Valley Peak (Ding Gu Da Fang)

This came as a free sample from the people at Mandala Tea who also seem very nice, thanks for the sample, guys!

The shape and smell of this one does remind me of a dragonwell, but I’ve been very underwhelmed by dragonwells in the past. I was not too stingy with the leaf here and steeped it at 180 F for 3 minutes, regular infuser mug method.

I did like this one! It brews up to be a very light yellow color in the cup. I was expecting it to be wimpy but it really isn’t. The flavor is quite delicate but there is a also a delicious macadamia nut like richness about it with a sweet finish. yummy!

This is a beautiful cup to be savored and now it goes on my shopping list… heh heh :)

thanks much to jamie at mandala for this great sample.

i would say that green teas are the ones i am least familiar with so really this was an excellent sample to send.

to me this is a complicated simple tea, lol. very mild smelling, quite beautiful to look at— as though jamie had it pressed just before shipping it off! the flavour is where it becomes far more complex.

steeps very light. a nice natural sweetness. i found no cling with this tea…. not from caffeine or from any aspect of the taste profile. it left my tongue clear. there is a taste coming from the green side of nature that is neither grassy, nor vegetal nor floral… honestly, i think the closest approximation may be comparing it to the scent of fresh bamboo. there is the merest suggested marine note…. like the smell of warm dried nori, but not overpowering and absolutely not fishy.

very nice! i’ll take your challenge jamie, i’ll go green with mandala.

very nice indeed.

and thanks, did my first test at school today and i’m fairly certain i aced it! i won’t be trying any of the other teas from my mandala order until all of my other teas have been halved….. but samples don’t count, do they? this was better than cake =0)i’ll be getting into my mandala treats right around midterms as i see it!

Got this as a sample from Mandala with a teapot I ordered

This is pretty darn good! Similar to dragonwell, which usually isn’t my favorite, but I really enjoyed this tea. It has a nice nutty taste, more like macadamia than chestnut, which lingers for quite a while and gives a strong, pleasant tingling at the back of the throat. Its smoother than a dragonwell, kind of like a light oxidation oolong.

The leaves are nicely pressed and unbroken, and open up fully when brewing. This is a very light colored green tea, almost looks like a white or yellow.

The pot I ordered is very cute and has a nice pour, however the lid doesn’t seem to fit quite right, which is a little disappointing. It looks like the body of the pot was slightly warped during production, leaving the hole that the lid sits on slightly oval shaped, so it wont quite fit. Its a nice small pot though, and the lid trouble wont keep me from using it.

I do agree with LiberTEAs on this one…it sort of reminds me of a yellow tea! Mellow and delicate yet sweet and nutty…my fave part…it’s SMOOTH. Very nice!

Another sipdown from the HHTTB!
I used to drink a lot of green tea. That was before I surrendered to the Dark Side! But, the truth is, I still really love green tea. I don’t know why I don’t drink it more often.

This one is delicious! It looks like a Dragonwell to me. The flavor is nutty & green, & it leaves a wonderful fresh sweet aftertaste, especially under the tongue. There are also pleasant tongue numbing/thickening sensations.

Bazinga!

In the description of this tea, Mandala Tea compares it to a LongJing. For me, though, I think I like this better than a typical LongJing! This is milder, sweeter and smoother. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good LongJing, but, there is just something special about this Ding Gu Da Fang. So sweet and light, it reminds me a bit of a Yellow Tea.

LOVE!

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!

Another wonderful offering from Mandala Tea. The aroma of the dry leaves has an alluring mix of crisp, green and nutty scents. Steeped for a few minutes, the aroma gets more complex and the flavor is really smooth, crisp and just a touch earthy. Very nice! As others have mentioned, this has some of the qualities found in better grade Longjing (dragon well) teas, but is distinctly different. Looking forward to spending more time with this tea after I place my next order.

This is one of the better green teas I have had over the Summer. No harshness or nasty grassy flavors here. It passes the girlfriend test (she is hard to impress when it comes to tea)…she wanted more when the cup was empty. Has a mild pleasant taste that is hard to describe (chestnut-like maybe?). I am surprisingly getting some fleeting notes that remind me of cinnamon or nutmeg. I think I prefer this to the dragonwells I have tried, will have to drink more to be sure.

When I was little, we grew corn in our small garden. One summer, we were building an addition on the house, and there was a constant smell of fresh cut lumber. This tea brings me back to an early summer evening, eating a sweetcorn dinner from the garden at the picnic table outside while smelling that fresh, sweet sawdust and the grassy smell of summer next to blooming flowers.