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“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...” Read full tasting note
“I got this tea from Mandala earlier in the week but I’ve been waiting for a quiet time at home to try it. Beautiful hand rolled pearls! I love the artistry that goes into these things. It’s...” Read full tasting note
“Oh yes. Hello good morning wake up happy tea. 5 pearls for my 16oz travel mug brewed for about 4 mins I’m not sure there’s anything more to say tht others haven’t covered besides yes…..yes…and more...” Read full tasting note
“I am exhausted and the day is only half over considering I got up at a reasonable time today. However I know I will have my second wind around midnight so I have a ways to go. So I began my day...” Read full tasting note
Take some of the finest black tea you can imagine and then hand-roll and dry it into tight little balls of deliciousness and you’ve got these amazingly delightful Black Tea Pearls from MandalaTea.
We’ve auditioned several similar products over the years but have never been moved enough by any of them to want to carry them in our shop. But now we are proud to offer these very high quality bundles of hong cha joy and share them with our customers.
This tea was processed by the very same folks who make our “Pure Bud” black tea, one of our favorites and hottest selling black teas. This is expertly crafted, folks, and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we are. A must-try black tea!
Company description not available.
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…)
I got this tea from Mandala earlier in the week but I’ve been waiting for a quiet time at home to try it. Beautiful hand rolled pearls! I love the artistry that goes into these things.
It’s recommended that you use 2-4 pearls for 8 oz. of water — I have an 18 oz. teapot and put in 7 pearls.
My first steep for 60 seconds yielded an orangish-brown clear liquor and at this point the pearls are mostly unfurled. This is a delightful tea that’s sweet and a touch malty. I am also getting hints of cocoa and brown sugar in the finish. BF says this is another tea that reminds him a bit of miso.
Second steep was for 2 minutes, the color looks quite the same but Mandala says the tea will start to reveal itself over multiple infusions. Here it has gotten a bit more buckwheat grainy, with more malt. I like the depth of the second steep but the first was nice too, hmm. Difficult to say which one is better.
I was going to steep this a third time for 5 minutes but the well-meaning Mr. Tea decided he was going to help me with the dishes and tossed out my leaves. That experiment will have to wait another day.
I liked this one a lot. Another good offering from Mandala and lovely to look at.
Sounds beautiful. I love malt too and cocoa!
I am with Bonnie – this sounds devine!
Amy!!! Did I tell you that I procured another whole bunch of these during my recent trip to China? I thought them very delicious and am pleased as punch that you are enjoying them too! I gotta tell you that it makes me really happy to have you enjoying the teas that I am finding when I am there. Makes me want to go again sooner :)
Garret – you must have excellent taste! I am enjoying them all, had the Black beauty the other day but still need to do a proper review. :)
Leaf toss…:((.
Oh yes. Hello good morning wake up happy tea.
5 pearls for my 16oz travel mug brewed for about 4 mins
I’m not sure there’s anything more to say tht others haven’t covered besides yes…..yes…and more yes. I heart these more than the teavana ones, which is good since those are never around….and I’m not a teavana fan otherwise. This is going on my reorder…well order since these were sent my way by the lovely terriharplady
Yay! Happy Tuesday everyone!
Happy Tuesday to you, my friend! Enjoy these while you can! These are the perfect age for drinking right now and I cannot find any more of them for the life of me. I am hoping that my producer will make more of these this or next year but when my current (and quickly shrinking) stash is gone, I will be out of these until they make more. About a kg left :(
Yikes. I have a feeling this is one I’ll really enjoy too. I hope you can source more of it by the time I’m ready to order, which, sadly, won’t be for a few months.
I need moar!
I had to order some of this today based on these comments. LOL Steepster gets me in so much trouble….
they’re delicious dexter! I’m planning on just saying to hell with my hiatus tonight and getting a few things based on what i’ve managed to run through of my samples from terri
I love everything I’ve tried from Mandala. You pretty much can’t go wrong with whatever you decide to order – (I also got one of the Noble Mark cakes and some milk oolong – and a Yixing tea pot). Everything is just so good, and everything I haven’t tried other are saying how good it is. LOL Dangerous, dangerous site.
