Mandala Tea

Teaboxes are taped up and ready to go. I just need a chance to get to the post office! Sigh. Soon I hope. So between the two teaboxes, I get to try a hella more black pearls.. one of my favorite tea types! These ones are thanks to Terri Harplady! At her suggestion, I’m using five pearls. These pearls are rolled very tight… only hot water will get to them. Much like how tough it is to get a shell open to get an actual pearl.

First steep // three minutes
Oh I can tell this will be good just looking at the color in the mug. A deep reddish brown. The aroma is a nice one too. It’s like dark chocolate, as these lovely pearls tend to be.

Second steep // three minutes
This black tea is actually the one with the most wine like qualities to me somehow. Not like I ever drink wine. Tea is my wine! But maybe there is something with a hint of fruit to it, grapes or plums. The perfect amount of astringency. The second cup tastes the same as the first, even though the pearls were fairly unraveled after the first steep.

Third steep // not sure how long
This cup wasn’t as good, probably because I left it steeping too long. I still didn’t mind drinking it though!

Overall, I don’t think these pearls have a malty enough flavor to make these my favorite, but I appreciate the UNIQUE flavor that they have!

I’m trying to make room in my cupboard, so I’m going back and drinking down teas that are close to finished! I’d like to make this a Saturday sipdown; I’ve only got one TB of this left. Yeesh, my other note on this is so vague!

Method:
Nearly 2TB/10oz
Pre-boiling
Rinse: 15sec
First steep: 55 seconds
Second steep: 1min 15
Third steep: 1min 40
Fourth steep: 2min 10

(Aroma from the rinse: apple, cinnamon, damp earth, mineral, raisin.)

1. At the front of each sip I’m getting strong mineral notes and a wet, dark earthiness. It’s clean and tastes like spring water. River stones. Rocks. Midway through sipping it takes on a roasted flavor, then notes of cinnamon and cream appear. The finish is smooth and buttery. Silky! It’s not heavy at all. It’s very light on the tongue. Maybe medium-bodied, since I used SO much leaf. As the liquid cools the mineral and earth notes step back. It tastes like lightly buttered, slightly charred cinnamon raisin bread. Very darkly toasted but not quite burnt.

2. There is much less mineral in this cup. It’s slightly earthy with a taste like autumn leaves. The dominant flavors are cream, butter, cinnamon and honey. The roastiness is still present, but it’s toned down a bit as well. The buttery cream taste coats my mouth as I continue sipping. At the bottom of the cup, the lukewarm liquid brings back the mineral/spring water flavors I was getting earlier. Now my tongue is coated with honey sweetness and a touch of malt.

3. Earthiness and mineral notes have all but dissipated. This steep is very soft, creamy, and slightly floral. There is a fruity undertone: it’s like raisins or maybe plums. A little tart. (Just a little.) Finish is long: notes of butter, cream, honey, and flowers. Lingering cream/floral flavor. Cinnamon spice is barely present in the background. Impressions: Dairy. Lightly sweetened whipped cream. Fleece. Light peach/coral color. Greek yogurt. (From the thickness of the dairy flavor.)

4. Stronger honey taste. It’s at the beginning of each sip. Rocky, mineral notes are back but rather than being dark, they’re light and sparkling. Like gray stones splashed with spring water, glistening in the sun. There is honeysuckle and cream at the end of each sip. Honey persists throughout. I think I taste a golden delicious apple somewhere in there…but I can’t tell if I’m imagining it or not. Long finish, again. A lot of dairy. And honeysuckle flowers.

There is a lot more complexity to this tea than I remembered. Holy crap. I’m glad I came back to it. This could be a sign of me getting back into oolongs! GREAT for gong fu, or bastardized western versions of gong fu. (Which is usually what I do.)

Leaves are still going strong…but after drinking this all afternoon, I’m in the mood for something different. I’ll probably throw this into a mason jar in the fridge overnight. We’ll see what happens. (:

This is freaking delicious. Slightly mineral oolong taste, with roasty cinnamon overtones and a touch of sweetness. The taste it leaves on my tongue is sweet, silky, and starting to verge on creamy. (This is on the second steep.) It makes me think of cinnamon raisin bread. SO good! It’s so hard to put the cup down. Absolutely getting this again!

Sipdown # 34!
I’ve been sipping on this one for a couple of hours. Initially I had planned to compare this one to the secret stash I have of Yanxin’s Reserve (verdant), with is also in nuggets. But I never did, & why bother? I enjoyed it, that’s all that matters!

This afternoon when I got home from my gig, I wanted shu. Plain & simple.
I have a sample of this from Garret, actually I have 2 samples, so it was time to give it a try. I used a Tbl of nuggets, in an 12 oz mug. I gave it a rinse, then a 3 minute steep, with a 5 minutes resteep.

