Ok, I made several Mandala’s orders in the last few weeks. It just seemed that every time, I had forgotten something or I just needed more of something else.
The last order was triggered by looseTman. He reminded me of something I had said in a previous review about this tea.
I had written that this was a very masculine tea, a “Stetson and Chaps” kind of guy.
That made me realized I had completely forgotten about it cause I had only a sample at the time.
I don’t know about you ladies, but I just can’t resist stetsons and chaps. So I placed another order for it and now well it’s here!
This tea is solid. It’s a hugger. I just want to cuddle with it.
Oh, the smell of leather bindings and old books, so lovely! Earthy and musty, very sweet with zero astringency. Just a tad of menthol at the end of the sip.
It’s spectacular! This is possibly my favourite loose shou pu’erh ever.
(dare I say it, it might have surpassed special dark just by a tad)
LooseTman, thank you for reading my previous review, the fact that you reminded me of it made me order this and now I’m in tea heaven because of you :-)
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I love this too. A lot;)
Stop, you make me want all the teas!
Boychik, I so love it!! And I can’t wait to try phatty cake, got one of this babies as well.
Mandy, that’s only because I keep drinking all the best teas!!!
Cowboys! Oh wait. tea.
And I love this tea. But not more than Special Dark. The Phatty Cake is awesome. And I also have to do yet another Mandala order. I can’t even make that one your fault. It’s Sarsonator’s fault.
This review made me smile :)
I’m having this right now. Leather and prunes my perfect combo
Hee Haw!!!
Yummy!
And Cowboys.
Lol.
But I need some help. (No not with the Cowboys – I got that) but I want to mae sure I don’t miss something and have to oder again after this because really. I can’t. I already need to have my credit cards taken away.
I just looked at my shopping cart over at Mandala and I felt very afraid. LOL. But what the hell? You only live once and pu’erhs are meant to be aged, so it’s not like they’ll go bad, right? RIGHT? :p
Haha! so you also got this one? Oh, I’m glad you did…can’t wait to find out what you think of it :-) Hee Haw!!!
I didn’t place the order yet, but I added some of this.
Can you tell me the difference between this and the phatty cake? Because it says the phatty cake is pressed from this. So do they taste much different? Should I get the loose or the cake?
Thanks, dearest!!!
I haven’t tried the cake yet, it’s one of my new pu’erh!!! I got it only because I like the loose one so much I figured I must get the cake, lol. let’s ask honeybelle, i think she has the cake.
You know I should try them side by side – never done that. Mostly I think of the loose as easier
Would y’all like for me to set up the side by side test RIGHT NOW and tell you?
I guess I’ll just have to get both and compare them. In the name of science, of course.
Oh well. Then yes. YOU do the science. I’ll wait :p
Starting on it. I will put pics on flickr
This is so fun! I love little comparison tests!!!
Oh, totally missed the experiment! How’s it going? Oh, now I understand the other thread’s comment !! I’m a little slowww today…
OK – after a side by side comparison, I believe I can say with some confidence that it would be up to your personal preference. I used 6 grams of each – did two rinses and 4 steeps of each. It would take a FAR more refined palate than mine to really tell an appreciable difference. And what else did we learn?
I am a badass gongfuy mistress – I can pour two gaiwans at the same time with equal success yo.
I have now dumped them all in one mug which I am enjoying now.
What else did we learn? Don’t use your lacy white gaiwan for shou. It’s little bottom got stained – but fear not! I have magic miracle soak http://shopmandalatea.com/smart-soak-tea-stain-dissolver.html from Garret.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125488674@N02/14460115030/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125488674@N02/14646779865/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125488674@N02/14644590824/
Nice!! I know that miracle soak is awesome, but I always forget to get some!
It is lifesaving to me – especially for my white things. I drink a LOT of Special Dark
Added miracle soak to the cart! I’ve actually been meaning to so that for awhile
So I realize the loose tea is more convenient, but I’m really digging the cakes, so I think I’m getting the phatty. I really aappreciate the comparison.