Oh, dexter… Hiatus much?
I only ordered 3 and a teapot, I thought I was showing remarkable restraint. One of the teas is to replenish one of my all time fav’s that I’m almost out of……
I am exhausted and the day is only half over considering I got up at a reasonable time today. However I know I will have my second wind around midnight so I have a ways to go.
So I began my day with this tea by accident. I had ordered two yixing pots from Mandala and one was called Black Pearl. Instead of that I got this but I am not unhappy about it. I almost ordered this with my yixings and other offerings but took it out of my cart to stay under my budget. You see the black pearl tea in the 4 ounce quantity is almost the exact same price as the yixing pot! Needless to say I wrote Garret and said I would keep this tea and get the second yixing soon. So happy accident. The best kind!
The first thing I thought when I saw the tea was “wow those are some big balls”. Okay if you are done laughing – they really are large when compared to say gunpowder green or jasmine pearls etc. So I now have a very immature and yet affectionate name for this tea.
I had two steeps this morning then ran errands, went to our tiny local Asian shop, grabbed some Pad Thai noodles, some siriacha sauce, ube ice cream, and white rabbit candy. No really knock out teas there but its not like I need more tea.
Then I came home, seasoned my yixing pot which is now soaking, and am having my third steep.
The tea is awesome. Toasty, chocolate notes seem to be what really grab me. I also enjoy the malty notes and the grain notes as others have mentioned. It has more than endured three steeps and I project can go at least 2 if not 3 or so more.
I stepped 4 pearls in my Kali Tea cup with infuser (8 ounces).
First steep 1 min, then 2 min on steep two, steep three I was distracted by several things, my daughter’s soup I was making, neighbors dog loose, a fire truck showing up down the road at another neighbors, (hope she is okay), etc and so on.
This steep got a good 10 minutes or more and it is SO rich SO yummy yet it is not astringent, nor bitter! WOW!
Perhaps I won’t be able to get those other steeps since I totally over steeped this one yet on smelling the leaves they still seem to have far more to offer! The leaves now have a lovely vegetal aroma to them! The following steeps will be interesting indeed!
More to come if I remember to note more.
This is a great tea! Happy you got your order.
Yeah I agree Garret is awesome and I am sure he will kick himself for the error but it was an honest mistake. This tea is so worth having. :)
uggghhhhhhh!!!!! I cant believe that happened!!! I saw black pearl and I immediately thought of the black tea. I apologize! But… I am so glad you enjoyed the tea!!! I bought these black pearls during the last couple trips to China and I love love love love them!!!
Oh yes I do enjoy them and will prize them as well! They are lovely. :) Don’t worry about it Garret – I was confused at first where the other Yixing was and then saw the tea and realized the confusion lol kind of funny really.
What tea are you seasoning the pot with/for?
Seasoning for Shu – will do Sheng in the other yixing when i get it.
I used Bu Lang Gong Ting from Mandala to start the process.
Azzrian – are these like the Fengqing Black Pearls from Teavivre? Also – I love white rabbit candies!!! I can eat a whole bag (probably) in one sitting, but I haven’t had them in a while. Perhaps when I’m visiting my parents in a couple weeks I can convince them to get some :D
I don’t know I don’t think I even have those – if I do I have not tapped into them yet. Unless I did and forgot about it. I really don’t think I have tried these yet.
Shu Puerh seasons so nice and easily and you don’t really need to work about pot material as long as it’s an fixing pot rather than a terra cotta mimic (shape and size is still important, though). I didn’t realize how lucky I got with my first Sheng pot, though, until I tried seasoning three more pots for gifts and found a lot of issues depending on material. Wound up keeping one and only use it for tea that’s 20+ years old since it’s a great pot but doesn’t work well at all for younger tea.
