Mandala Tea

Sipdown, 192. My trial with the oriental beauty was so successful that I decided to go ahead and brew up this Yunnan Beauty that Azzrian also sent me. Thanks!

Same method as before; quick rinse, just about a 1 minute steep (this time it might have been closer to 45 seconds). This tea also smells very fruity, but in a slightly darker, more concentrated way. In that, it smells more like dried apricots and prunes than fresh apricots and plums. Including the corresponding extra hit of sweetness that dried fruits have over fresh. This tea is also very delicious and challenging my expectations of dark oolongs. Fruity, sweet and very smooth. I don’t detect any minerally notes in this one, and it almost has a creaminess to it that is quite lovely. I like the darker notes of this in comparison to the traditional oriental beauty I tried earlier. This is a variety of tea that I could see exploring further. Thanks so much for the introduction, Azzrian!

Sipdown, 193. Thanks to Azzrian for this sample!

I decided to use the whole sample in one go, and then realized that I would have a pretty similar water:tea ratio as in their steeping instructions. So I then I thought, why not. I did a 10 second rinse, as instructed, and then meant to do a 30 second steep, but it turned into a minute. Ah well. The tea is definitely not oversteeped. It smells incredibly fruity, like apricots or plums.

Well color me surprised. I have tried a smattering of oriental beauty teas over the years and have never been all that in love with them. Dark oolongs just don’t do it for me so much. But this! This one I am most definitely enjoying. Fruity, sweet, with a hint of minerals but not too much. No roasted/toasted flavor (yay), not too woody or rocky. I’m not in love enough to order more, but I will be less skeptical of oriental beauty oolongs in the future for sure.

PS: I really wish there was a search-your-own-tasting notes function. I would love to search for oriental beauty and see my previous notes, since there are probably some in there that I don’t even remember. 1010 is a lot of tasting notes!

Exceptional! This tea is madness and makes me want to hoard it like a crazy person. Since I have purchased Mandala’s Milk Oolong, I have had no less than 4 cups a day, every day… sometimes more. I think about this tea when I’m not near it. I bring it to and from work in my best air-tight container and coddle it as if contained within lie the answers to mankind’s deepest questions… I think I have a problem.

While not my first foray into the world of oolongs, this was my first experience with a milk oolong and I cannot believe how good this tea is. This hurts my manhood to say, but the aroma and taste is pure butter cream frosting with sweet magical notes of milky carmel taffy and a subtle hint of buttered popcorn. Underlying all this buttery goodness is an exceptionally well balanced oolong base with sweet musky vegetal and floral notes that deliver consistent greatness for a seemingly endless amount of steeps. The first time I brewed this tea, I could smell it on myself for a good 30 minutes after I had finished.

The mouth feel is just perfect and somehow not unlike milk, triggered no doubt by a bit of synesthesia. It almost reminds me of sneaking a bowl of some super awesome sugary kid’s cereal at a friends house that I was otherwise forbidden to have as a young child. Yes, this tea elicits an emotive response.

I will generally do a hybrid (read: less-skilled) gong fu style in a brew cup starting with 30 second infusions and adding roughly 15 seconds. I have yet to reach the end of this tea with up to 8 infusions, which for me is a lot as I tend to prefer longer brew times.

As of right now, this is the best tea I have ever tasted. Easy 100, I cannot stop drinking it! Don’t order too much because I’ll probably panic when the supply gets low.

This tea is wild alright – visually It looks like someone raked their tea lawn and put the leaves in a bag. The leaves themselves are actually purple too. How cool is that?

The sparse nature of the wild “lawn clipping” style leaves and deceptively faint aroma of the dry leaf brews a shockingly full bodied cup of tea with a range of taste somewhere between dry, herbaceous chinese green and smokey ripe pu’er. Its quite remarkable, this tea borrows from both sides of the spectrum while standing distinctly on its own. This was my first ever Mao Cha style tea… up to this point I have never tasted anything quite like it.

