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“Sipdown 8 of 2015. Sample. Purchased 5/2014 – Finished 12/2015. I have had a few Ripe Pu’er. Of the few that I have tried this is my favorite, but I am not sure I am going to be a ripe pu’er...” Read full tasting note
“Despite the time of night, dinner was heavier than I usually eat, and I was craving some pu’erh upon my return home. Of all the pu’erh currently sitting on my countertop (inventory and organization...” Read full tasting note
“Thanks, Garret, for the sample! An initial rinse of these dark leaves reveals a very fresh, cool scent that smells like sweet dough and mineral. There’s also a nice scent of petrichor, the smell of...” Read full tasting note
“I have been drinking this tea all day and finished off the rest of my sample in the gaiwan. I had it in the morning, went shopping for a ton of house things (boxing day sales, hurrah!) had some in...” Read full tasting note
“Temple Stairs” – a 2013 blended ripe pu’er
Morning arrives soon and with it,
the monkey mind.
In this moment, I’ve this tea -
a training ground upon which I find my center.
We are pleased to present yet another Mandala Tea exclusive ripe pu’er. This creamy and smooth two leaf blend was created using material that was spring-picked and ripened in 2012 and 2013.
Not only were both pickings from plantations that are pesticide free, but the two growing areas (Bada and Mengsong) are far from any cities or air pollution. This is 100% pure tea and some of the finest ripe tea available. Teas from these areas are famous for their uplifting nature as well as their qi raising goodness.
As this tea warms your lower dan tien (in laymen terms – the “energy bank account”), you will note hints of cocoa in aroma and taste. Flavors of sweet root vegetables with hints of dark brown sugar dance on your tongue alongside the clean and well-rounded essence of minerals.
A rich and creamy treat in a cup, this tea will lift you up gently and then place you lovingly back on the ground, better for the experience.
We also note that the leaf was expertly cared for in the process of fermentation, yielding a perfectly ripened leaf with full integrity.
Climb the Temple Stairs and find your center.
Company description not available.
Temple Stairs 2014 Ripe Pu'er 100G
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Last Shangri La (AliExpress)When I saw Mandala added this loose leaf pu erh to it’s site, I knew I’d be buying some sooner or later. Thanks to a 50% off sale it was sooner! My first impression was that this tea is young, I feel like it has not reached it’s full flavor profile… like there were some flavors in this tea lurking beneath the surface that time has not allowed to fully develop. I can tell this tea has great potential! The liquor was dark, much darker than I expected and I was pleased. The flavor was two toned with spice and and a smooth earthy sweetness. As I got into the 3rd and 4th steepings it hit me… this tea has some AMAZING cha qi!!! In fact I’d say this tea has the cha qi of an aged sheng. I’m probably going to go the delayed gratification route and keep this one for storage to allow it to develop it’s full flavor profile, sampling a couple times a year. I’m a big fan!
Flavors: Earth, Spices, Sweet
I’m trying to decide whether to bite the bullet and order from Mandala again this weekend. I REALLY don’t have a lot of money to burn these days and i have lots of puerh sitting in my cupboard that needs to be drunk up, but it’s SUCH a good sale. In an effort to convince myself NOT to buy more tea lol I figured i should try this one as Garrett passed it along as a sample in my most recent order.
I’ve been drinking a few steeps of this while i pray for the house to cool down. It’s going to be necessary to cool off under a hose or in the shower soon at this rate! Note, that my gaiwan is still packed up, so i’ve been steeping this psuedo gongfu style using short steeps but in my brew basket heh.
This is a young puerh. I feel like the tastes aren’t quiet fully formed, but there is the hint of what’s to come as this ages. This is, as i’ve come to expect from Mandala, a smooth brew. it’s not an earthy puerh – there are echoes of cedar? leather? Not sure…clearly i’ve been neglecting my puerh for too long and i’ve forgotten what sort of tastes are there lol On the whole though, I am looking forward to possibly ordering some of this and letting is sit for a while. I think it’ll be a really nice blend in the future.
I feel that I already have enough puerh to last for the rest of my life… lol
I couldn’t resist and ordered 4 oz. Some for now, some for later!
I loved this one…so smooth.
