant cup. This is a passive way of dealing with the problem. To me, it is rather illogical and contradictory that the same person would spend money to buy a bottle of wine but not a fraction of the price for water for a cup of good tea. Choose a good water. It does not have to be expensive, choose one that is low in TDS (below 150 ppm) and near pH7 or a touch lower.
An alternative would be an effective filter that can reduce the dissolved solids in your tap water. Make sure it is not those that add salts to turn a water from “hard” to “soft”. It will just add to the TDS. A reverse osmosis filter can be considered if there are no other options, not because of the price but that it basically makes a water that is almost like distilled water, which is not my first choice for making tea with.
A truly enjoyable sip of wholesome and tasteful tea does require a little work, but the reward is certainly worth it.
Mr Yu proudly shows off how clean he can maintain his tea garden by using his natural ways of pests control and the yeast based soil improver that he helps to produce. On the right is a hut in his garden that distribute this same soil improver for the state university. We have also seen the processing barrels, where there is a distinct earthy fermentation scent.
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Additional information
| Weight | 90 g |
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| Dimensions | 18 × 9 × 5 cm |
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Reviews(1)
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Cream Stout, Wuyi yancha oolong
Tea, Oolongs, Wuyi-shan, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral Energy武夷岩茶、矮腳烏龍
Silk Finish Aijiao Wulong:
No this is not the beer but 100% pure oolong. Wuyi classic oolongs in general distinguish themselves from other oolongs with a stout, rather immediate and powerful impact. Tea Hong’s Cream Stout differs from the crowd with a soft creamy finish and a light tone of cream that is developed naturally in the tealeaves themselves. This is possible only with a new pedigree of tea cultivar, Aijiao Wulong. We believe you’ll like the oolong much better than the beer, as we do.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
Silver Needle Supreme, traditional white tea
Tea, White teas, Minnan/ Mindong, Fujian, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Cool Energy福鼎 明前 高山白毫銀針
Genuine Baihao Yinzhen:
The first ever modern white tea, Silver Needle that came about in late 18th century withstands time as still the highest quality in the category. Produced in the origin of Fuding with the original pedigree cultivar Fuding Daibai, Tea Hong’s Silver Needle Supreme is a high altitude first flush that distinguishes itself with a subtle yet the most joyful aroma and flavors amongst its peers. The finest and purest of this variety.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
Shiguping Wulong, rare Phoenix oolong
Tea, Oolongs, Fenghuang | Phoenix, Lighter Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral-Cool Energy鳳凰隱世珍品 極限量 石古坪烏龍
Rare Indigenous Cultivar:
To us, offering the extremely rare Shiguping Wulong is not a challenge enough. We think we should give you the best of its kind. Trekking further deep into the mountain above the elusive main village of Shiguping, we found the patch of land which the locals called Liao-xi-ya, where it all began. The tea is softer, yet fuller and even more complex than that in the main village. The very original Shiguping Wulong*, as highly acclaimed by the man who devoted all of his life in advocating oolongs of Phoenix, the 74 years-old tea specialist Huang Bozi.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
Huangshan Maofeng Supreme, traditional green tea
Tea, Green teas, Huangshan & Anhui, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Cool Energy黃山毛峰 明前嫰芽
Pre-Qingming Maofeng:
Huangshan (translate: Yellow Mountain) is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and a China national conservation. Besides beautiful sceneries, it is also the origin for many a fine teas, such as Huangshan Maofeng. The tender young leaf shoot to make Tea Hong's Huangshan Maofeng Supreme is always plucked with one or two tiny immediate leaves before Spring Equinoix, and always before Qing Ming. Always from the few small family tea farms in the high mountains that we buy from. It is a rare quality even in the market in Huangshan, and if you ever found it, would be at a much higher price. Working directly with producers is a principal at Tea Hong. While offering quality at a reasonable price is one immediate benefit that you as a consumer can enjoy, there are more important reasons and not so immediate results that we aim at. Your patronage means great support for our cause.
Two pack options available, 40g or 70g net weight, please choose at below:
This is definitely one of the most intriguing white teas I’ve ever had – it pushes the boundaries in terms of the flavor profiles typically associated with white teas.
To me, this GABA Bouquet is strongly reminiscent of Easter dinner – I get pungent and sweet notes of honey-glazed ham, with a fruitiness reminiscent of Maraschino cherries & sweet pineapple flesh, along with complex undertones of fermented soy – not quite sour or acidic like natto, and not quite salty or brine-y like soy sauce – more akin to steamed edamame with just a pinch of fermented funkiness to it.
There’s an oily and resinous note of clove that seems to gently cut through the fermented notes and add an additional, more complex, layer to the experience. It’s vibrant, and has good depth to it.
There’s an addictive and soothing quality to the flavor profile because it seems like it shouldn’t work, but it does, and it tastes amazing.
The umami is outstanding, and the leaf quality is superb. From the initial sip to the brewed-out leaves, you can tell these plants were healthy & happy in their life, and that they were processed exceptionally well. The meticulous nature of making this tea is, I think, reflected in the incredible uniformity of the leaves. This tea is clearly grown & made with love.
Easter dinner! That is an amazing analogy. You do have a creative way of describing your taste experience that I am really envy of. Before we begun carrying any GABA teas, I used to be quite skeptic about it and none that I have tasted convinced me, until of course, the encounter with our GABA Orange Extra. It opened up a new horizon for me, and I think it is a respectable item to be in the collection. But this white tea version actually enchanted me. I wouldn’t imagine such depth, intricacy, and as you so precisely put it, “addictive and soothing” can come out of the GABA process.