The energy of Wild Monk is penetrating, as is the flavor if left to brew for too long. I would suggest shorter steepings around a minute. The first few brews tend to be dominated by hay and a well balanced meditative smokiness while the later brews bring a bit of citrus and sweet shellfish to the mix.

Main notes to my palate are:

Hay
Smoke
Malty/Citrus
Shellfish (mild)
Sweet (mild)

While not a daily drinker for me, it is an enjoyable cup of tea and its nice to know I have it when i’m in the mood for something off the path of conventional flavors. Overall i’m rating this tea highly because it is so unique, wonderfully complex and for lack of a a more tactful word, powerful.

I have been searching for a pu’er to take the place of my coffee in the morning. I have myself down to a couple of sips but I haven’t quite kicked the habit yet. I think this would come pretty close. It has everything I love about coffee without the jittery over-caffeinated feeling afterwards. So when Garret included this as a sample, I was joyful.

1st Steep-30 seconds
Very smoky and so very good. I am a Lapsang fan so the smokier the better. This would be probably a bit easier to take for people that don’t like smoky teas because the smoke is not as in your face as with a Lapsang

2nd Steep-45 seconds
Still smoky with an almost leathery note. I can see this replacing coffee for me…if I had more of them. Goals I have them.

3rd Steep-1 minute
I love how this tea maintains its smoky flavor while gaining complexity. It’s sweet now and smells so good. Kind of reminds me of pipe smoke. I love that smell and it brings back such pleasant memories.

4th Steep-1.30 minutes
The smoke is still there but not as prevalent. Dark chocolate notes are coming through. Probably my favorite steep so far.

5th Steep-2 minutes
Oh Lordy, smells like honey. Not sweet clover honey but something darker. Like leatherwood honey—my favorite. It tastes like it too.

6th Steep-2.30 minutes
It’s lost most of its smoke but now the leatherwood honey has transformed into a clover honey smell and taste. Kind of floral as well. I don’t think I will get much more from this tea—although I am tempted to try—but it ends on a lovely note.

I am borderline in love with this tea. It will be a part of my next Mandala order. Thanks to Garret for the sample.

I have to admit that I was a bit frightened of this tea. I’ve had them in my cart to buy every time I ordered with Mandala and I’ve gotten spooked each time. So I am very happy that Garret included a sample with my last order.

I did the recommended 3 rinses on this one.

1st Steep-30 seconds
Perhaps a bit too earthy for me on the first steep. I didn’t hate the taste though. It was very earthy but there was a nice sweetness to it. I’m interested to see how this mellows.

2nd Steep-45 seconds
I get what people mean when they say a tea smells “barnyard.” Because this one kind of does. I didn’t find it at all unpleasant though. It actually brought back lovely childhood memories. The taste was very smoky. Kind of like a sweeter Lapsang.

3rd Steep-1 minute
It still smells a bit musty but it’s fading to a nice leathery note. The taste, however, is fantastic. Naturally sweet with a brown sugar, raisin note. There is also a wine-like tang that I find very appealing even though I hate wine. I don’t know quite what to make of this tea but all the feelings I have are positive.

4th Steep-1.30 minutes
It’s mellowing out in a very nice way. It’s a bit roasty and nutty like coffee with a nice chocolaty flavor. Kind of like Nutella on whole wheat toast.

5th Steep-2 minutes
Very light but still a bit roasty and nutty. It doesn’t seem to be weakening very much at all.

6th Steep-10 minutes
I always manage to forget about the last steep. This is very light with a very surprising floral note. After the roasty toasty of the previous steep, the floral note is very shocking and a great note to finish on.

This tea started out so bold and finished so gently. I liked it a lot. Perhaps not an everyday tea but when I need a good kick in the pants, I would definitely reach for this one first.

P.S. I don’t think I will ever see my team win again.

