Tea Tasting - GABA (JP+TW+CH)

We warmly invite you to discover GABA teas – a true passion of ours. Curious to find out why? Join Jozef "Zajo" Zajac for a special GABA tea tasting.

GABA: Tea Made Without Oxygen

Japan – Taiwan – China | Three tea traditions, one remarkable process

What is GABA, and why has it attracted so much attention in recent years?
How is GABA tea made, and what makes it different from conventional green tea or oolong?
And why can teas from Japan, Taiwan and China have such distinctly different flavour profiles, despite being produced using a similar principle?

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a naturally occurring amino acid also found in tea leaves. During a special processing method in an oxygen-restricted environment, glutamic acid is converted into GABA, significantly increasing its concentration in the tea leaves. This process gives rise to a distinctive category of teas known as GABA tea or Gabaron.

The story of GABA tea began in Japan, but its production gradually spread to Taiwan and China. Each of these tea traditions brings its own approach to processing, tea cultivar selection and the resulting flavour profile. At Čajový Dom, developing our own GABA teas has been a passion for several years.

In 2017, Jozef "Zajo" Zajac travelled to Japan with the idea of introducing this special type of tea to European tea lovers. This was followed by collaboration with Japanese partners, experimentation with different cultivars and the refinement of production methods. The result is our own range of GABA teas, developed in collaboration with our long-standing producers. Together, we will taste and compare GABA teas from Japan, Taiwan and China.

We will explore differences in processing, GABA content, aroma, flavour and the overall character of each tea. We will also introduce our own GABA teas and discover the diverse flavour possibilities this fascinating category has to offer.

Join us for a tea tasting where we will explore GABA not only as a fascinating aspect of tea processing, but above all as a tea worth discovering through your own senses.

The tasting will be led by Jozef "Zajo" Zajac of Čajový Dom.

Venue: Čajový Dom, Povraznícka 2, Bratislava, Slovakia
Date and time: 8 December 2026, at 5:30 pm
Duration: Approximately 2 hours