Looking back in my log book, I took some hasty notes with a 10g sample of the Autumn 2018 harvest purchased a month or two ago.
One brew was 5g stewed in my 20oz thermos for several hours. Delightfully tangy, sweet and fruity with berries.
The other 5g I dedicated to gongfu. I was able to pick apart the fruitiness into a dominant sweet-tart red raspberry-red apple-grape-rhubarb with other notes of blackberry, blueberry, red cherry, pear, white toast, baked bread, malt and butter. The minerality and salivation appeared very early and transitioned into a woodier, drier mouthfeel that when combined with the taste reminded me of apricot kernel. Juicy fruit aroma (not the chewing gum).
[5g, 100mL porcelain pot, 205F, rinse discarded due to sharp toastiness, good longevity]
This Vietnamese GABA definitely had that grape quality I find in most Taiwanese GABA oolong of a specific cultivar that at the moment is escaping me. However, this tea was more berry-focused; a nice departure from the floral grape I’ve been experiencing lately.
The flavor notes listed below are a combination of both brewing methods.
Wishlisted — I’ll have to buy a larger quantity next time!
Flavors: Almond, Apricot, Baked Bread, Berries, Blackberry, Blueberry, Brown Toast, Butter, Cherry, Flowers, Fruity, Grapes, Honey, Malt, Pear, Raisins, Raspberry, Red Apple, Rhubarb, Sweet, Tangy, Tart, Thick, Toast, Wood
Ooooh @Derk, this is my all-time favorite GABA tea <3 I’m almost ready to order as well.