Lighter teas and I still have a very tentative accord. I like them…sometimes but there are a few that I just love so much. This is one of them. It’s creamy, nutty, buttery and caramelly. And perfect. The final steeps were a bit iffy this time around though. I was hit in the face with floral notes that came out of nowhere and it wasn’t terrible but it made me miss the earlier steeps. I need to get more of this because this was my last bit and I am sad. I also have to order from Mandala again because I haven’t ordered tea in a long time.

I have been drinking tea for a while but I never had a straight oolong tea and I have only had 1 or 2 flavored ones. Oolong could very well become another tea obsession because this was amazing. And by amazing, I mean that I want to hoard it like a crazy person.

1st Steep-15 seconds
A bit grassy but with a strong almost brown butter type of sweet nuttiness. Also a bit of coconut. So good.

2nd Steep-18 seconds
Oh my word is this tea amazing. Tasted like a toffee candy. Sweet and buttery. There is also a nice peachy note that I love.

3rd Steep-20 seconds
It tastes like peaches and cream. I am kind of flummoxed as to how this tea can get any better. And I’m not usually a fan of lighter teas.

4th Steep-40 seconds
It reminds me of vanilla buttercream. Pure sweet vanilla with a nice buttery bite. There is still that note of fruitiness but it’s faded. It’s almost lemony. Come to think about it, I always add lemon zest to my vanilla buttercream so it makes sense. The tea gods make sense.

5th Steep-1 minute
Starting to smell like jasmine tea which has never been one of my favorites but it works for me here. But the taste is like heavy cream with a bit of a floral finish.

6th Steep-1.20 minutes
The floral note is really taking over in the scent and taste. There is still a buttery note but it’s fading.

7th Steep-1.40 minutes
I couldn’t resist saving this tea for the morning because I loved it too much to throw away. I had this right after I drank my morning coffee. It was a lovely contrast to the bitter roast of the coffee. Reminded me of a jasmine green tea. Very floral. Very calming. Lovely.

I really was expecting to be all “meh” about this one because I am not a fan of lighter teas. I like my tea dark and roasty. But this was just lovely. It was creamy and fruity and I even liked the floral notes. So my first oolong was a success. I would be interested in trying a more roasty one.

P.S. Team is now on a 5 game losing streak.

I just got my new glass mug from Mandala and I figured that I should pick a sample that I haven’t tried in a long time to break it in. I chose Year of the Dragon because…well, it’s the first one I saw.

I am going to try something a bit new. I am going to use the same brew time throughout. I’ve settled on 15 seconds.

1st Steep-
I may be a bit in love with this tea based on first impressions and I am deeply regretting not buying a cake. Very creamy and absolutely no earthiness. The only comparison I can think of is dates. Dried, dark yummy dates that I wait for at Christmas time and hoard them.

2nd Steep-
It’s getting to be more of a prune flavor. I don’t want to say that because most think of prunes as unappetizing but that’s what I’m getting with this steep—dried prunes. And it is yummy.

3rd Steep
Still tastes like a cross between dates and prunes…can’t decide which one. But it’s delicious.

4th Steep-
Still with the prunes but kind of candied because there is almost a burnt brown sugar aftertaste that you get with candied prunes.

5th Steep-
It’s starting to lighten a bit. Not much but enough that it doesn’t look so much like coffee. It’s lightened to the taste of raw figs. Oh boy.

I am now upping the steeping time to 20 seconds.

6th to 8th Steeps
Still figgy. A bit of candied fig taste with a brown sugar background.

I upped the time to 1 minute

9th to 12th Steeps
Still figgy but less so. Some vanilla notes peeking through at various levels of intensity.

13th Steep-5 minutes
Tastes like vanilla extract without the alcohol. Can’t say it’s not pleasant.

14th Steep-15 minutes
I think this tea is done. Tastes like hot water.

I love this tea. It hit every single flavor profile that I found appealing. Figs, prunes, dates…that’s like heaven to me. I’m a weird one I know. And as a bonus, I loved my new mug too. It’s adorable. It’s short and chubby and looks like it should be wearing a bow-tie. No, I am not crazy…I named it Stuart…maybe a little crazy.