I thank you. Science thanks you.
Oh and also, the tea tray is gorgeous!
You are welcome. Science is welcome. You will thank yourself for the miracle soak
We also learned I need a &^^#$%# pu-pick
Ah yes. I have one of those in the cart, too!!!! I figured if I’m buying all these cakes, better get the tool to go with ’em.
You will have the perfect haul Sars, so excited for you!!
Please someone remind me to do that and LTF – will you please help me remember what all I need to get?
Oh I’m glad you like my tray. Guess what??? You might tsake a little gander at Garret’s trays while you’re over there….it’s really reasonable too and I LOVE it
What is it you need??
I need to find what we talked about this morning. I have Autumn Song, but I think I need Temple Stairs? And something else. And a pu-pick
Don’t forget the heart of the old tree!
YES! That! See?? See why I need help? And Cowboys?
Good thing that sars came to the rescue, I had no idea that was the one you were looking for…(we all need cowboys)
Yes, yes we do. That was one of the ones. So I need those two and a pick, cause I’ve been using all kinds of weird things like knives and screwdrivers
I think you’ll really love the HOTOT.
Lol. HOTOT.
Oh and yes, cowboys, pls.
OK I’m off to get a mug warmer back soon.
Haha! HOTOT Cowboyzzzzz
(i will be calling my old tree cake hot cowboy from now on)
The hot cowboy tea cake. Love it!
Never seen live cowboy but firefighters. Omg they are so hot in Brooklyn haha
(Ok now, boychik, you are bringing this topic to a whole new level…let’s try to keep Steepster PG13…)
I want to go hoomeeee
Haha! Firefighters will have that effect on you I guess ;-)
Yep, I can’t sleep here. Too quite. I need police, ambulance, fire truck siren , helicopters. I go to bed at 2am then by 5-5:15 I’m up because birds chirping
Oh man, I need to feel I’m safe haha
I used to live next door to a fire station
You are so lucky MzPriss! I remember we had blackout some years ago. Ppl used candles and then our neighbors had tiny fire across the street. I think it was just smoke. Anyway 3 fire trucks came to our block at 6am. Everybody wearing practically nothing (hot summer night) got on a block to stare at those gorgeous men. It was like a show. Free show.
They used to work out outside. Yeah it was nice
Awww, you got some cutsie tea pets! Look at all that pretty stuff! That lacey taiwan is like what you’d get if a white porcelain taiwan & a bad mitten shuttlecock had babies ;)
Thank you Terri :) LOL that is EXACTLY what that gaiwan looks like. It was the first gaiwan I ever bought and I still love it, I like pretties
My tea is now so far out of control I don’t even know what I have anymore. I HAVE Temple Stairs. SMH. So now maybe I just need some Hot Cowboy and a pu-pick
Garret – when you read this, sorry we’ve turned your beautifully named Heart of the Old Trees into Hot Cowboy. Sorry about that. Sorry.
It might be slightly more accurate to say that I would like to be sorry HOTOT is now Hot Cowboy
(I’m gonna drink me some hot cowboy this very minute…sorry too Garett for the brutality of this…but Hot Cowboy Sheng makes me such a happy fairy)
I’m working on the last steeps of my Wild Mountain Green from yesterday – just got my assistant all shenged-up as well so she can keep up :)
A happy Fairy is a good thing Garret
TheTeaFairy,
You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re in “Heaven” and thoroughly enjoying your “Stetson and Chaps” so much! However, I’m now confused. How can you rate Loose and Luscious Lincang – 2007, a shou you “forgot”, higher than your beloved Special Dark of which you’ve waxed poetically about numerous times on Steepster? It doesn’t even contain the most Special tea flavor: Chocolate!
Haha!!! LooseTman, I guess I’m all confused cause Mr. Garret Awesomeness makes too many excellent teas and they seem to compete with one another!!!
