Mandala Tea
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Quick Notes Thanks again to Amy Oh for sharing with me :)
Dry Leaf- slightly sweet and grassy (hard to smell sample sizes)
Wet Leaf- Bittersweet, floral, fruity(apricot?)
Gong Fu Done at work using a Fuguang (which makes it harder to smell the wet leaf, but makes a great out of the house gong fu method).
1st 30 seconds – Sweet and delicate in the front with floral, vegetal, green/grass notes as it washes down. The taste becomes slightly savory before turning sweet and fruity again. Slightly refreshing.
2nd 40 seconds – Floral bitterness in the front with more apparent grassiness and slightly vegetal taste that slowly becomes sweeter and mellow with somewhat fruity hints while still maintaining its grassy notes.
Final Notes
At first I thought there was not aftertaste to it but I was wrong. The after taste linger quite a bit, but it starts very subtle (mostly sweet), but as the sweetness subsides you can appreciate a more floral and grassy taste.
Preparation
Wow, Steepsters. Just wow. Garret very kindly sent me a sample of this, and I am completely floored. This is a 2012?! I’m not getting any bitterness from this, even at 205f. I’m certainly not a puerh expert, in fact I think I barely qualify as a “newb”, but I would be very excited to try this tea again in 5 years (and 10, and 15…). It’s subtly sweet, smoky, and almost creamy. Slightly reminiscent of a vegetal green but the smoky element really sets this apart.
Preparation
Ill have to but you when I get into them garret and see what you recommend from your store :)
I love Rayn’s little “reviews” of teas, and I forgot to add his from last night! He took a sip and said “hay…smoke”. One more sip and then “a burning barnyard”.
This tea comes to me thanks to Azzrian, who sent me an awesome box of tea in our recent swap. This is one of the few that I asked for specifically because I really love Teavivre’s black pearls and am interested to try others as well.
I used 5 pearls for my 12oz cup. After two minutes they unraveled pretty completely and the liquor is a dark reddish amber. It smells rich, a touch chocolatey, with a hint of something else I can’t quite place. Oh right, a bit of smoke.
Yeah, this definitely has a smoky note to it that I was not expecting at all. It reminds me a bit of a keemun I tried once… with all the grainy, mollassesy, chocolatey sweetness, and a hit of smoke on top. Unfortunately, I am not really a fan of those smoky notes. They really do not do it for me at all. I can tell this is a very nice tea and without those smoke notes, I would love it. But I definitely won’t be seeking this one out again. Thanks so much for letting me try it, Azzrian!
Preparation
Garret kindly sent me a sample of this in my Mandala Tea order!
I don’t have much experience with sheng, but this shows signs of good aging, I think. The liquid is slightly sweet and grassy, with the tiniest hint of sour. I’m picking up a bit of a floral note in here as well, like a subdued oolong. I tend to get this interesting back of the throat scratchy feeling with some puerhs too, and while it feels a bit odd, I’ve come to associate it with good puerhs since it’s occurred with most good ones that I’ve had. I’m getting the throat feeling with this one! I also have lots of energy right now after 2 cups (about 8oz).
Thanks again for the sample Garret, and I’m hoping I have the funds to pick up one of these cakes up in the future! :)
Preparation
HI Claire! I’m so happy you are enjoying this. You and I seem to have some synchronous pu’er thang goin’ on since we met! I had this same pu’er today, too! I am shooting to do another pressing of the same leaf, from the same family next spring, too. I love that orchid flower hint in this tea… it definitely is reminiscent of some taiwanese high mountain oolongs. I look forward to what this will be in 5-10 more years! I’ve got a bunch set aside for just that sort of finding out :) Have a merry night!
Very nice shu puerh! This was one of the ones I was waiting to try for quite some time and I was not disappointed.
I love the smoothness of the sip and the strength to its brew. Really does well with a GongFu styled shorter steeping. The liquid has plenty of body and is not watered down tasting. This allows for quick reload of your next cup and works perfect for the impatient tea drinker. No need to wait here, steep for 7 seconds in your gaiwan and you are all set – time to pour and sip!
There is very little fermentation smell or taste – more fresh uncovered earth or moisten moss. Greener, not old musty. I found no bitterness at all, no matter the steep time (I did allow the leaves to steep longer a couple times, to gauge it’s character under the Western steeping style. It’s all about knowledge and full experience, for me that is).
There were some cleaner, almost medicinal properties to the tea that I noticed the longer I drank. One surprise I found, somewhere around cup 4-5, was a numbing sensation towards the front of the mouth and concentrated on the tip of the tongue. This was most enjoyable and added depth to the overall interaction with this tea and its wonderful complexity.
I’m sure that I’ve missed a few points that are needed to be stated, however my mind is not able to put all the necessary words together. I guess what is written will have to be the only voice at this time. If there is any question of what I’m trying to say – I really enjoyed this tea!
Preparation
On my list!
I am so humbled and appreciative of the enjoyment that you are all expressing for the teas that I have been choosing and pressing. It makes all the work and money worth it. I am truly grateful. No words. Just so happy. A happy man.
Drinking phatty cake today while I agonize over finals. This morning shortly after breakfast my right eye started to twitch; this has happened to me before around finals times, and it means I am way too stressed! I figured that meant it was a good day to drink some good and calming puerh. Monday I have a 9-10 page paper due for my Shakespeare class, and I’m writing on devils and exorcism in Twelfth Night and King Lear. After writing five pages of that today I felt like I was ready for an exorcism myself. ;)
chrine – I think King Lear is Shakespeare’s best play (my opinion). My final paper ended up discussing the nature of disguise as a kind of possession and accompanying exorcisms (Viola as “monstrous”, Edgar in disguise, the Fool in disguise exorcising Malvolio). I’m happy to say that the professor really liked it!
Sweet! I’m glad you did well on your paper. =)
This is a fantastic little fat cake. I’m on the 8th or 9th steep now (I lost count) and it’s STILL going. And on top of that, it’s still going with short steeps, like 15-20 seconds.
This is the kind of shu that I just love. Deliciously earthy and mushroom-like, no fishy sneaking in there, slightly spicy and reminiscent of hanging out on some pine needles with giant redwoods. I know there are some puerh purists out there who would snark at this description, but that’s just what it does for me!
I had some really mellow and euphoric feelings with this shu as well, especially in the first few steeps. Ever since then I have been AWAKE. Of course now it’s (checks time) 11:30 and very soon I need to be asleep…
I drank this from the time I got home from work until now, when I need to crawl into bed. Such a good (cute, it’s cute darn it) little cake.
Preparation
I slept great too! :) Forgot to add last night that my cats actually found the smell of this tea fascinating. First they wanted to sniff the cake, and then my cat Wiggles kept hopping on my lap to sniff at my cup of tea!
I’m amazed at how I can do a tea sesh late in the evening and still sleep so well! Oh, and the secret ingredient in the Phatty Cake is catnip, I forgot to tell you. J/K. My old dog, Wilson, drank cool green tea in his bowl often. He lapped it right up!
Quick Notes at Work
Thanks again to Amy Oh for sharing with me , I really appreciate it :)
The leaves smell faintly sweet but after a quick wash you can smell the sweetness and some of that slight raw puerh bitterness that is floral. I love Silver Bud Puerhs because it has all the characteristics of a Sheng in the most subtle of ways. Its complex simplicity if that makes sense.
The liquor is darker than I expected, specially for a younger puerh. It has an orange hue with slightly lively still. It smells sweet and slightly floral. It tastes sweet, mellow and smooth. I notice the slightest bit of astringency as it washes down but it may be because of the hairs in the bud (need a fine filter for work I guess).
The after taste is sweet and slightly floral, a little bit ‘juicy’ but also taste ‘greener’ like a Yunnan Silver Needle would taste like. Reminds me of Yunnan’s Sourcing’s ‘Jing Gu “White Pekoe Silver Needles” White Tea’ I bought once.
Overall a good Puerh, If you don’t mind younger Puerh or are too afraid to start with them I would try this one. I feel like it needs more aging, it still has some of its greener taste to it. I would Buy and store it ;)
Preparation
Another from the travelling tea box! When I see a black pearl, I have to go for it!
This is the strangest Black Pearl I’ve had (I’ve tried 3-4 from different companies). I found this one quite gritty, lots of sediment at the bottom of my cup, and it definitely tasted more like a mild puer than a black tea. Interesting!