P.S. This tea experience was completely different from my first time around with this tea. Just realizing that now when reading my tea note.

Garret was nice enough to send me some of this shu with my last order. I saved for a day I know would be stressful—and it was. My team lost…again…I mean, scored against 8 seconds into the game…it was bad. Otherwise, I was just having terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I ended up drinking this tea for two days straight because I ended up falling asleep after my 2nd steep.

1st Steep-30 seconds
Very hayish with a sweet finish. Almost fruity. Reminded me of dates. Which I love almost as much as figs.

2nd Steep-45 seconds
Still a bit hayish but its taking on more of a smoky type flavor. There are also some nice dark chocolate notes. The fruity note is still there making this steep taste kind of like a Fruit and Nut candy bar.

3rd Steep-1 minute
Takes on an interesting berry note with some vegetal undertones. Not grassy but more basil or mint. Definitely not what I was expecting based on previous steeps but very good. There is still a bit of the sort of smokey earthiness but it’s very much in the background.

4th Steep-1.30 minutes
This steep is all berry with a creamy vanilla finish. Very sweet. I almost miss the herbaceous note.

5th Steep-2 minutes
Vanilla and brown sugar with a bit of the berry flavor. Not much though. The flavor is starting to lighten up but I really did like this steep.

6th Steep-10 minutes
I always manage to forget the last steep. It hasn’t burned me yet or destroyed good tea so I guess it’s okay. This final steep has taken on a very vegetal flavor much like green tea. A bit grassy and a bit sweet on the finish.

I really liked this one a lot. It might not become a staple—-or it may if I end up buying a cake. It did give me that shiny happy people feeling. I know it was the tea because I usually mope after my team loses and I was all cheerful this time. It was also pretty tasty.

Yum! Approaching a sipdown of this one soon. This oolong is so nice.

This time around I’m getting honey and apricot notes…it’s fruity sweet! So good. There are very subtle roasted notes in this cuppa, but it’s much different from the typical taste of roasted oolongs. It isn’t powerful, but soft and soothing – none of that irritating the back of the throat feel I get with some really roasty teas. I’m also getting the hay notes I had gotten before, which really help to ground the sweetness of this tea. I’m really loving this one this morning.

Off to make resteep! Finals are hitting me this week and next, so you most likely won’t be seeing a lot of me. I’m hoping to get back to my regular tasting/posting schedule soon. The past month or two have been crazy! Anyone else graduating this month?

Getting really sick again, but I wanted to have this again. I did a really quick two steep session: 30sec for the first and a minute for the second.

Yummy honey notes mixed with subtle delicious vegetal-ish notes. I also got some slight hay notes, as well. Held up wonderfully for the two steeps I did, and could have easily gone to six or so.

I would’ve liked to be able to do a complete session in my gaiwan for this one, but I’m drugged up to the gills with cold medicine right now and probably would’ve fallen asleep. It’s hard enough trying to concentrate writing this quick note!

See previous tasting notes for a more detailed (and coherent) taste profile.

This one sounded so promising, I just had to try it! Used my gaiwan, increasing by 15 sec with each steep.

Wash: I took a sip of it, and yum! Nice and sweet, with a strong honey smell. Can’t wait to get brewing.

1st steep: Buttery, strong honey like scent.
Taste: Sweet, slightly vegetal. Notes of a wine-like flavor are present. Honey notes are also present. There is also a slight buttery note, and the mouthfeel is smooth.

2nd steep: This brew smells very sweet, slightly like honey, and has a stronger wine like scent to it.
Taste: Sweet, honey taste in front, followed by the wine like (barley?) taste. Ends with a nice sweet note, mixed with a little vegetal oolong taste. I’m also picking up some fruitiness. It’s almost like what a mango flavored honey tastes like. Interesting. Buttery note I picked up previously wasn’t detected this time around, but I don’t miss it! This steep was exceptional!

