New for 2025 — GABA oolong from Alishan, Tea Mail edition.
The raw material is pressed into a neat tea cake of a rich dark brown colour. The aroma of the dry leaf is spicy, sour, with notes of black raisins. When warmed, the leaf smells of dried fruit from an oriental bazaar on a hot midday, dry apple peel and the aromas of a summer garden.
The colour of the infusion, on the other hand, is very light, velvety lemon. The tea unfolds slowly, its taste does not compete with the dry aroma. White currants, sweet dates and dried persimmons are clearly noticeable. With infusions, austerity manifests itself in the form of cherry pits, acorns and nettles. In a slightly astringent, dizzying whirlwind, raspberry and bird cherry leaves merge with an armful of fragrant meadow herbs.
From the fourth pour, low, heavy notes of dilapidated dwellings and hawthorn begin to emerge, along with a more pronounced oiliness. The velvety texture gives way to the slightly rough bitterness of a pharmacy combined with the sourness of prunes.
The state is light and free, calm and concentrated.