No notes really popped out at me except for earthy or sort of like fresh dirt. I was pining for a sweetness or smokiness that never really came – didn’t get any floral. (I used 3 pearls for one small mug). The resteep didn’t impress me too much so I didn’t go for a third.
That said I was very happy to try! I think I’ll stick with the Jasmine Black Pearl from DT and Black Dragon from Teavivre for my pearly needs, but thanks travelling box!
HI!! I have to figure out what’s going on here. I’m Garret and I founded mandala tea. I sourced these black pearls each year in China. I can’t for the life of me understand why the last two reviews (both of whom received it as a trade from someone else) are having such poor experiences with it. This is the same batch that is usually reviewed in the 90’s and that we sell a ton of (literally). I can only surmise that something has occurred in the storage of or the shipping of the leaves. One reviewer said they were overpowering in jasmine and yet they are not imbued with jasmine whatsoever. This is, indeed, a curiosity and it’s making me a little crazy. Ok… I was crazy to begin with :) Just hard to see what I know is such a great tea all of the sudden get two bad ratings. Well, I may never know what happened here. But I appreciate you writing about it. If you read the previous reviews, you’ll see some pretty great things said about them. This is a headscratcher, for sure. I hope you are having tea-riffic day, my friend!! Joy to you!!
Azzrian Thanks so much for a bit of this one!
GOLDEN is right! It infuses to a Golden Color – there isn’t a better word to describe it, really. It’s beautiful!
The aroma is a little floral and a little savory, even.
The flavor is wonderful, too! It’s a neat buttery-broth texture with a slightly floral/slightly vegetal taste paired with that broth-likeness!
I could easily drink this all day!
Full review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 12th of November 2012.
This is a great young pu’er.
I feel it could mature more but a great starting point with notes of leather and berry.
There is also a buttered toast element growing here.
A great starter Shu!
Yes… I have been doing bodywork/wellness consulting for 16 years now. It is strange to let go of this part of my life and the wellness center, too. But the woman who is taking over is super perfect. She will do very well here and we are happy that she is the one who has the place now. And she is into tea so this really helps all our customers in this city that they will still be able to purchase here!
As we get the new place up and running, I will still do one or two bodywork sessions a week, I’m sure. I love to do bodywork so much and can’t imagine life without it. and of course, my passion for health, wellness, healing, meditation are going no where, I will continue to help no matter what I am doing. Life is one big experiment, tweak a few variables and check the outcome.
What a wonderful opportunity to be able to have a body and see what we can do with it. Oh yes, and a wide-open heart, too :)
hi garret you gave me a cake sample.
(This sample was generously provide to me by Mandala Tea with my order. Thank you Garret.)
Dry Leaf: Has a spicy aroma with a light wood aroma think pine or cedar.
Wet Leaf: Has a spicy aroma the wood aroma was very faint.
Liquor: Was clear
Taste: This tea was very light think “white tea.” There was a spicy aspect to this tea that warms you up. When I say spice think pepper. There is a light wood I get like pine or cedar which can give that earthiness some may describe it. But, for me it’s a woody taste.
Vessel: 100 ml or 3 oz. gaiwan and sample we will call 5 grams. I brewed it gongfu style and brewed it about 15-18 times I would guess. Sorry, I didn’t keep track. But my number should be close.
Overall Opinion: My score is a 90, I have not had enough of this tea to know the good,the bad, and the ugly from this type of tea. What I can say is this tea is very intriguing. The texture of this tea as you steep it out is soft and smooth. After I was done steeping this tea I threw it in a container with water and put it in the refrigerator and cold brewed it and actually had nice iced tea the next day. So, amazingly enough this tea is great hot or iced. As for the people who always need to add a sweetener to their teas this one works well with honey in my humble option. I am more of a guy that keeps things plain but I had a hunch that a dab of honey would work fine with this tea and wanted to try it out for all the people who have sweet tooth’s out there. I also want to add this is a very forgiving tea. I am very curious on how this tea will taste aged.