3rd Steep: Smells more like a wine, with very light honey notes.
Taste: This one is less sweet. Tastes more like a dry wine. Has a bit of a drying effect on the mouth, too. The slight sweetness of the cup comes at the end of the sip. Fruitiness is absent in this cup, as well, but it’s nice in its own way. Still think the second steep is going to be my favorite.

4th Steep: Surprise! The sweet smell is back! Honey and wine.
Taste: This brew is sweeter than the last, but still not as sweet as the 2nd. It’s also slightly buttery again. Very smooth, not drying anymore. The wine taste is very laid back in this brew, and what I can only describe as a “typical oolong tea” taste has entered the picture. Slightly earthy, and delicious. Interesting steep.

5th Steep: Sweet and the most wine-like smelling brew. Nice honey-ish notes, too.
Taste: Reprise of the 2nd steep! Well, almost. The wine taste is a little stronger in this one, but the honey taste and the slight fruitiness is back. There’s also a lingering sweetness at the end of the sip! Yum!

I feel like this tea could probably go a few more steeps, but I think I need a break. It’s kind of late, and if I don’t stop now I probably won’t sleep. ;)

Overall, a very, very nice oolong. A new favorite, that’s for sure. Thanks Azzrian for bringing this one to my attention! And thanks Mandala for having this one in stock!

I have tried many pu’ers but not many tuochas. This one was my first and they were great. I’m very glad I bought 4oz of these lovely little tuos.

1st Steep-30 seconds
Very hayish with a molasses finish. Starts out very bold and strong. Could replace coffee for me…I’ve been actively searching for a replacement for a while.

2nd Steep-45 seconds
Might lighter. Still earthy but more roasty. Like coffee but without the bitter finish. The tea still finishes on a sweet note.

3rd Steep-1 minute
This steep was very smooth and had the flavor of a nice chocolate bar…a good one. There is also a salty bite to it at the end.

4th Steep-1.30 minutes
This was my favorite steep out of all of them. Strange because usually it’s the 3rd. This one reminded me of butterscotch which I love.

5th Steep-2 minutes
This steep confused me a bit—-in a good way. It was a weird combination of all of the previous steeps. It was a bit roasty with a buttery note. There was also a slight chocolate finish.

6th Steep-7 minutes
I forgot I was steeping while I ran an errand. It didn’t seem to impact the flavor at all. Honey and vanilla. Getting much lighter even with the long steep.

7th Steep-20 minutes
I was watching a hockey game (not my team) and got distracted because that team was playing well while mine just doesn’t so I let this steep for the first period…bad me. But the tea was so light I really didn’t notice. It had a nice chamomile-like flavor with nice floral notes.

I really did like these tuochas a lot. I don’t think any pu’er will come close to my Mandala Phatty Cake but this comes close. These Not-So-Mini Tuochas would make a great morning cuppa. If I was courageous, which I’m not, I would replace my morning cup of coffee with this tea.

Dry Leaf: Has a light osmanthus fragrance with a light sweet smell almost like a fruit aroma.
Wet Leaf: This is were the osmanthus fragrance is more noticeable and you get what appears a fruit aroma in the background.
Liquor: Is a bright, clear golden yellow color.
Taste: I got a osmanthus flavor with a light fruit like a berry of some sort. The broth was smooth but also felt full-bodied in the mouth. There was a nice sweet after taste to this tea too.
Vessel: 100ml (3 oz.) gaiwan and 5 grams of leaf for 5 steeping’s. FYI: I followed Garret’s tea instructions. Just a side note to all.
Overall Opinion: I give this tea a 90. The tea was good. I enjoyed it. I think if you enjoy lighter oolongs or even Tie Guan Yin you will enjoy this tea as well.

I decided to review this one again because I was a pu’er rookie when I tried it the first time and I am a bit more prepared this time around…and I am going to spend much longer with it. I stopped at 2 minutes the last time.