Gah, stupid autocorrect. work=worry, fixing=yixing
LOL yeah I knew what ya meant but yes auto correct can be a pain sometimes!
How many pots do you have?
Currently just 9 yixing pots since I season and give some away as gifts and am down to my personal use ones (I just sold two other personal use ones, which I won’t list here). 100mL Zi Ni Squat Modified Shi Piao for loose, small leaf Shu Puerh; 220mL Zi Ni Shi Piao for larger leaf and compressed Shu Puerh; 220mL Duan Ni Rounded Shi Piao for young Sheng Puerh; 110mL Zhu Ni pearl-shaped pot for traditional style Tieguanyin; 180mL Zi Ni Rong Tian for Fenghuang Dancongs; 180mL aged coarse Zhu Ni Rong Tian for Da Hong Pao; 180mL “Black Zhu Ni” (I think it’s just very dark Zi Ni, really) Rong Tian for roasty Wuyi Yancha, Shui Xian, and Rou Gui; 110mL thin-walled Zhu Ni Rong Tian for non-roasty Gaoshan Oolongs; 150mL Qing Hui Ni Shi Piao for 20+ year old Sheng Puerh (paired with matching cups).
Well you are WAY WAY ahead of me LOL I am still a youngin when it comes to yixing but learning all I can :)
I only have two right now – for wuyi oolongs and for sheng, but I need one more at least for shu. I am not quite as advanced at Thomas, here. :D
I just have the one still lol getting one more from mandala on payday for shu and maybe another for oolong but I think THINK I will stop there. Then again I have said that about teas before too :)
Ultimately it’s best to just have ‘em for the teas you enjoy by yourself on a very frequent basis. I’m kinda bummed how little I use my Gaoshan pots (just sold one for the roastier Gaoshans that I drink more frequently). I also wish I used my aged puerh pot more, but that’s an issue of supply rather than demand ;p
I definitely recommend matching the shape to the tea, though. Rounder with a higher lid clearance for teas that will expand or (more importantly) have a greater amount of light aromatics to retain; more squat and larger volume for allowing settling and opening of compressed teas while retaining temperature.
@Amy: So says the person with more than 10x the reviews on here, hahaha.
Now that is some sound advice! I never thought about shape before! Thank you!
Amusingly, it appears that Arison has somehow pulled it off to follow me twice. I’ve checked, they show up twice on my ‘followed by’ list, and I show up twice on their ‘follows’ list.
So far today has been quite rich. I got sung at first thing in the morning and served breakfast of eggs, toast, mushrooms and baked beans. I’ve received a Harry Potter film (DH pt 1) and the Tintin film on blu-ray and I’ve also got the latest Bruce Springsteen cd, which is very good. I wonder if this is all I’ll get because I’m getting a little concerned that the boyfriend is showing me up on the birthday gift giving scale. (And if he sees this, he’ll probably show up in my room saying “It’s not a competition, you know!”) I’ve also got a card from him, and from his parents and his sister. Those latter two are one with cakes and one with kitties. They know me well already, it would seem! :p
So it appeared to me that a Mystery Tea That I’ve Never Had Before was in order. This one came to me from Spoonvonstrup and I’ve been having a plock of a time working out which part of China it comes from. The company didn’t bother mentioning this in their info. All it said was that it was produced by the same people who also produced one of their other teas, so I had a look at that one. Still no clues about region. Hm. I shall have to suss it out for myself then!
The aroma is sweet, chocolate-y and grainy. Normally this automatically makes me think Fujian, but I think this is a trap. It’s not deep enough, particularly on the grain note, for me to be at all certain. Then there’s another thing, which is a tiny, vague note of straw and a wee bit of pepper. Those are Yunnan give-aways, but they’re not quite strong enough to me to be at all certain of Yunnan either. As I very much doubt it’s a mixture of the two, which would be rather bizarre in this particular context, it has to be one or the other.
