Mandala Tea

I like this tea. I really, really like it. I’m pretty challenged at describing black teas, since my favorites all seem to be varying proportions of ‘sweet,’ ‘malty,’ ‘smooth,’ and ‘raspy.’ And I like all of those things. I guess the trait my top three have is that those qualities are also ‘balanced.’ I’ve started my black tea explorations with Mandala, and my top three are this, Golden Needle, and Black Beauty. I think I slightly prefer Black Beauty to this because it has less astringency, though Pure Bud is gentle too. I will absolutely finish up this deliciousness, but I think one of the others will be my house black tea, at least for now.

Tasted pretty much like a good strong pu erh should, in my opinion, though I can’t really say I noticed anything that set this one apart from the others I have had. It tasted fine, and deep and rich and only a little bit fishy. I should add that I did not rinse the leaves, nor did I steep this one gong fu style. Perhaps I’d have a different tasting experience with this that way, though as this is just a small sample, I won’t really have the opportunity. I’ll see if I can save the leaves for a third steep tomorrow.

I’m not sure who to thank on this one…it comes from OMGsrsly but the package has stuff Sil sent her to pass on to me, so it could be either.

Well, it was worth a shot. It’s a fine tea, but it just can’t compete in the world of Mandala oolongs. It’s just a little bland and undistinguished. Between that and the inconclusive research on GABA supplementation anyway, I’ll happily stick with their others versions.

I’m not entirely sure this isn’t the Big Red Robe oolong. It was a sample and just said ‘Rock Oolong,’ and I don’t want to mess up the Big Red Robe reviews if this isn’t it. The first steeping brought to mind a very slightly burnt grilled cheese sandwich, which, it turns out, is a great thing in a tea. After that, it got a bit fuller and sweeter, and I’m in love. There is a definite but light smokiness to it, which works even though I don’t seek out smoky teas. For some reason, I want to eat sushi with it. Not exactly a classic pairing I suppose, but it sounds lovely.

Another reviewer noted this tea is between a legacy blend and smoother Chinese black tea, and I agree. In fact, if it were presented to me as a mix of the two, I’d have believed it. It seems to hit all of those notes in a really wonderful way. The dry leaf color gave me the impression it would be a lighter flavor, but it just goes to show that’s a really silly way to judge tea. I’ll keep this one around for guests looking for English Breakfast. It’s way better than anything I’ve found in that category, and I don’t think they’ll be disappointed!

I won’t try to describe the taste – that has been very well accomplished by others, so I second them all. What I can add is that in today’s black tea face off, it easily beats Black Gold for me, as the bold but sweet flavor/no astringency combination is knocking my socks off. This will have to square off against yesterday’s Golden Needle, and I suspect it will win there too. (I am not a huge black tea fan, so, with the exception of some flavored varieties, yeah, I’m really just looking to keep one or two black teas around.) UPDATE: Very strange. Most black teas make me feel stressed and panicky, but no such effect with this one.

The hunt for my house black tea continues. First up today is Black Gold, against yesterday’s winner, Golden Needle. Gah – they’re all so good! In comparison, this one seems a bit lighter in flavor and more astringent. I do think I miss that malty sweetness, and maybe it’s that I’m drinking too many black teas these days, but the astringency is starting to bother me a bit. I suppose if a black tea makes me crave white tea, it can’t be my winner.

Instead of sleeping tonight I’m having my favorite sheng.

Trippy qi, this gives me the happy warming feeling I seek when drinking sheng pu’erh.

Exquisite and remarkable. It’s such a wow tea.

Beautiful golden elixir, it heals all wounds.

Slightly smokey, super sweet with notes of apricots, mossy and earthy with a fresh minty finish. Capture of nature in the form of tea.

I think that’s why I love it so much…it reminds me of the pure moments of joy I feel when exploring and hiking in my forest.

I feel safe right now, cause I still have two unwrapped cakes besides this one. Yay me!

Pics of the session:

http://instagram.com/p/u44NNzwh28/

http://instagram.com/p/u44W80wh3F/

Shenging with The Monk 2012 again tonight.

I’ve written many reviews, so please see previous notes if you want to know how it tastes like. Tonight, I just want to share some thoughts.

Just love how it makes me feel. L-o-v-e-i-t. It embodies all the reasons why I love sheng.

I covet it. Cause 2012 is no longer available. And the fact that I sit on two cakes doesn’t make me feel any better. The day I run out will be a sad day. Hopefully, I’ll be sitting on a few 2014 cakes by then, and life will be good again :-)

I want to take this opportunity to thank Garret and Mandala for the outstanding quality of their product, but mostly, for the exceptional customer service I receive on every purchase.

It means a lot to me, and they have earned my loyalty. They are at the top with very few other sellers for me. And I don’t say this lightly.

So Garret, if you read this: thank you.

I drink your tea every day, and my life is better because of it.

Pic of the session:

http://instagram.com/p/r3IwTPQh4_/

I know I can’t expect blissful happiness everyday, but I can expect blissful tea every time I drink Wild Monk 2012.

I recently bought a beautiful yixing clay pot from Mandela and of course, I had to season it with Wild Monk today.