1st Steep- 30 seconds
Starts out on just the right note. Has a very thick mouthfeel with a nice sweetness to it. Tastes like almonds. I think it was right the first time around when I compared the taste to Amaretti cookies because there is kind of a doughyness.

2nd Steep- 45 seconds
Not as doughy. Still sweet. Less almond though. A touch of fruit.

3rd Steep- 1 minute
Cherries with amaretto. Probably one of the best combinations in the world. I love this tea even more than the first time.

4th Steep- 1.30 seconds
Still cherries and amaretto but the almond is kind of fading. There is a creamy vanilla note on the finish.

5th to 10th Steep- 2-4 minutes
Varying degrees of vanilla. Sometimes it’s straight vanilla extract. Sometimes it’s vanilla bean steeped in heavy cream. And sometimes, it’s lemon and vanilla. Very good.

10th Steep-5 minutes
Vanilla and cinnamon. It’s a sweet cinnamon. Not spicy. Very mild flavored.

11th Steep-15 minutes
The flavor seems to be fading so I thought I’d blast it with one extra long steep. It tastes like cinnamon bark. Spicy this time.

I don’t quite know what it is with Golden Gong Ting. This experience was so different from my first time around. This one was more versatile. Doesn’t quite beat my Special Dark but it’s pretty darn close.

I came into this tea with very high expectations based on the other reviews here. I expected it to be an Experience. And it was. A great one. There were so many flavors in this tea that my mind is racing to process them all.

1st Steep-30 seconds
There is a little bit of the mushroomy smell but I find it pleasant here. The tea tasted nothing like what the smell would indicate at all. It tasted like an amaretti cookie or Amaretto without the alcohol bite. It was much lighter than I would expect from a first steep.

2nd Steep-45 seconds
The tea is still very nutty but there is almost a berry finish. I’m leaning towards strawberry. Quite lovely.

3rd Steep-1 minute
The 3rd steep is now one that I look forward to because it’s always the best and this one was no exception. This one tasted like Tahitian vanilla bean. Very sweet and a bit floral.

4th steep-1.30 minutes
A cross between cinnamon bark and honey. In a way this steep kind of reminded me of baklava—-my one true sweet weakness.

5th Steep-2 minutes
The berries have returned. They are still strawberries but they are so much stronger and bring with them an almost whipped cream sort of finish. A perfect finish to a perfect tea experience.

This one lived up to my every expectation and more. It also gave me that happy buzzy feeling that only happens when you have a really great tea. Not really tea drunk just happy and shiny thinking nice things about the world and the people in it.

And thanks to Garret for hockey theming my latest order and for the Year of the Dragon pu’er. I’m saving it for Thursday when my team plays…to cheer me up because they are slumping terribly.

Thank you to Claire for this sample of Mandala Black Pearl Tea!

I used to get my Black Pearl Tea from China until I found a similar tea with the same taste at my local tea shop (with no shipping cost).

Today, I was going to a shop in Old Town to refill my bottle of vanilla-orange vinegar (I use the vinegar when baking cranberry bread and in Swedish pancake batter along with cardamom), I thought I’d walk around the corner through the melting snow from Sunday’s storm… to my tea shop.
I’d ask Preston to do a side-by-side comparison between their Black Pearl Tea and the Mandala sample.

Preston was glad to accommodate my request because the shop wasn’t busy at the time.
He warmed 2 Gaiwans, 2 small porcelain teapots and several small tasting cups.

First we tasted the Mandala Tea…which was surprisingly smoky.
I was expecting a cocoa sweet, malty tea…but instead the tea was very much like a lightly smoked tea, very smooth and so thick that it coated the inside of my whole mouth.

Next, we tasted the Tea House Black Pearls, which were sweet and cocoa-malty.
This was the type of Black Pearl I’ve tasted from several vendors…all very good.
I had expected a similar flavor from the Mandala Pearls…but they didn’t taste the same.

