84

After the last few days of drinking gyokuro, I wanted to switch to something more mellow. Mandala Tea sent me this sample (2021 Silver Strand) and it is one of their few teas that I haven’t got to try.

Prepared it in a 150ml silver gaiwan with 160F water. I put the entire bag in (maybe 6 grams?), after a 10s rinse, I did 5 infusions total beginning with 15s infusions and adding 15s to each subsequent infusion.

I really loved the way the wet leaves smelled after the rinse. There was a tart, tangy smell of artichokes, asparagus, maybe melon. The liquor was transparent light yellow. The smell of the liquor was about the same but just very light compared to the wet leaves.

The taste was very pleasant. A pleasant sweetness, and creaminess to it. As I went through the infusions, there was a very slight bitterness towards the end but not much, it stayed a good cup till the end. It has a soft mouthfeel, so creamy on the palate and ends with a little bit of a dry tongue. Super delicate umami, vegetal notes. Fruity melon notes every now and then, light mineral notes. Flavorrs of tangy artichokes, asparagus throughout.

Not disappointed. I drank those 5 infusions so fast. :D

Man, it sure feels good to be able to drink any type of tea again and not worry about my tummy. lol ^^

Flavors: Artichoke, Asparagus, Creamy, Fruity, Melon, Spinach, Umami, Vegetal

Preparation
160 °F / 71 °C 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 5 OZ / 150 ML
derk

I happy you can enjoy again what you love <3

Did this have an aged taste to it given its age?

Kawaii433

Derk, thank you. I am happy too! The sample they sent me was the Silverstrand 2021. I’ll go put that in my note hehe. Thanks.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Comments

derk

I happy you can enjoy again what you love <3

Did this have an aged taste to it given its age?

Kawaii433

Derk, thank you. I am happy too! The sample they sent me was the Silverstrand 2021. I’ll go put that in my note hehe. Thanks.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

Longtime casual tea drinker. In the past, mainly Matcha, Gyokuro, Sencha, Genmaicha… Etc. I like all teas: Green, oolong, black & pu’erh (prefer ripe over raw).

Chanoyu (for matcha prep) and Gongfu cha (for other types of tea) are the main ways I prepare my tea (Gaiwan, Yixing teapot, Kyusu). I drink all tea… Usually unflavored. This past year, I’ve tried many flavored now because of all of you lol. As long as there aren’t artificial sweeteners, it’s all good.

Favorite stores: TeaVivre, What-Cha, Mandala Tea, 52Teas, Whispering Pines, Bird & Blend, Yunnan sourcing, White2Tea, Lupicia.

The flavors I dislike: Artificial sweetener, lavender, violet, any strong floral-perfumey tea; cantaloupe, papaya, honeydew, rose, licorice, anise, jasmine, any mints, leather.

Favorite flavors: Citrus fruits (especially grapefruit & tangerines), granny smith apple, bananas, guava, mango, tamarind, watermelon, stonefruits, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, milk, cinnamon, creme, bread/pastry, nuts, toasted, roasted.

I generally don’t add anything to my teas unless they are flavored, then I may add a splash of milk.

As I explore, my ratings may shift. 90+ generally means I’ll keep it on my shelf.

Location

USA

Website

https://www.facebook.com/kawa...

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer