# Gaba Oolong (佳葉龍茶)

*Цзя Е Лун Ча · Oolong · Fire*

**archetype:** Bear in winter's den

This tea is like a bear that has settled into its winter den: the fire in it does not dance — it smolders in the embers. It does not lead you by the hand; it lies down beside you and breathes with you, until the anxiety burns down to warm ash.

## History

The GABA process was discovered by chance by Japanese scientists in 1984: searching for a way to extend the life of tea leaf, they sealed it in an oxygen-free environment — and found that levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid rose sharply. Taiwan applied the method to a classic oolong: the leaf is rolled like Dong Ding, oxidised to 25–35%, roasted, and then sealed for 8–10 hours in a vessel of nitrogen. The fire in this tea does not leave — it curls up like a bear and falls asleep inside the leaf.

> It is said that one winter on the slopes of Lugu a freezing monk saw a bear by an extinguished hearth: the beast was not asleep, but did not move either — it was holding the warmth inside itself. In the morning the monk found beside the embers a tea leaf that smelled of coals and honey at once. Since then the people of these mountains have known: this tea does not fight the dark — it becomes one body with it.

## Terroir

800–1200 m. volcanic clay with basalt inclusions. humid mists, cool nights, gentle sun. The high-mountain gardens of Lugu and Dong Ding give the optimal leaf — dense, oily, with a long aftertaste.

## Leaf

- **dry leaf:** tightly rolled dark olive pellets, packed firmly; in the hand they feel slightly oily, smelling of bees and dark molasses
- **warmed:** the warmed leaf opens with honey, fermented date wine, and a faint note of the den itself — fur and dry grass
- **after pour:** after the first infusion — baked apple, cinnamon, warm molasses, aged honey
- **taste:** dense, oily, with a long finish; the first infusions give honey and date, the middle ones baked apple and wood, the late ones warm earth and a faint smoke
- **finish:** very long, calming, felt in the chest and the belly

## Properties

- **TCM:** slightly warm, yin in timing; nourishes the kidneys and heart, descends qi, settles the shen
- **Modern:** GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) content from 150 mg/100 g and higher; gently lowers anxiety, supports sleep, does not 'hit' the nervous system the way an ordinary oolong does
- **Cha qi:** thick, warm, settling in the chest and shoulders; the body grows heavy, the breath slows down
- **Caffeine:** moderate (40–60 mg per cup), but the effect is soft thanks to the GABA

## Brewing ritual

a 110 ml gaiwan or a yixing pot of hunni clay (warm earth); soft water, 95 °C; 6 g / 110 ml. 15s — first warmth — honey and date, the leaf is only just waking; 12s — the peak of density: molasses, baked apple, warm wood; 18s — the den: fur of dry grass, cinnamon, a faint sootiness; 25s — the fire settles into the earth — stewed pear, vanilla, silt; 35s — a long warm note, a slow sunset; 50s — warm ash, wood, an aftertaste that holds for an hour.

## When to drink

after sunset, ideally about an hour before sleep. late autumn and winter, especially on cold dark days. when sleep won't come because of stray thoughts; when the body is tired but the head keeps running in circles. 70–85% dark chocolate, baked apple with cinnamon, dried fruit, nuts. solitude, or a very close person with whom you can be silent

## Tea meditation

1. Sit so that your back rests against something.
2. Take the first sip — and don't swallow at once. Hold it in your mouth.
3. The fire you are drinking does not dance. It smolders.
4. Slow your breath in the same way — let it become long, dark, even.
5. You are the den. The tea is the bear. Let it curl up inside you.

## Questions and answers

### How do you brew Gaba Oolong?

a 110 ml gaiwan or a yixing pot of hunni clay (warm earth); soft water, 95 °C; 6 g / 110 ml. 15s — first warmth — honey and date, the leaf is only just waking; 12s — the peak of density: molasses, baked apple, warm wood; 18s — the den: fur of dry grass, cinnamon, a faint sootiness; 25s — the fire settles into the earth — stewed pear, vanilla, silt; 35s — a long warm note, a slow sunset; 50s — warm ash, wood, an aftertaste that holds for an hour.

### What does Gaba Oolong taste like?

dense, oily, with a long finish; the first infusions give honey and date, the middle ones baked apple and wood, the late ones warm earth and a faint smoke

### How much caffeine is in Gaba Oolong?

moderate (40–60 mg per cup), but the effect is soft thanks to the GABA

### What are the effects of Gaba Oolong?

GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) content from 150 mg/100 g and higher; gently lowers anxiety, supports sleep, does not 'hit' the nervous system the way an ordinary oolong does

## Related teas

- [Dong Ding](https://www.dao-cha.info/en/tea/dun-ding)
- [Da Hong Pao](https://www.dao-cha.info/en/tea/da-hong-pao)
- [Lao Shou Mei](https://www.dao-cha.info/en/tea/lao-shou-mei)
- [Oolong](https://www.dao-cha.info/en/class/oolong)