Can you have too much of a good thing? And this is all your fault, I totally blame you for this….I had forgotten about this tea…thank god you did remind me ;-)
No, you can’t you have too much of a good thing! It’s not my fault. The Devil made me do it! :-)
Did SD just increase from 93 to 96? Thus, making it 1 point higher than your “Stetson and Chaps”.
Yes, forgot to tell you…in all seriousness, SD in a yixing clay pot is very close to perfection, and will probably reach 100 on my next session…
Wow! This sounds very intriguing. I’ll have to check out your most recent SD tasting notes & comments.
I love this too. A lot;)
Stop, you make me want all the teas!
Boychik, I so love it!! And I can’t wait to try phatty cake, got one of this babies as well.
Mandy, that’s only because I keep drinking all the best teas!!!
Cowboys! Oh wait. tea.
And I love this tea. But not more than Special Dark. The Phatty Cake is awesome. And I also have to do yet another Mandala order. I can’t even make that one your fault. It’s Sarsonator’s fault.
This review made me smile :)
I’m having this right now. Leather and prunes my perfect combo
Hee Haw!!!
Yummy!
And Cowboys.
Lol.
But I need some help. (No not with the Cowboys – I got that) but I want to mae sure I don’t miss something and have to oder again after this because really. I can’t. I already need to have my credit cards taken away.
I just looked at my shopping cart over at Mandala and I felt very afraid. LOL. But what the hell? You only live once and pu’erhs are meant to be aged, so it’s not like they’ll go bad, right? RIGHT? :p
Haha! so you also got this one? Oh, I’m glad you did…can’t wait to find out what you think of it :-) Hee Haw!!!
I didn’t place the order yet, but I added some of this.
Can you tell me the difference between this and the phatty cake? Because it says the phatty cake is pressed from this. So do they taste much different? Should I get the loose or the cake?
Thanks, dearest!!!
I haven’t tried the cake yet, it’s one of my new pu’erh!!! I got it only because I like the loose one so much I figured I must get the cake, lol. let’s ask honeybelle, i think she has the cake.
You know I should try them side by side – never done that. Mostly I think of the loose as easier
Would y’all like for me to set up the side by side test RIGHT NOW and tell you?
I guess I’ll just have to get both and compare them. In the name of science, of course.
Oh well. Then yes. YOU do the science. I’ll wait :p
Starting on it. I will put pics on flickr
This is so fun! I love little comparison tests!!!
Oh, totally missed the experiment! How’s it going? Oh, now I understand the other thread’s comment !! I’m a little slowww today…
OK – after a side by side comparison, I believe I can say with some confidence that it would be up to your personal preference. I used 6 grams of each – did two rinses and 4 steeps of each. It would take a FAR more refined palate than mine to really tell an appreciable difference. And what else did we learn?
I am a badass gongfuy mistress – I can pour two gaiwans at the same time with equal success yo.
I have now dumped them all in one mug which I am enjoying now.
What else did we learn? Don’t use your lacy white gaiwan for shou. It’s little bottom got stained – but fear not! I have magic miracle soak http://shopmandalatea.com/smart-soak-tea-stain-dissolver.html from Garret.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125488674@N02/14460115030/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125488674@N02/14646779865/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125488674@N02/14644590824/
Nice!! I know that miracle soak is awesome, but I always forget to get some!
It is lifesaving to me – especially for my white things. I drink a LOT of Special Dark
Added miracle soak to the cart! I’ve actually been meaning to so that for awhile
So I realize the loose tea is more convenient, but I’m really digging the cakes, so I think I’m getting the phatty. I really aappreciate the comparison.
I thank you. Science thanks you.
Oh and also, the tea tray is gorgeous!
You are welcome. Science is welcome. You will thank yourself for the miracle soak
We also learned I need a &^^#$%# pu-pick
Ah yes. I have one of those in the cart, too!!!! I figured if I’m buying all these cakes, better get the tool to go with ’em.
You will have the perfect haul Sars, so excited for you!!
Please someone remind me to do that and LTF – will you please help me remember what all I need to get?
