7 Tasting Notes
Great thermos. Unfortunately I broke mine recently. Really my own fault. Dropped the darn thing on a tile floor. Bought a silly replacement and I now appreciate how great the mandala one was. With my new one I get a lot of tea buildup around the ‘strainer’ (not sure if that’s the real name for it) as it’s slanted inwards. Never had this issue with my mandala thermos. I had a few colleagues at work that enjoyed tea or I turned onto tea and they were constantly asking to borrow it simply as a brewing vessel. Great quality, just don’t drop it like I did! Price was high from mandala, but I’d rather pay that again than be stuck with the one I have now!
Boom,
I found my sheng! Either that or I really figured out how to brew this one perfectly. 195 degrees 5/5, 7/7, etc. Took down the temps and steep times a bit. This tea is delicious. Lots of fruit characteristics and no bitter qualities whatsoever. Don’t think I’ll need to order any other Sheng cakes besides these ones for a while! Another great offering from Mandala!
Flavors: Apricot, Pear, Vegetal, White Grapes
Preparation
Trying to expand a little into the Raw Pu erh as I’m normally a Ripe guy. Certainly enjoyed this tea. The 1st time I brewed it I don’t believe I got the water/tea ratio quite right and it was a little too bitter for my liking. I dialed down the tea a bit today and it was much more enjoyable. Tastes of cedar, citrus, a little bitter, and overall kind of tropical.
Flavors: Bitter, Cedar, Citrus, Tropical
Preparation
These young purple leaf sheng can definitely get strongly astringent. Many folks are brewing the young ones with much cooler water, some as low as 175 degrees. I just drank this today before, during and after my sauna and really enjoyed it brewed at 180-195 degrees. Using less leaf and cooler temps it is also very enjoyable brewed grandpa style in a thermos or mug!
Really enjoyed this tea! Gongfu, 5/5, 10/10, etc. First 2 steeps were very smooth and had some mineral and wet wood were apparent along with something else that I couldn’t quite put my finger on (possibly hay or something that slightly reminded me of a barn, was tasty). Around steep 3 caramel and cocoa came to mind which was a very delicious combination. Will certainly be ordering more of this!
Flavors: Caramel, Cocoa, Hay, Mineral, Wet Wood
Preparation
Really interesting tea. Received as a sample from Garret with my noble mark purchase. Different flavors arise with each steep. A little bitter here and there, but very enjoyable. Fits perfectly into a nice evening tea for me. Tobacco, leather, earth, and campfire are prominent in almost all of the steeps and picked up a bit of maple syrup(ish) flavor at the 7+ steep mark. Really enjoyed it and picked up a cake!
Flavors: Campfire, Earth, Leather, Maple Syrup, Tobacco
Preparation
This ripe Pu erh is unbelievable. I decided to purchase a cake right off the bat as some of the reviews seem to coincide with my tastes and I am glad I did. Brewed it gongfu and got 10+ steeps out of it. The vanilla flavor is fantastic and is prominent throughout each steep. It is now my go to daily tea and will be purchasing at least a few more cakes shortly. Not going to say this particular pu erh is something particularly exotic, but it is absolutely delicious and brews smooth and dark. Was my first purchase from Mandala and they now have a lifelong customer (received 2 samples with my order which I will also review). Have already purchased the temple stairs and phatty cake II (the latter of which i received a sample of). Thanks for such a great tea!
Flavors: Tobacco, Vanilla, Walnut, Wet Wood