Treeman's GABA № 15 (GABA)

Treeman - Life and Teamaking in the Wild

For Wild Tea Master Cho (or Treeman as we call him) nature is where he belongs. Living in the wild, he has shed tears, sweat and even blood, surviving snake bites, bee stings and a bear attack. What sounds like scenes from an adventure movie is Treeman’s life for most of the time. Experiencing wilderness has enabled him to strengthen his intuition and sharpen his senses. In a way he has learned to speak the language of the forest, communicating with all its animals and plants. His mind has gradually transitioned from societal desires to a state of silence, of oneness with the Taiwanese mountains.

He could stay away and live a secluded life for the most part. However, he choses to share. Through the tea he grows and makes he passes on his wisdom and energy obtained by mother nature.

"You must have absolute love for tea, absolute love for people, absolute love for the land." - Wild Tea Master Cho / Treeman

All for the Sake of Protecting the Environment

Treeman has an extremely high standard and clear vision for growing the best tea possible: wild farming. All of his actions are aimed at protecting the environment, the mountains, animals, water streams and the tea itself. Here are some of his preconditions:

The growing environment has to be as natural and untouched as possible. It has never been developed or cultivated in the past. When the land is pure and well cared for by loving people, it will emit a strong healing energy. This will result in healthy thick tea leaves, rich in substance and flavor, transforming the tea into natural medicine.

The tea garden has to be separated from its neighbours by at least one kilometre to ensure that there is no cross contamination of air or water sources.

The tea trees don’t get pruned – even though this is a common practice on conventional tea farms to increase tea leaf growth / harvest output. Instead the tea plants are allowed to develop naturally reaching heights of 2,5 to 4 m. This means the roots reach into the soil to about the same depth. In comparison to other types of tea, natural and wild farmed tea can therefore absorb much more nutrients and energy from the soil.

Conventional tea farming methods aim to squeeze out as many harvests as possible. Four to six times a year is the norm. Treeman harvests his tea only once a year. This is his way of showing respect to mother nature, staying as humble as he can. It allows the tea trees to recuperate as much as possible and keeps the environment in balance.

In order to deliver the best loose leaf teas, they are entirely processed by hand. Even the extremely cumbersome and time-consuming ball-shaped and charcoal-roasted oolong teas. Their making takes at least three days of sleepless work. And now at least try to grasp that Treeman is not driven by money but by an almost child-like intention of wanting to share his creations with you; to deliver nature’s message, to heal, to relax, to give energy, to connect.

"All the thoughts of the tea maker's mind at the moment will remain in the tea. If the tea is made by machine, there is no heart. We say that tea is the unity of the universe, earth and mankind. Whether the heart is good or not is the most important thing.” - Wild Tea Master Cho / Treeman

Path to Health and Inner Peace

"This is not the taste of tea, this is the taste of the forest. Including many kinds of trees, unique local herbs and flowers and all types of medicinal herbs. The aroma is stored in this land along with the fragrance of this terroir. Now it's all concentrated in the cup of tea in your hand.” - Wild Tea Master Cho / Treeman

Instead of being contaminated by chemical fertilizers, pesticides or heavy metals, his wild farmed tea trees draw from the soil a wealth of micronutrients. It is rich in antioxidants and natural ingredients that can help regulate the body, boost the immune system and relieve stress. What makes this natural tea so special is not only its purity and origin but also its ability to satisfy our deepest needs in an ever faster moving society: moments of tranquillity, real connection and the rebalancing of mind and body.

Portrait

GABA tea is a type of tea that has been specially processed to increase its levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a naturally occurring compound in the human body known for its calming and relaxing effects. The production process involves exposing fresh tea leaves to a oxygen-free environment, which stimulates the conversion of glutamic acid to GABA.

This GABA tea grown by Wild Tea Master Cho aka Treeman in mountainous terrain at an altitude of 1.500 meters in Nantou, Taiwan. The plantation's steep slopes, mostly rocky in composition, retain water less effectively than typical tea plantations. As a result, plants naturally root deeper into the soil for moisture. Weeds and symbiotic plants growing in the plantation serve as the tea trees' primary sources of nutrients. Only during periods of drought are small amounts of plant-based protein fertilizer supplemented. Tea trees are cared for in a semi-wild manner, with no pruning, allowing them to grow naturally and to produce nutrient-rich tea buds.

This GABA tea initially releases a scent reminiscent of fresh grass, transitioning into a refreshing floral aroma akin to white tea. Its taste is gentle, soft and refreshing. Drinking this tea evokes sensations of standing in a wild field with a breeze carrying diverse scents of grass and various wildflowers. As the tea enters the body the sympathetic nervous system relaxes and the parasympathetic nervous system takes the lead. This shift induces a sense of tranquillity. GABA tea is renowned for its potential health benefits, which include stress reduction, improved sleep, anxiety relief, and regulation of blood pressure.

Information

Cultivar • Qing Xin Oolong

Type • GABA tea, loose leaf

Origin • Nantou, Taiwan

Elevation • 1.500 m

Farming method • natural

Harvest • spring 2023, hand-picked

Oxidation • oxygen-free process (GABA)

Refinement • none

Brewing Suggestion

• porcelain tea ware

• 90 - 95 °C

• 2,8 g | 100 ml

• 60 s - 75 s - 95 s -120 s ...