Harvest Date:  Spring Harvest – Late April
Growing Region: Shan Lin Xi, Nantou County
Elevation: 1600m 
Tea Bush/Varietal: Qing Xin
Production: Ball Rolled Oolong. 
 
This 2025 organic GABA oolong is a bold, tropical twist on high-mountain Taiwanese tea—grown and crafted with care in the heights of Shan Lin Xi (杉林溪). Nestled at 1600 meters in central Taiwan’s Nantou County, this pristine, pesticide-free garden uses traditional Qing Xin (青心) tea trees, nurtured under strict organic cultivation practices that preserve both the ecosystem and the integrity of the leaf.
 
What sets this oolong apart is its GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) processing, a modern technique where freshly picked leaves are sealed in low-oxygen chambers filled with nitrogen, an inert gas that displaces oxygen and creates the ideal anaerobic environment. This nitrogen-rich atmosphere triggers a natural fermentation that boosts GABA content while unlocking unexpected flavor pathways. In this batch, the result is a tea that’s smooth, calming, and bursting with a pronounced ripe banana note that lingers like warm tropical fruit.
 
This tea brings together organic farming, high elevation, heirloom cultivar, and innovative GABA processing—making it a rare gem even among specialty oolongs. The Qing Xin cultivar, famous for its floral character, takes on a completely different life here: richer, fruitier, and surprisingly dessert-like.
 
This is an ideal tea for evening winding down, slow Sunday mornings, or quiet meditative sessions. Best brewed gongfu-style to experience how the tea evolves—each infusion offering a shift from fruity brightness to warm, rounded sweetness.
 
Organic, mountain-grown, and wholly unique, this 2025 Organic Shan Lin Xi GABA Oolong is not just a tea—it’s a sensory and restorative experience.