I grabbed 1 oz bc it was so cheap it was basically a sample!
Glad you did cavo. Was going to give you the other half of my sample but I owe Terri some NOT FLAVOURED tea lol
Haha. So we all win?
I want to order too. The sale is fabulous. And I’m thinking if I should add some cakes as well. I liked Autumn Song a lot. Temple Staires is nice but too mellow for me. I need a punch in a face…
Argh someone stop me from ordering! Such a good deal….
Sorry Steph, I need help myself. I also have a coupon fr them on reg price until 7/15 so I need to decide right now what else to get in one order. I’m trying now 2010 nun jian golden buds sample fr Mandala. It is so good…
i’m hoping the sale will be over before i get 5 mins to look at it again heh
Never underestimate the power of kindness…I know it doesn’t show much here, but I’ve been struggling with lots of serious issues for over a year now. I had an appointment I wasn’t looking forward to this morning, but I still went cause well, I don’t have much of a choice.
I showed discouragement in front of the person I was seeing…He told me not to worry, and this:
«Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars».
Just a few words, but one of the nicest thing anyone has ever told me…it gave me hope and made me feel special.
Just sharing as a reminder of how important it is to show kindness whenever we can…it’s easy and makes someone’s day look brighter in no time :-)
When I got home, I opened Steepster and had this tea cause someone else was having it and I really love it.
It’s my “cream of mushroom” pu’erh. Yes, big notes of cream and mushrooms.
It provides such a sweet and silky mouthfeel.
Just as I wrote in previous review, it has very distinct taste of turnips. The person who made me think of having this tea said they found ginger. I admit I never would have found ginger on my own, but by being aware of it, I searched for it and found it at the fourth steep. It is a little spicy in that way. Could be the power of suggestion, but I thought it was amusing to experiment.
It’s so very smooth, it’s like velvet for the mouth.
Thank you Mandala for another excellent shou…
I have noticed that lots of pu’erh lovers have a preference between the two. As I’ve been diving into the world of pu’erh, I ask this question: Is it possible to be both a shou and a sheng girl?
Cause as far as I’m concern, I just love them equally!
Pic of the day, Temple Stairs session:
Hug
<3
I just ordered their new $5 sampler, but I don’t think this one is included. Although there is one called Year of the Dragon that sounds right up my alley and I’ve never seen anyone review in on Steepster. Interesting!
And you’re one of the kindest people around, so I hope you get kindness in return on a regular basis! <3
Hugs
Oh, TTF. Hugs! You shine so brightly, there’s no chance of you being drowned out by any moon!
Have I told you I love your pot? It matches to the shou. Perfect combo;)
I love y’all <3
Lol, can’ remember if I have year of the dragon cameron, will have to check. But sounds food to me! I can’t wait to read what you have to say about Mandala’s eas :-)
And boychick, I just adore the pot, thank you!!!
Don’t be silly mj, TeaFairy is totally the moon! :P
Lol, something wrong with that comment “s eas”? What the hell did I mean? All I wanted to say is thanks and I love y’all!
Awww, you guys…. <3
I see where you’re coming from, but I have to disagree Cameron B. TeaFairy shines with her own light rather than just reflecting the light of another :-P
(Yes, I took it there. I couldn’t help myself. This is why people don’t like hanging out with scientists.)
Nah, moon is cold and lifeless, she is hot and explosive
AWWW YEAH? WELL… THEN SHE’S THE SUN! SO THERE! ;)
(Hiding in a corner, watching the battle)
Cameron, forgot to mention, i love your new pic, and your as cute as a button.
Not fighting. Me fighting? North Star. You can always find your way out with it when you lost.
Cameron is very cute. I told her already. For some reason I had a different image of you. I like the original
And I do live up north :-)
If she’s the sun, she’s still a star :-P. We’re both right?
Hugs and thanks for people who seem to know exactly what we need and when we need it. I’m sorry for you struggles but I’m glad you have a supportive person helping you through it.
Your light will never be dim as long as you allow it to shine.