Perhaps flavour will give us a clue. At first there’s a strong note of brown sugar in this. That molasses-like strength and depth, it’s very strong here. That note is not one I associate with either type. It’s very good, but it doesn’t really help me work this out.
Next I get that note of straw for a second before it turns into something kind of, but not quite, grainy as the cup cools. That’s a Yunnan-y trait. I’ve never come across that straw-y, hay-y note in anything else than Yunnan. A Fujian tea would have been much stronger on the grain note.
But then there’s there cocoa-y note, which I find to be more Fujian-y than anything else. I may have found that in Yunnan teas before, but it’s not one that stands out in my head as an association to that region.
I don’t know what to make of this. I’m beginning to suspect it’s actually out of an entirely third region. It’s time to go and look for some answers. I know black tea pearls are not that uncommon on Steepster, so I have a look at a few others of different brands. Without exception they are all mentioned as Yunnan teas.
I was close then. This is just not one that is very similar to other teas I’ve had from that province. Your average Yunnan black tea, I tend to find to be a mouthful of hay more often than not, and to drink it requires a very specific sort of mood. This one isn’t like that at all. Yes, it has the straw note in it, but it’s much more subdued, and that makes me like this a whole lot better than my usual impression of Yunnans. I especially enjoyed that brown sugar note. That was right up my alley, that was. I loves me some brown sugar!
Happy birthday!
May your day be full of lovely and enjoyable “get-to’s.” (As opposed to gotta-do’s.)
Sounds like a great start to the day! Happy Birthday!
Have a great birthday!
Many years to you!
Happy Birthday to you! :)
Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday!
Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday, Angrboda!
Happy Birthday!! dang we need a page where we post birthdays so we can send sneak surprises!!
Happy birthday to you with best wishes for even better cuppas to come :)
Happy birthday!
Happy Birthday! : )
Happy Birthday :)
Happy happy birthday! :D!
Happy happy birthday!!! let there be tea =D
Tillykke med fødselsdagen. :-)
Ahaha, I hadn’t even noticed that! My miraculous ability to break things on the internet, I suppose. Happy birthday. :)
Happy belated Birthday! Great sounding start to it too
Thanks everybody!
Roughage, OMG!!! :D
Seems I’m a day late, but happy birthday!
And I love posts like this! I will have to make notes about the tastes you associate with each region and see if I notice them in the future; I definitely haven’t had a Fujian tea yet.
Daniel, you haven’t had a Fujian yet?! ::clutches pearls:: Jeeves, get the young gentleman some Fujian immediately!
Why do I suddenly get the feeling that LadyLondonderry share at least some of my enthusiasm for this region? :p
Daniel, there are only really three regions, where I have specific ideas of what I expect from them, and that’s because I just have the most experience with them. I haven’t really been very good at exploring the rest of China properly, but have been hovering around the three most well known for black tea. Fujian, Yunnan and Keemun.
I tend to think of Fujians as sort of grainy and sort of fruity with a cocoa-y/chocolate-y note to it. And something else which I can’t actually describe much closer than ‘Fujian-ness’. I get mildly synesthetic reactions to flavours sometimes, so Fujian-ness is mostly a mix of seemingly random associations. Not so much a colour that I’ve noticed, but definitely a certain feeling of a depth and darkness and basically pleasure at the same time. It’s my favourite region.
Yunnan is my least favourite of the three, but I’ve had the most experience with golden yunnans, which I have to be in the mood for in order to drink. They have a strong note of hay and straw for me. Some think they tend to be pepper-y, others think they tend to be smoky in flavour. I started out in the smoky camp but have landed more or less in the middle of the scale now. Sometimes they’re one, sometimes they’re the other. I tend to prefer the smokier end.