It’s late in the night, and I decided to drink just that. Cause why shouldn’t I?

This tea puts me in a meditation state every time. It invades all my senses, and gives me the inner peace I seek so desperately. The fragrance is made of dreams and wishes…

Smokey campfire scent that mixes with fresh morning dew, humid grass and moss.

Sugarcane sweet, earthy and musky notes, fresh menthol with just enough smoke to remind me how wood could taste like…nature’s “ingredients”.

This tea makes me see bright colours. Tonight, it’s a warm yellow.

Thank you Mandala, I cherish this tea.

Pics:

http://instagram.com/p/rDVHzHQh4L/

http://instagram.com/p/rgMD1rQh1m/

Sorry, but skip this note if you’re looking for some insightful adjectives on how good this tea tastes.

I’ve been a sleepy head all day…just can’t shake the blues and the tiredness.

Just wanted something magical, that might chase those feelings away. Think I may have found it.

Wild Monk is one of those tea I keep in case of emergency.

Thank you Garret for making this so special, it nearly brings me to tears…good tears that is.

I just got “shengged” by The Monk, and I liked it…a lot.

On a good or a bad day, I have tea. Yes, it’s part of my life everyday. It’s something that brings me pleasure no matter how shitty my day is. I’ll take pleasure over happiness. Happiness isn’t reliable, you can’t expect to be happy everyday even if you want to. But you can experience the pleasure of having tea everyday :-)

Tea pleasure is reliable and measurable. This one is proof to my theory. It’s not a concept, but a moment in time that exists and is seizable, a simple pleasure in its purest form.

It is with such a pride that I broke a piece of my first sheng cake today. I know I have already reviewed this tea not long ago. This is just a quick addition.

It is stunning… a mossy-earthy-smoky feel and fresh minty grassy notes that make it so enjoyable… if that’s even possible, it tastes better than the first time I had it!

Dexter3657, I must thank you again for sending a sample in the first place.

(See previous note)

Kamyria’s review yesterday about the forest inspired me to go have a long walk today and write this review.

By now, you probably know that the forest is my backyard. I’ve written many times here on Steepster about my little adventures and how lucky and privileged I feel when I look outside my window or go for a walk, it never gets old.

This lifestyle is Nature’s gift to me, and that gift keeps on giving as long as I care for it in return. It’s pretty simple and yet, I wish more people could fully grasp that concept. The tea I’m reviewing today also keeps on giving…

I tell you, my snow shoes really get a run for their money this winter. I made my own trail and I try to go as often as possible. There’s a spot that we always stop at. It’s on top of a small hill and a huge rock stands there, under the trees. it is shaped as a loveseat, I call it my rocky chair.

I take a break as I watch my dog Dexter chase squirrels, his favourite sport. They like to tease him and sometimes, I think they’re playing with him, knowing full well he’ll never catch one of them!

The day is magnificent, sunshine coming at me from all directions, immaculate snow everywhere you look at, pine trees with heavy arms from all the snow weighing on them…

When I got back inside, I was freezing and seeking warmth, I love that feeling. My head still felt clear and peaceful from all the beauty I had just laid eyes on, and of course, the right tea amplified that feeling and made it linger a while longer.

I was waiting for a special moment to choose this sheng pu’erh, sent to me by the generous and wonderful Dexter3657. She read on a post that I wanted to experience more with shengs, and offered to send me this one. She wrote that this tea is the highest rated on Steepster, so I read nothing about it, not wanting to be influenced by other reviews.

I used 7g, 5oz yixing pot. The piece of cake is tight and compressed. Quick rinse. Already the aroma brings me somewhere, but I don’t want to go there yet, I want to take my time with it.

I pour the very light coloured liquor, close my eyes and smell, have my first sip.

Instant Nirvana!

Sweet sugarcane is what I notice first. Then, a feast for the senses. The smell that comes out of the pot can’t be ignored. I can describe it easily, cause it’s leading me there. If you’ve done camping in your life (most of us did), you have to think about the next morning, when you get out of the tent.

The smokey scent from the firecamp is still in the air, but it’s just a shadow of what is was the day before. It mixes with fresh morning dew, humid grass and moss. Earthy and smokey tones, fresh menthol. Take all these “ingredients”, gather them in a cake, and later, when you hit it with hot water, the memory trap is released and you experience that moment again.

I choose not to describe more. As it happens when I drink something really special, I give in to the tea, not wanting to think anymore but just be in the moment and feel the pure energy. Cha qi. The best thing that can happen. I’ve had these moments before, but not often enough. I plan on having a lot more in the future…

Thank you so much Dexter3657 for wanting me to discover how special your beloved Mandala truly is. You were right :-)

(Cough, Implacinganorderscrewthehiatus, cough, cough)

Another surprise. The aroma convinced me this tea would be a bit too thin and sharp, even tinny, for my tastes. But tasting, while leaving in place those high metallic notes, rounds them out with a deeper umami and brings it all together in a lighter-flavored but balanced and refreshing tea. While I’d be very happy having this any time at all, it simply doesn’t win a spot in my cabinet with competition so far from both Laoshan black and Golden Needle (and very few spots for black tea at all). Still, an excellent, excellent tea.