Preparation
@Garret- I like to keep my tea plain Jane so I can enjoy the tea as the tea master intended. But, I do like to test adding a sweetener if I feel it could be added without it tasting terrible. LOL! But, taste is subjective. My wife adds sugar or equal to all her teas which is why she is more of your red tea drinker aka black tea. I think she does better with the English/Irish breakfast or and Orange Pekoe. I have got her to come around to some shu puerhs but again she wants that sweetener in there. So, now you know where her taste buds lie any suggestion on what else she may like? LOL!
Tell you wife better sugar than equal or any other artificial sweetener. Not to prescribe any health stuff to you, but the artificial sweeteners are really tough on the body, particularly the metabolism and the brain cells. I’ve been suspicious of them for some time, but the latest research has really made me happy that I have stayed away from them.
Your wife may very well dig the Black Pearl hong cha we have. I bought a ton of them on my latest trip to China and the success and popularity of them makes me realize that I will have to buy more sooner than I thought. We’ve had many customers tell us it is the best hong cha for breakfast they’ve ever had. Definitely worth a try. She can try them in a lighter infusion without sweetener to see what she thinks. Otherwise, many customers are brewing them up strong, adding a dash of milk and a wee bit o’honey -not the candy :) – or sugar. Rock on!!
Got this as a sample from Mandala with a teapot I ordered
This is pretty darn good! Similar to dragonwell, which usually isn’t my favorite, but I really enjoyed this tea. It has a nice nutty taste, more like macadamia than chestnut, which lingers for quite a while and gives a strong, pleasant tingling at the back of the throat. Its smoother than a dragonwell, kind of like a light oxidation oolong.
The leaves are nicely pressed and unbroken, and open up fully when brewing. This is a very light colored green tea, almost looks like a white or yellow.
The pot I ordered is very cute and has a nice pour, however the lid doesn’t seem to fit quite right, which is a little disappointing. It looks like the body of the pot was slightly warped during production, leaving the hole that the lid sits on slightly oval shaped, so it wont quite fit. Its a nice small pot though, and the lid trouble wont keep me from using it.
i think i got the last 350cc one with the removable filter basket. i think it was 12.00 with 7.99 shipping i like it so much that i emailed the buyer to see if he had another.here is the item i bought if ebay still has it up.380449524467
sorry its 420 on the size link still up
I am giving sheng another chance with my stomach today! I need to find the optimal time to drink it, seems like late morning or afternoon is a good sheng time for me. It also helps if I don’t drink it in on a complete empty stomach. Gah I hate having such a fickle tummy!
So about this tea, it is very aromatic – woodsy, smoky and lemon-y smelling. It’s definitely one I enjoy when it’s steeped for a short period of time, like 10 -20 seconds or it gets way too assertive for me. It has a nice golden color, and at the shorter steeps it has a smooth, sweet flavor with the smoke in the finish. Very energizing tea.
The leaf of this little brick is already getting dark and it will be for sure interesting to see how it ages if I have it around for a while. The caveat of the smaller bricks is that there’ s less in general to save for the future. :)
Preparation
Sorry I am bit late! The work week has been crazy and today snow!
mrmopar – no worries :)
I apologize for the low res photo but if someone can grab the bigger one, then please feel free.
Okay I’ve had this brick for a little while now but am just getting around to tasting it, what a slacker I am. :)
I am using the YiXing teapot for this and managed to break off a small piece with my hands. I did a quick rinse and got a very nice earthy, woodsy smell.
The first steep I did for around 30 seconds. I am surprised that this tea is already so mellow and seems to have some signs of aging creeping in. It seems woodsy with a cinnamon sort of flavor, and the aftertaste is slightly bitter.
2nd steep: some interesting flavors are coming up, again I am reminded of cinnamon and also orange. A bit of the bitterness is retreating. There’s a slight bit of smoke, I think and a light tobacco flavor.
3rd steep: I did for around 45 seconds, that may be a bit too long for this tea and my tastes, I’m getting lots of tobacco with a woodsy smell. I can’t quite place it, perhaps oak?
4th steep: 10 seconds. Definitely this is a better steeping time for me. This is pretty good now but I wonder how much better it will be in 10 years??? Glad I got some!
Preparation
Hi!! The music fest is called Boats and Bluegrass and it takes place right next to the Mississippi River just outside of Winona, MN. It is a wonderful fest, low-key, great people, incredible music (not just bluegrass) and the best scenery! We love being a part of it. Great times!!