Keemun is another favourite tea type for me, but I haven’t found the perfect one yet. These have a very grainy flavour profile, reminding me strongly of freshly baked proper Danish rye bread. The sort you know in North America? That’s not it. Danish rye bread is dark and strong and eaten in thin slices. It seems that people who didn’t grow up on it, often doesn’t seem to like it much. My boyfriend is definitely not a fan. Anyway, like with Yunnans, Keemuns can have two faces. Either they’re very floral tasting or, again, smoky. I’ve noticed that the higher grade of Keemun I seem to try, the more likely they are to be floral, and I really prefer the more smoky ones, so I tend to go for the cheaper end Keemuns when shopping.
Happy belated Birthday! Glad you had fun with this one. Garret at Mandala seems to have a real passion for Yunnan (especially shu pu’er!) so you’re probably right on the money as far as region goes.
Happy belated bday! I’m looking forward to having a palate developed enough to identify the region of a tea, but I think I’m a few years off yet :)
These are, indeed, a find from Yunnan! I just got back from tea travels in China and spent a majority of time in Yunnan seeing some tea gardens, mountains, sipping and buying tons of teas (including more of these pearls!) and finding more tea wares. Bought much mao cha from a few farmers and will have it pressed soon under our label. I really do love Yunnan black teas. My favorites, though I acquired some great black teas near Huangshan on this last trip, as well!
This one is going to take some thought and experimentation. Started the morning with 4 pearls to a 16 oz cup—maybe one more next time. First sip of the first steep and I wasn’t getting much flavor, just a thick, rich texture. As it cools, however, we’re getting something smoky, cedar-y, and a little sweet.
Good morning, Terriharplady and thanks for the chance to try this. Taking a couple days off work (too many weeks in overdrive) to tend to house/home, kith/kin, paperwork/piddling…so there may be a little time to think on this one some more.
I quite like this one from other vendors, and I hope this will be tasty too! The last one I tried had more of a malty flavor than smoky.
i have this one waiting for me to finish off some other teas… i think terri was responsible for me wanting this one, lol.
Thanks for writing up the review! We have exactly 4 ounces left of this tea after a gentleman bought up a ton of them today! We are unable to buy this tea as the producer did not make them this year. We are hoping that they will make them next year as our customers love them. We did just get in a shipment of blossoming black tea (they are cone shaped) from a producer I visited last April in China. They are quite nice. We just put them up on the site under black tea.
“Sculptured” tea is absolutely fascinating, isn’t it? Little pearls, rolled curls…
hmmmm….blossoming black, you say? :)
glad i got mine! i can feel myself going into hoarding mode now, lol.
Another sample in my swap from TerriHarpLady :)
I love “pearl” teas. I love watching the agony of the tea, as it writhes and unfurls in the hot water.
This one is super malty, so obviously I am going to love it. It is bold and creamy. No astringency but there is a bit of a creamy aftertaste. I am also getting hints of a metallic earthiness, or something like that. There is a natural sweetness to the tea, and I almost think I get of a hint of spice, maybe like clove or something, but not sure. I used 4 pearls for this steep but I think I would like to use more next time.
Haha “agony” is a great word choice here.
Very poetic word.
I can’t take credit for it, it is a real tea term. I read about it in a book about tea. Here is a link to a definition: http://coffeetea.about.com/od/glossaryofterms/g/Agony-Of-The-Leaves-Definition.htm
Agony of the tea…nice!
I love this one, but am hoarding it – heard a rumor that Garret might not be getting more. :((
Hi gang!!! The producer that I source these from decided last year to turn his leaf into something else other than pearls. With any luck, he will do pearls with his spring-picked leaf again this year. Trust me, I’m working on him!!!! We got our best black pearls from him.
Crossing fingers – happy to hear that there is hope for more of this. It is soooooo good.
I am busy Steepsters, oh so very busy! Lots and lots of school work and library work. Mostly I wanted to write to say I haven’t forgotten about Steepster or tea, even if it escapes my memory to write tasting notes lately. Rayn and our roommate and I signed the agreement on a new apartment today and I am very excited about it. It’s in a great part of the city and literally right next to Rayn’s older brother (who we are very close to).