I have so little to compare this with, mostly being a green/oolong girl. But a guest coming in a couple weeks drinks copious amounts of black tea, so naturally I had to investigate as many as I can. And I’ve started here. Should I just stop now? My goal is to serve my guest something she’ll independently notice and ask about and want to make at home, and this would have to accomplish that – it’s just delicious! I guess I don’t really have a new take on it, since the popular ’sweet, chocolatey, malty" descriptions are dead on, except to say that compared with your standard legacy blend this is much more gentle and complex in all the ways I love about oolong.

What in the wild world of sports is this? I do like an assertive tea, and this is pushy. Yep, a big, pushy…bouquet of violets and daffodils and twigs. My OCD streak wants to know if this counts as a ‘classic’ green oolong? I just haven’t got my oolongs sorted enough yet to know that. Whatever. Shut up, OCD streak, I’m keeping this tea, whether I know what to call it or not.

I drank a few cups of this today, and then set the rest aside for VariaTEA! She’s passed on so many great teas to me, and now that she’s thinking about dabbling in more straight teas AND puerh, I figured she should try this.

Everyone should. It’s so amaze!

And if it’s a little too strong, add a dash of milk and steep it for less. I steeped it for 1 min, 5 min and 10 minutes this time around.

Special tea today! This is my second steep and it’s great. I loves it.

I don’t think I’ll be able to drink much tea today, what with our late start, and time spent running around and then the rest of the day meeting up with people etc…. etc.. It’s going to be craziness!

So I’m really happy to be able to sit down and enjoy this. And I have the second cup steeping in my timolino for when I’m out and about! It’s so rich and dark and wonderful.

Maybe tomorrow I can find time to take tea-ventory, especially now that my swaps have been mailed out today! (ohai Roswell Strange, Heather Martin and someone else!)

So Dexter3657 drank this yesterday and got me thinking about it, and since they don’t need me at work today it is TOTALLY the right choice to drink this one today while I can enjoy it. (Aside from the sick hubby and toddler who need attention. :P)

I’m taking a Special Dark break!

The first time I had this I followed the instructions and steeped it for 30 seconds, but this time I went right for 4. Maybe next time I will go for 8. I didn’t realize this one couldn’t be oversteeped but you can’t blame me for being hesitant! If I did this to one of my favourite blacks it would likely be too bitter and strong at the end.

This, on the other hand, at 4 minutes is quite rich and dark. And yes, very chocolatey. I almost want to rip open my 85% emergency-use-only chocolate bar just to compare the different types of chocolate, but I’d better save that for an emotional pick-me-up. This cuppa has made me happy enough already!

Yes. This is complete proof that Puerh ISN’T something to be afraid of! I can do it! I can enjoy it! Also, this makes me want to put in an order at Mandala to see what else they can do with Puerh!

MissB had this yesterday and it reminded me that I asked Sil to add some to her order for me, and then I hadn’t tried it in the month I’ve had it.

And everyone just GUSHES about how amazing Mandala teas are!

So I’m pretty happy with this one. I’m on my third steep in my 16oz mug, and will be going for a 4th fairly soon. It’s not as rich as I had thought it would be, and I was initially shocked by the puerh taste, but then it’s been a long time since I’ve had puerh so that’s not that surprising. It’s dark and earthy with a nice rich chocolate taste to it. It’s really amazing. Seriously. It’s not that often that I’ll drink 64 oz of ONE tea in one day. That’s saying something.

And with that in mind, this is by far worth the price. I’ll have to try some of their other puerhs. I’m just happy I started with this one (I could only justify buying one, but I think this was a great choice).

Tried this after ordering from Mandala. The color is beautiful—very golden and the leaves are light and airy. This is a beautiful pillowy tea. Sadly the taste doesn’t seem to match. The tea has a strange fruity aftertaste that I find unnerving. Not my favorite by a long shot.

This may well be my first Mandala tea, so I wanted to go big with the first try.

This is one multi-faced tea. I’m only on steep one, and already I can tell this will be a nuanced experience with each sip. Almost all of my sips are dark cocoa, which is interesting because I just had some 90% dark chocolate, and both the mouthfeel and taste are almost identical. It kind of reminds me of the texture of coffee, although it’s been so many years since I’ve had anything even remotely coffee-like (if I do drink it, it’s always espresso-based, which is a very different experience for me than drip). Regardless, this is thick in flavor, rich in taste, nuanced and multi-faceted. I look forward to many more steeps, to see how it evolves.

EDIT: Okay, so how do I do re-steeps? New tasting notes? It is a new cup of tea. And yet… same leaf.

Steep 2: 9 minutes, only because I forgot about it. A bit more cocoa, something sweet as well, really sweet. Surprisingly sweet. I want to say caramel, but it’s thinner and more candy-sweet.

Steep 3: 19 minutes, again because I forgot about it. Really thin now, which always ‘tastes’ odd to me in a pu-erh. Cocoa notes are all gone, and now it’s more earthy and sweet.