GABA Oolong Amber Smoke

A dark, warming GABA oolong from Mae Salong, Northern Thailand. Light smoky notes blend with fermented pear, mineral sweetness and a soft whisky-like character, finishing clean and slightly wine-like

Amber Smoke is fermented without air. Fresh leaf is sealed under nitrogen, where instead of oxidising it converts its natural glutamic acid into GABA - a method born in Japan in the 1980s and perfected in Taiwan. Ours grows in Mae Salong, Northern Thailand, on Taiwanese cultivar bushes planted decades ago; we buy directly from the producer. Cut off from oxygen, the leaf trades floral top notes for fermented pear, dried fruit and a light smoke - guests at our tastings often guess ripe pu-erh. It is real tea with moderate caffeine; give it 95 °C and it holds six to eight steeps.