Yyz, mrmopar…all of you, thank you, I just adore this place <3
Hugs! And just so you know, reading your words brightens my day as well! :)
Thank you so much Caile :-)
How sweet <3 And this tea is wonderful. Also I always enjoy your photos :)
25 Likes + 26 Comments = a whole lot of <3!
Stephanie, what great compliment coming from the wonderful artist that you are :-)
LooseTman, I’m overwhelmed with <3
I received this as a sample in my latest Mandala order. with only 10 grams to work with, I decided to split it into two 5 gram sessions in my 100 ml gaiwan. Since this is less leaf than my normal 6 to 8 grams in this vessel I tried to ‘short-pour’ the water a little to compensate. I took detailed notes but I will spare you from the dreaded copy&paste. Just the highlights follow.
The first session involved short steep times (5/5/7/10/… sec) to see what aromas and flavors I could unmask. The shu brewed up a beautiful medium burgundy color with aromatic hints of mushrooms, warm figs, raw sugarcane, vanilla and mulling spices over the 12 steeps I took this through. It was light to medium bodied with mild flavors of mushrooms, pepper, cedar, leather, minerals, allspice, cinnamon, and a noticeable sweetness tying it all together. Near the end I picked up notes of SweetTarts in one steep and Cinnamon Disc candies in another. In all cases the aromas and flavors were quite mild, causing me to really focus on the tea to get a sense of what was gong on.
The second session used longer steeps (15/30/45/… sec) to see how it reacted. Again the tea revealed only mild aromas and a light to medium body. Aromas of raw cane sugar, vanilla, caramel, and, oddly enough, grape gum (at the end) came forth. This session had significant sweetness in the aftertaste, some spice up front, mild shu flavors and a lively feeling on the tongue over the course of seven steeps.
I’m not going to rate this tea since I don’t really feel like I got a chance to know it. When it becomes available on the Mandala site I will buy a few ounces and put it in a clay jar for six months or so and try it again with my normal amount of leaf. I don’t have a great deal of experience with new shu, but this came across as ‘young’ to me. It seems to have promise and I’m willing to give it another try.
Interesting!
I love how you were able to describe all those notes, you’re like “the note extractor” lol. I’m really interested in this one, will keep in mind for next Mandala order, thanks for this review.
TTF: The spectrum of flavors were a nice surprise. This seems to be more of a contemplative shu than a bold in-your-face one. I am looking forward to buying more loose leaf so I can both dial in the regimen to my liking and see how it matures over the course of time. And because I trust Garret’s taste I will pick up a couple of cakes when they become available and salt them away for a while.
Great review! Thank you for this. This is most definitely a young ripe pu’er. But… this one is gonna age like a champ, especially the cakes. I certainly don’t want to wish time away (goodness knows it’s going to fast as it is) but 2 to 3 years after this pressing comes online, it’s gonna ROCK. – The Noble Mark cake is a blend of 4 leaves (Temple Stairs is 2) fermented in a similar fashion and on October 29th, the pressing will be 2 years old. I am already amazed at the difference in clarity in around 1.5 yrs. That same thing is going to happen to this cake. We’ll keep them stored in our pu’er room and they will blossom :) Love your reviews!
And by the way… I was just listening to a live dead show from 1989, sipping some ripe tea (year of the dragon), grooving to a very sweet Eyes of the World. Life may be sweeter for this…
Garret — I miss my live Dead. I’m old school so it’s all on tapes or CDs, and the office is still in boxes … need to finish unpacking!
How about you? Are yours in digital format, or are you ‘old school’ as well?
I was looking at “The Complete Road Trips” on LiveDownloads (http://www.livedownloads.com/packages/2,383/Grateful-Dead-Complete-Road-Trips.html). Although pricy (FLAC is $350), it covers multiple eras and fills in many holes in my collection. May have to add that to my wishlist! I thought I’d mention it in case you were not aware. —Jeff
I pretty much listen to all my live dead on: https://archive.org/details/GratefulDead You can stream thousands of shows and there are many that are downloadable, as well. I used to have many cassettes as I had friends who were tapers and then had access to many soundboards on CD because of a buddy who is in tight with Bob Weir’s wife, Natasha. That was nice. Now… I don’t have a collection anymore. Just online streaming and downloading when I just gotta hear a certain show in the car.
Woah … had no idea about the collection on archive.org. Very cool! Thanks for that =:-D
