90

Thank you, Derk, for this sample. :D It gave me an opportunity to compare it with the other two What-Cha GABA Oolongs. I really wanted to do this! Already great reviews on this so I’ll add a little, then move on to other thoughts.

So this is the same as their Taiwan GABA oolong but with an added: “medium roast to bring out the sweetness in the tea”. It did indeed seem sweeter than the zero roasted one. It also had a nice light roasted flavor, not overwhelming nor overshadowing the fruit and vanilla notes. It had a clean finish, distinct notes of apple and pear. In the later infusions, it became slightly more minerally, less roasted flavor, and got a few spice notes in addition to the fruit. Overall, it was an excellent GABA oolong.

I had a lot of fun trying to compare the three. I’ve come to the conclusion that I still prefer the Vietnam GABA High Mountain Oolong. Mainly because the cultivar is Jin Xuan versus Si Ji Chun. The Vietnam GABA had milky feel vs a clean feel, it had a longer finish vs a clean finish. I also like the baked bread, buttery, black tea-ish notes in the Vietnam GABA. To me, there was a larger spectrum of fruit notes and was a little richer too.

So there you have it. All were excellent. Thank you again, Derk!

5g, 205°F, 110ml, rinse, 11 steeps: 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s, 35s, 45s, 55s, 65s, 75s, 120s

Flavors: Apple, Burnt Sugar, Floral, Fruity, Nutmeg, Pear, Smooth, Spices, Sweet, Vanilla

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 4 OZ / 110 ML

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Bio

Longtime casual tea drinker. In the past, mainly Matcha, Gyokuro, Sencha, Genmaicha… Etc. I like all teas: Green, oolong, black & pu’erh (prefer ripe over raw).

Chanoyu (for matcha prep) and Gongfu cha (for other types of tea) are the main ways I prepare my tea (Gaiwan, Yixing teapot, Kyusu). I drink all tea… Usually unflavored. This past year, I’ve tried many flavored now because of all of you lol. As long as there aren’t artificial sweeteners, it’s all good.

Favorite stores: TeaVivre, What-Cha, Mandala Tea, 52Teas, Whispering Pines, Bird & Blend, Yunnan sourcing, White2Tea, Lupicia.

The flavors I dislike: Artificial sweetener, lavender, violet, any strong floral-perfumey tea; cantaloupe, papaya, honeydew, rose, licorice, anise, jasmine, any mints, leather.

Favorite flavors: Citrus fruits (especially grapefruit & tangerines), granny smith apple, bananas, guava, mango, tamarind, watermelon, stonefruits, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, milk, cinnamon, creme, bread/pastry, nuts, toasted, roasted.

I generally don’t add anything to my teas unless they are flavored, then I may add a splash of milk.

As I explore, my ratings may shift. 90+ generally means I’ll keep it on my shelf.

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USA

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