Yes, I’d love to!
Wow. I’ve only had one other milk oolong but this one just puts it to shame, no contest. I’ve been brewing it gongfu cha style and I’m on the 6th steep but it keeps on giving.
The last milk oolong I had tasted more like a tie guan yin with heavy florals and not so much creaminess, but this one possesses an extremely rich sweet cream scent and flavor. I would almost swear it was flavored if I didn’t know better. There are also notes of spinach and mint. This tea feels like a sublime dessert.
Thanks for the sample, Garret.
It’s been a long day & I’m exhausted! My 2 sons & I spent the entire day (from 8:30am – 5:30pm) staining our back porch. It looks awesome! Did I drink tea while we worked? Of course! I had a cup of Butiki’s Irish Breakfast first.
This Black Pearl from Mandala was my only sip down today, which was steeped & resteeped @ 1, 2, & 5 minutes. It’s sad to polish this one off, as Garret doesn’t have any more of it, but might as well enjoy it!
I ended the day with Foxy Roxy’s Banana Walnut treat. Sorry I’m posting all my teas in one place, I’m feeling kind of lazy at this point.
Starting my tea drinking day with these pearls, which are completely different than thepuritea’s pearls, which I had yesterday. Although both pearls are tasty & sweet, I’d say Mandala’s pearls feature a more savory & malty kind of taste, & today I’m getting an almost lemony sensation on the edges & underside of my tongue. They are also much bigger.
I’m having this one again today, in part because I brought plenty of it with me, & also because…well, because it’s really really good! I do have some other teas with me to sample, but I’ll get to those in a little while :)
On my list then ;)
Btw do you know if Mandala is doing Black Friday sale? I’m dying to order some stuff from them.
Like you, I’m waiting to see! :)
My pumpkin experiment left me wanting just a basic black tea, & luckily I brought a pretty good stash with me this weekend.
Recently there was a discussion on steepster regarding black tea pearls, with one person claiming they all came from the same factory. I will have to politely disagree, because I’m certain that this is not true. I’d say that all of the ones labeled ‘fengqing’ black pearls might, but due to my ‘pearl’ fetish, I have a pretty good selection of them, & I’ve observed the following:
– they come in different sizes
– there are also color differences sometimes
– most importantly, they don’t all taste the same
I would still like to do an official comparison of the ones I have, & maybe this week I’ll finally get around to that. Meanwhile, I can say for a fact that this batch, from Mandala, is distinctly different from the ones I have from TeaVivre, which is different from the ones I have from thepuritea. I like them all.
I think these black pearls have the boldest flavor of the three: malty, rustic, with a little pepper & today I’m feeling a little citrus & allspice.
I always buy pearls when I see them :)
Yes, I also agree, I find them all very different! Need to get me some new pearls. :)
Ahoy, Pirates & Lubbers alike! It’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day, & I’m sailing on me ship, the Black Pearl. A true beauty she is, with full malty sails, a sweet breeze blowing, & a bold deck! So raise your cup high in her honor, me friends, & shout out a bold & hearty ARRRRRRR!!!
Join me in the day of revelry, debaucherie, & wild abandon!
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/howto.html
I’ll have to remember to cut back on the number of pearls I use for this one! Most of the ‘pearl’ teas require 6 to make a decent cup, IMO.
I previously used 6 for this one, & that was too many. Today I used 5, & I think that was also an over-leaf. Next time I’ll try 4!
Still a tasty cup though, just a little on the strong side! Oh well, I have places to go, people to see, harps to move, etc. A strong cup is what I need. I steeped 3 times: 3 min, 4 min, 5 min, all very potent. This tea resteeps well! (alternatively, maybe next time I’ll shorten my steepings as well…)
oh god… hopefully it won’t get here until i’ve had a chance to get through the canadian tea box! I also have all your teas here..calling your name heh
I think I can hear them…off in the distance…
So far, I’ve decided this is my favorite of the Dragon Pearl teas. I still have a few more to compare, & I enjoy them all, but if I were to make a list of favs, this one is currently at the top!
I steeped 5 pearls in my mug for 3 minutes. I resteeped them for 5.
Rich, Malty, & delicious!