The flavor comparison of the two were so dissimilar, that they seemed like different tea’s. One smoky-buttery and the other cocoa-malty.

Mandala’s Black Pearls would be enjoyed by people love the tease of subtle smokiness…a thick, rich buttery coating in the mouth and an ultra- smooth finish.

I wonder if brewing by another method might not be as successful as using a Gaiwan. I’ll have to see.

NOTE…For those who use lots of Black Pearls when they brew, I wouldn’t do that with these Pearls. We used 3 in a Gaiwan and that was enough! They unfurl rapidly.

For me, the flavor was refined and very enjoyable.

It’s been an exhausting week Steepsters! I’m very glad to say my body recovered from the hit-by-a-car fiasco, but then it promptly adopted a cold. Here’s hoping the next two weeks are much better.

This shu makes me so happy. The flavor is rich, woodsy, and sweet. I got 1oz of it in my last Mandala order and definitely need to snag a cake. I wish I could pick up more flavors in this but my review will have to suffice to say this one is a keeper (and a drinker).

I didn’t know this when I posted my last note about my Phatty Cake but I had hidden a piece of it from myself. My Phatty Cake is now an ex-Phatty Cake. It’s pining for the fjords and I am all sad. Still delicious though.

Currently drinking the last bit of my Phatty Cake. It was beautiful and now it is gone and I shall miss it. I added a bit of honey. I have been doing that all the time with just about everything. Honey makes everything better. But it seems especially true for pu’er. It brings out the flavor in the tea with some magic. Honey transformed this normally sort of smoky tea into something a bit nutty. Almost almondlike. So weird. But good.

My team is playing HOCKEY!!! That is enough to make this girl pretty darn joyful. My team’s new goalie is also fabulous (Thanks Vancouver!). I needed something more robust than a green to reflect the sport I am watching. So I picked up my trusty Phatty Cake—and I overleafed a bit…My cake is shrinking. Not so much a cake anymore but a frisbee. I decided to follow Bonnie’s advice and make it a latte. Oh my dear lord. It’s delicious. Phatty Cake already has some molasses notes but adding almond milk—didn’t have any coconut as Garret suggested—and a touch of raw sugar just brings it right out. Sweet, slightly smoky dark molasses. I’m drinking it hot right now but I think I may have it iced later.

P.S. My team won. Unusual.

I haven’t had this one for a while. I missed it. It’s like an old friend that I haven’t seen for a long time but think of constantly.

I tried shorter steeps this time around because I wanted to extend the leaves a bit.

1st Steep-10 seconds
Slightly smoky with a sweet raisin finish. I am going to see what shorter steep times can do to this tea. So far so good.

2nd Steep-15 sec
Very very slight smoke. Roasty. There is also a almost breadlike note on the finish. Very thick mouthfeel as well. Shorter steeps seem to be working really well.

3rd Steep-20 seconds
Sorta sweet. Kind of leathery. Smooth mouthfeel.

4th Steep-25 seconds
There is a grape note in there. Sweet and a bit earthy. Like grapes just off the vine.

5th Steep-30 seconds
Grapes and a bit of a spice bite. A little nutmeg in some sips.

6th Steep-40 seconds
Nutmeg just popped right out there. With vanilla. The grape is gone. Still fruity but it’s a different feel to it.

7th Steep-50 seconds
Lightening up quite a bit. The fruit flavor is much clearer. Like a carmelized fig. It’s pretty much my favorite thing ever.

8th Steep-60 seconds
All fig right now. With brown sugar. This one is perhaps my favorite steep because figs are the best thing ever.

9th Steep-1.30 minutes
Lightening up much more. Tastes of vanilla wafers.

10th Steep-2 minutes
Vanilla and a bit of clove.

11th Steep-2.10 minutes
Some spice…clove still…and a floral taste creeping in.

12th Steep-2.30 minutes
This tea is pretty much done. Very floral on the last steep and that’s how I know to quit. Floral + me= no fun