Initially, it was kind of musty, but it had an earthy grounding element, a deep flavor, and a rich & almost buttery kind of mouth.
That’s all I have for now. :)

Anyone who has been following me knows that I adore pu’erh, and that I’m a huge Mandala fan. I’ve been drinking mild black tea all day today, really needed a change. I’ve had these for awhile now, got them as a sample with one of my Mandala orders. Thanks Garret.
Cold, windy fall day = warm comforting tea in my world. Nothing is more comforting to me than a really nice pu’erh. This is one of those. I’m not good at the whole “what it really tastes like”. I’m more about how it makes me feel. This makes me happy. It’s a nice gentle pu’erh – would be good for a beginner. It’s not as deep and complex as some of the other Manadala pu’erhs but there is nothing nasty about it. It’s just nice crisp, clean earthy, maybe a touch of sweetness.
Thumbs up.

This tea is like a less sweet version of the milk oolong. It really holds up well for multiple steepings!

This green tea is one of my favorites. It has a vegetable like smell and has a bright and clean flavor. Clouds and Mist is also less bitter than many of the greens that I have tried, so this is the tea that I usually drink. I have yet to try a green tea that I like better!

This is a great tea to introduce to those unfamiliar with teas outside of the Lipton bags! The fact that this is not a flavored tea is what really makes it something special. I have friends who have been turned on to loose leaf tea after trying this one. The milk oolong can withstand 12 steepings (my bladder will not allow me to go for thirteen) and transform itself slightly with each one. It smells like a toffee and has a buttery texture to it. Overall this is a great tea for those looking for something a bit sweet but without all the calories!

This is my favorite tea right now. I have tried puh’ers in the past, but I have often been overwhelmed by the hay like aromas of many ripe puh’ers. I realize that ripe pu’ers are an acquired taste, but Noble Mark is really a smoother and more mellow version of this type of tea. I do prepare it a bit differently than most would, as I do one ten second rinse followed by steepings of 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes and finally five minutes at 208 degrees. This was the result of experimenting with the tea a bit. I really like the results that I got! The longer steepings give me a dark cup of tea that is not too overwhelming, but at the same time the flavors are much more complex than pu’ers that I have tried in the past!

Yet another great tea from Mandala.

It’s very sweet and floral with hints of butter and caramel.

Wow, this is a very interesting green tea, the likes of which I’ve never tasted. This is a green tea that has been roasted in a clay jar, I believe after traditional processing. Don’t quote me on that.

Very unique roasted flavor. It pairs well with melon and sweet fruits. I’ll post more after my next cup.

I finally ordered a couple ounces of this tea. I first tried it as a sample that came with a previous order from Mandala.

WOW! Blown away from this batch! I had three cups this morning.

The flavor and aroma are unbelievable. Very savory like steamed green veggies with grass fed butter. A nice creamy mouth feel that lingers on the tongue with no astringency. When I drink this tea, I can only imagine it was created by a true tea master. Now I know what real green tea is. I’m in love! I highly recommend this organic tea!

I’m slowly working my way into green teas. I’m more of an oolong or black tea lover. Some greens I’ve tried are almost too savory for me, and I admit I don’t have a lot of experience when it comes to green tea, but this tea is a mind changer.

It came as a free sample from a recent order I placed from Mandala Tea. It’s very mild and not too vegetal when using short infusions. It also has a very smooth and slightly creamy mouth feel. The sample I received was enough to make several cups, especially when using shorter infusions. It also goes well with food. I really love this tea and I’ll be ordering a full batch on my next order.

The great thing about Mandala’s teas is that they’re such high quality, and you’re able to get more infusions per teaspoon. Great value!

Sipdown.

Sniffles. Sad it’s gone. So good – deep and rich. Gone. :(

This is really good. Malty and a bit of the outdoors in the taste. I’m not getting cocoa or spice, but I am enjoying the flavours from my cup.

Thank you Dexter3657 and Mandala for another exquisite tea.

I made a pot of this earlier today to share with one of my students.
The wet leaf smells phenomenal!! It is this crazy fruity sweet aroma that defies description. The tea itself was ok, but I think there was an element of user error in play, meaning I don’t think I used enough leaf. Luckily I have enough of this to try it several more times!

I’ve been drinking this one all day. Very, very nice! I love a good creamy, vegetal oolong :)

Thanks again to kimquat for the wonderful Mandala swap package. I know exactly what I’m going to be ordering now! :D

Now I just have to wait a couple weeks for my big fall art fair so I have TEA MONIES! WOOT

This was my first pu-erh and I was blown away. I loved the smoky sweetness of this tea. Each re-steep was a little less smoky and a little sweeter- and each cup was delicious. At work today all I could think about was getting home to have a cup of Wild Monk. Yay- it’s Friday and I have all weekend to drink tea. I think I’m hooked…..