33 Tasting Notes
I am very sorry to say that my once absolutely favorite tea is now undrinkable (to me). The last time that I bought this, there were no flavorings. Now, they have added “natural flavorings” that smell and taste awful. Fortunately, DavidsTea’s customer service is amazing and I was able to bring this back to the store and trade for something without flavorings. The Pouchong Ooolong is pretty good.
Preparation
I really enjoy this tea. Nicely scented — mellow and just the right level of smokiness. I brew Western style. The first steep was great, didn’t really work for a second steep. I would buy this tea again.
Preparation
I received this as a sample – a very delicious tea. The dry tea reminds me of Milk Oolong — tight little buds. The taste and smell of the tea is reminiscent of a roasty big red robe only more complex – some definite floral notes. Very satisfying.
Preparation
A sample – this is from a phatty cake (whatever that is). I’m trying to enjoy pu-ehr teas, but it is just not happening. This tasted fishy to me.
HI there! I just replied to another review you had just posted of a ripe pu’er.
May this message find you well.
This is the Phatty Cake: http://shopmandalatea.com/100-gram-mandala-phatty-cake.html
If you had a sample of the cake, that would be different than the lincang 2007 tea, which is a loose black style pu’er. While Phatty Cake utilizes the same material, it was steamed and pressed into cakes in 2011 which will change some aspects of the tea.
Wondering if you used a full rolling boil with this tea. It is really going to help you draw the best flavor out of a black style pu’er. Important, too, to do a rinse or two of the leaf with boiling water to prime the leaf and warm the brewing vessel. If you have some of the sample left, try it that way if you have not already done so.
But hey… no one says you have to enjoy black pu’er :) Thank goodness, there are other styles of the great leaf we know as camellia sinensis, right?!
Enjoy, Garret
I received a sample of this. I do not care for pu-ehr teas and this was no exception.
HI! This is Garret from Mandala Tea. Thanks for trying some of our teas. I noticed that both pu’ers that you have tried are ripe style pu’ers. You may favor green style pu’ers more. They are really two different experiences altogether and it’s worth trying some of the green style before ruling out pu’er tea from your cupboard.
Green style pu’er is made when the sun-dried leaf (mao cha) is steamed and pressed into cakes, creating a fermentation (for lack of a better word) within the cake itself. These teas will age and improve over many years given the right aging conditions.
Ripe pu’er undergoes a further step before being pressed, usually pile fermented (and turned into a black tea of sorts).
Black pu’er tea is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. But rarely is one tea everyone’s favorite. One must make sure to use a full rolling boil when it comes to preparing black pu’er. And make sure to do one or two rinses of the leaf both to prime the leaf and heat the brewing vessel for optimal brewing conditions.
I’d go ahead and give the raw tea a try. You can brew it up anywhere from temps of 195 up to full boil.
Have a tea-riffic day! Garret
I received this sample from Tea at Sea. I am not generally a green tea drinker. This seems a usual green tea, somewhat vegetal and grassy. I do not detect any fruitiness or seaweed, as the company has described. Just a usual green tea. I do like their oolong very much though.
