Previously, we looked at why we’ve included liquorice in our first blend of Fencha. One of its other ingredients is GABA oolong tea, which, on the face of it, seems to be an ingredient you’d expect to find in a tea blend. But while oolong tea has been around for well over a thousand years, dating from the Tang Dynasty, GABA oolong tea is a much more recent creation…
Oolong tea (烏龍茶)
To cut a very long story short (which isn’t fair, of course, but hopefully you will be encouraged to read more elsewhere), oolong tea is a sort of ‘halfway point’ between green and black tea. When a tea leaf is picked, the process of oxidisation – how its chemical structure is affected by oxygen – begins. So, if we consider a black tea as completely oxidised, which is apparent from its appearance as it has changed colour (or call it ‘fermented’), and green tea as minimally oxidised, having preserved much of its original colour (or call it ‘unfermented’), oolong falls somewhere in between (‘semi-fermented’). In fact, any tea that has been oxidised to between eight and 70-85 per cent could be considered as an oolong tea, depending on your source.
Traditional Chinese medicine considers oolong tea to have multiple health benefits, including cholesterol-lowering properties, high-levels of vitamin C, helping enzymes to break down fat, and for calmness and relaxation.
GABA
Also known less-snappily as gamma-aminobutyric acid and H2N(CH2)3COOH, GABA is a neurotransmitter that suppresses nerve activity. It’s found, obviously, in the brain, as well as in plants, including tea. It is considered to promote calmness and help to control blood pressure and stress, as well as combatting problems that could be caused by anxiety. This fascinating short introduction to GABA explains in further detail how it affects us.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkCUL1-RM4U[/embedyt]
GABA oolong tea (佳葉龍茶)
While oolong tea is very old, and scientists have been aware of GABA in some forms since the late 1800s, GABA oolong tea was first created only 30 years ago in 1987. Researchers in Japan were examining ways of preserving food and found that tea left to oxidise with high concentrations of nitrogen would develop a lot more GABA than it would if left in ordinary conditions. If regular oolong tea has around six milligrams of GABA per 100 gram portion, GABA oolong tea has 150mg in the same portion. Essentially, it’s packed with the good stuff.
GABA is the focus of a lot of study in relation to many health conditions, including cancer, blood pressure, diabetes, neurological disorders and growth. Here at Fencha, we are fascinated by GABA’s effect on both calmness and focus; indeed, some swear by GABA’s links to alertness and memory.
Another potential benefit of GABA oolong tea is its effects on alcohol consumption – our Don says it’s a great way to help beat a hangover!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nehOrKti9r8[/embedyt]