What GABA tea is and why it calms

In 1987 researchers at Japan’s National Research Institute of Tea were looking for a way to keep tea leaves fresh. They stored freshly picked leaves in nitrogen instead of air and noticed something unexpected: the leaves had accumulated many times more gamma-aminobutyric acid — GABA — than ordinary tea.

Today GABA tea is made mostly in Taiwan and China, and it has become one of the most interesting shelves in our tea room.

What GABA is

GABA is an amino acid the body makes on its own. In the nervous system it acts as the main “brake”: it lowers the excitability of nerve cells. All tea contains a little of it; by the Japanese standard, GABA tea must contain at least 150 mg per 100 g of dry leaf, and usually has much more.¹

How it is made

1. Freshly picked leaves are sealed in stainless-steel drums.
2. The air is replaced with nitrogen for several hours. Without oxygen the leaf converts glutamic acid into GABA.
3. The cycle is often repeated, with pauses in ordinary air.
4. Then the leaf is processed like an oolong, a red tea or even a pu-erh: rolled, oxidised, dried, sometimes roasted.

Every producer guards their own timings, which is why GABA teas differ so much: some are almost floral, others taste of dried fruit and spice.

Why it feels calming

Whether GABA from food reaches the brain is still debated, and we prefer to be honest about it: tea is not medicine. But GABA teas pair a softer caffeine effect with L-theanine, the amino acid behind tea’s typical calm alertness. Many people find them pleasantly relaxing in the evening, and several small studies point the same way.

What we can say from experience: after two or three cups of a good GABA oolong, most of our guests describe the same thing — warmth, a slower breath, a pleasant heaviness in the shoulders. Nobody has fallen asleep at the table yet.

We don’t sell GABA as a sedative. We sell it as a tea that tastes of baked apples and honey — and happens to make a very good evening cup.

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What it tastes like

The nitrogen step leaves a recognisable signature: a fruity, slightly tangy sweetness — baked apple, plum, dried cherry — over a honeyed base. Roasted versions add bread crust and caramel.

Tea	Base	Taste
GABA Jin Xuan 2026	Milky oolong	Cream, baked apple, flowers
Roasted GABA Li Shan 2026	High-mountain oolong, roasted	Bread crust, caramel, plum
GABA Honey brick	Pressed red tea	Honey, dried fruit, cocoa
Gaba Red Corals	Red tea	Cherry, rosehip, malt

Who it is for

GABA teas are a good first step for people who come to Chinese tea from fruit infusions or red tea: they are sweet, forgiving and hard to make bitter. They also suit an evening ritual — a teapot after dinner, a book, no screens. For a strong morning cup, choose a red tea or a young sheng instead.

How to brew it

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Notes

1. Ordinary green tea typically contains 10–40 mg of GABA per 100 g. Many Taiwanese GABA oolongs measure 200 mg and above. ↩︎