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drank 2006 Wuliang Mountain Ripe by Mandala Tea
97 tasting notes

I have been in the midst of a very stressful time. To calm myself I drank the samples that Garret sent me with my birthday order.

1st Steep-30 seconds
Garret obviously knows my tea tastes very well because I loved this tea at first steep. It was smoky but, again, not that heavy lapsang smoke but a sweeter more pleasant smoke.

2nd Steep-45 seconds
Very mildly smoky. There’s also a nice leathery note. Sweet on the finish. It’s getting that pipe smoke taste.

3rd Steep-1 minute
The leathery note is still there with the sweet finish. There is also a bit of clove spice. Very nice.

4th Steep-1.30 minutes
So very smooth with a vanilla note. Not exactly sweet but more of a nutty type of vanilla. My favorite steep so far.

5th Steep-2 minutes
Vanilla buttercream. That’s about as close as I can describe this one. It was sweet vanilla with a nice buttery note.

I had to give up on this one earlier than I wanted to. My teapot got shuffled into the sink while I was reserving my leaves. But I really liked this tea. Very much. I really loved the sweeter later steeps which is odd for me considering I tend to gravitate towards smoky teas. When I was planning my Mandala order, it came down to this one or a Yong de Organic cake and I picked the Yong de. I don’t necessarily regret it but I will be buying a cake of this one in the soontime.
Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec
3 comments
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Bonnie
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Tea is so good for stress! I hope things improve for you. Taking the time to be still and drink your tea can create clarity. We think we’re alone in our troubles, but people do care!

Terri HarpLady
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Hang in there Grace!
This tea sounds interesting, thanks for the review!

graceatblb
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Thanks guys! Tea’s been pretty much the only thing keeping me from insanity right now.

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Comments

Bonnie
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Tea is so good for stress! I hope things improve for you. Taking the time to be still and drink your tea can create clarity. We think we’re alone in our troubles, but people do care!

Terri HarpLady
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Hang in there Grace!
This tea sounds interesting, thanks for the review!

graceatblb
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Thanks guys! Tea’s been pretty much the only thing keeping me from insanity right now.

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Bio

Book blogger. Hockey fan. Reformed coffee drinker. Newly minted tea addict. I grammar police myself and no one else. Pu’er lover.

My favorite type of tea is pu’er. I can see myself living in a house alone with just pu’er cakes, a electric tea kettle, my trusty pu’er pick from Mandala and a thermos. I prefer ripe pu’er but love raw pu’er as well. My current favorite is the Special Dark from Mandala Tea.

Black Tea-I also love all forms of black tea. Black tea is where I started and I still love the malty loveliness of a good black tea. My current favorite is Grandpa’s Anytime Tea from Butiki.

Green Tea-Green tea is pretty hit and miss with me. I have never really developed a liking towards it. I have been dying to explore green tea more. Especially matcha and genmaicha. My current favorite is Autumn Harvest Laoshan Green from Verdant Tea.

Herbals/Mate-It depends on what’s in them. I gravitate more to herbs and spices rather than fruit flavors. My current favorite is Fired Up Fennel from Davids Tea.

I love mate (and guayusa). It helped me kick my coffee habit to one cup a day. I will try any blend with mate in it. My current favorite is Chocolate Rocket from Davids Tea.

White Tea-Sadly, I haven’t tried many white teas but I am planning on it very soon.

Oolong Tea-I have tried one or two oolong teas but in blends only. I am dying to try a straight oolong. My current favorite is Milk Oolong by Mandala Tea.

Rooibos-I love rooibos blends but they are very hit and miss with me. I love the woodiness of rooibos. My favorite is currently Oh Canada from Davids Tea.

Flavored Tea-I love flavored teas. I am willing to try just about any flavor combination and the weirder the better. My current favorite flavored tea is Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha by Verdant Tea.

I am always searching for a tea with fig or chili in it.

My favorite tea companies-Mandala Tea (their Phatty Cake was my first ever “Oh My God” tea moment), Butiki Teas, Verdant Tea, and Davids Tea

Location

Staten Island, New York

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http://bookslikebreathing.blo...

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