Oh I’m glad you like my tray. Guess what??? You might tsake a little gander at Garret’s trays while you’re over there….it’s really reasonable too and I LOVE it
What is it you need??
I need to find what we talked about this morning. I have Autumn Song, but I think I need Temple Stairs? And something else. And a pu-pick
Don’t forget the heart of the old tree!
YES! That! See?? See why I need help? And Cowboys?
Good thing that sars came to the rescue, I had no idea that was the one you were looking for…(we all need cowboys)
Yes, yes we do. That was one of the ones. So I need those two and a pick, cause I’ve been using all kinds of weird things like knives and screwdrivers
I think you’ll really love the HOTOT.
Lol. HOTOT.
Oh and yes, cowboys, pls.
OK I’m off to get a mug warmer back soon.
Haha! HOTOT Cowboyzzzzz
(i will be calling my old tree cake hot cowboy from now on)
The hot cowboy tea cake. Love it!
Never seen live cowboy but firefighters. Omg they are so hot in Brooklyn haha
(Ok now, boychik, you are bringing this topic to a whole new level…let’s try to keep Steepster PG13…)
I want to go hoomeeee
Haha! Firefighters will have that effect on you I guess ;-)
Yep, I can’t sleep here. Too quite. I need police, ambulance, fire truck siren , helicopters. I go to bed at 2am then by 5-5:15 I’m up because birds chirping
Oh man, I need to feel I’m safe haha
I used to live next door to a fire station
You are so lucky MzPriss! I remember we had blackout some years ago. Ppl used candles and then our neighbors had tiny fire across the street. I think it was just smoke. Anyway 3 fire trucks came to our block at 6am. Everybody wearing practically nothing (hot summer night) got on a block to stare at those gorgeous men. It was like a show. Free show.
They used to work out outside. Yeah it was nice
Awww, you got some cutsie tea pets! Look at all that pretty stuff! That lacey taiwan is like what you’d get if a white porcelain taiwan & a bad mitten shuttlecock had babies ;)
Thank you Terri :) LOL that is EXACTLY what that gaiwan looks like. It was the first gaiwan I ever bought and I still love it, I like pretties
My tea is now so far out of control I don’t even know what I have anymore. I HAVE Temple Stairs. SMH. So now maybe I just need some Hot Cowboy and a pu-pick
Garret – when you read this, sorry we’ve turned your beautifully named Heart of the Old Trees into Hot Cowboy. Sorry about that. Sorry.
It might be slightly more accurate to say that I would like to be sorry HOTOT is now Hot Cowboy
(I’m gonna drink me some hot cowboy this very minute…sorry too Garett for the brutality of this…but Hot Cowboy Sheng makes me such a happy fairy)
I’m working on the last steeps of my Wild Mountain Green from yesterday – just got my assistant all shenged-up as well so she can keep up :)
A happy Fairy is a good thing Garret
TheTeaFairy,
You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re in “Heaven” and thoroughly enjoying your “Stetson and Chaps” so much! However, I’m now confused. How can you rate Loose and Luscious Lincang – 2007, a shou you “forgot”, higher than your beloved Special Dark of which you’ve waxed poetically about numerous times on Steepster? It doesn’t even contain the most Special tea flavor: Chocolate!
Haha!!! LooseTman, I guess I’m all confused cause Mr. Garret Awesomeness makes too many excellent teas and they seem to compete with one another!!!
Can you have too much of a good thing? And this is all your fault, I totally blame you for this….I had forgotten about this tea…thank god you did remind me ;-)
No, you can’t you have too much of a good thing! It’s not my fault. The Devil made me do it! :-)
Did SD just increase from 93 to 96? Thus, making it 1 point higher than your “Stetson and Chaps”.
Yes, forgot to tell you…in all seriousness, SD in a yixing clay pot is very close to perfection, and will probably reach 100 on my next session…
Wow! This sounds very intriguing. I’ll have to check out your most recent SD tasting notes & comments.