I’ve filled my thermos up with Black Pearl the last couple of days and it remains a favorite black comfort tea for me. I’ve always liked drinking tea when it’s still very hot, and this one feels like it’s warming my chest when I take a sip straight from the thermos.
Sipdown.
Sniffles. Sad it’s gone. So good – deep and rich. Gone. :(
Oh no. =(
and this one is really gone…
I hope I find other pearls as good as these one’s were.
I’m working on it. We had sourced several black pearls over the years, but this supplier made the best ones. I am working on him to produce these again next year. Fingers crossed that spring time will see him wanting to use the material for pearls.
But I’ll tell you, our current crop of Black Gold is very very nice, my favorite crop so far from this producer. Worth a try. Golden Needle premium is also quite good.
I’ll keep working on the producer to make these pearls again!!
I do not. Like this tea.
First cup was grainy, bready, and a touch floral. Kindof a Jasmine floral that stuck in the back of my throat. Some sugar spruced it up, but even then I had trouble sipping it down.
Then… I made the mistake of brewing a second cup. MORE Jasmine! eeek. Added some sugar. Well that didn’t work so I tried it with milk. Still bad. Down the drain it went.
This came from the traveling tea box and it’s the first one from the pile I didn’t like at all. Ah well, can’t win’em all :)
Thanks to whoever gave me the chance to try it!!
Rating: 60
EDIT: and now I’ve made another cup of tea, a White Peony from STE and I can still taste the jasmine and none of the delicate notes I was craving. Dang that stuff is potent!
Funny, I didn’t get jasmine at all when I had a chance at these. I quite enjoyed them. Is it possible that they could have been contaminated with something jasmine-y from the box?
Hi! Our black pearl tea is not a jasmine tea. It is strictly a black tea, not imbued with any scent. I’m not sure what happened for you, but I source these black pearls myself and they are stored nowhere near jasmine scented teas.
Hmmmmmm…..
Just to clarify, I meant contaminated by something jasmine-y in the travelling teabox where Indigobloom got it; not in storage or shipping from you.
I totally understand what you were saying, my friend. :) I am trying to figure out what happened and your theory makes sense to me. I wonder if other teas in the box they received were also jasmine-bombed? If so, if would likely mean that something within the box was scented with oil of jasmine (or even artificial jasmine) in order to scent something else so strongly!!
Sad, too, I suppose, cause I know how excellent this tea is. And word on the street is that I’m not the only one who thinks that :) Thanks, Angrboda!
looks like you have one to trade away :)
Hmmm, no Jasmine in this one?! really? that is so odd. None of the other teas I sampled from the box were affected and it seemed a natural aspect of the tea, like a ceylon base etc.
Sorry I couldn’t praise it the way I know it deserves :(
Kashyap, luckily I only had a sample. None left!
Are you sure you didn’t try the green jasmine pearls? Those are scented 9 times with fresh jasmine petals. Black pearls are not scented whatsoever. But even with our jasmine pearls, we often hear how subtle the natural jasmine scenting is because they are not sprayed with jasmine oils. I just want to figure out what happened for ya!!
Garret, it was labeled Black Pearl but it was also in a ziploc bag. Not sure who put them in the box but they’d be the best ones to answer that.
It did have some black tea elements though.
Thanks Garret! I’m a bit confused lol
I just received my sample of this through Sil! Thank you! I can’t wait to try it. (And the Red Dragon Pearls. And… maybe I should take all these out and do a visual comparison/smell test?)
Do it!! :)
was trying to decide if i needed to place an order of these…garret mentioned being down to 4oz and maybe not having any left until next year..if that..
I know! I actually went on the mandala site last night, thinking I might order more, but ended up getting other stuff instead…cough…
….OTHER STUFF?
(bows her head in shame)
..other mandala stuff??
yes, I tried the blooming black tea, & a couple puer samples
haha i keep going to place another order, but i just have so many of your samples to finish so i know better what i like…haven’t even started on the teas i actually ordered lol
You’re gonna want to shoot me when the BBB arrives, whahaha ;)
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…