Mandala Tea

This tea was light and silky. I loved the combination of sweet and light, but I don’t know if I appreciate the milk. This is my own taste and should be a negative reflection of the tea. I recommend this for people looking for something different or who particularly like milk. I would pass if you don’t fit into those categories.

So, I think my last review, I must not have cleaned my cup enough between teas. This time through, this is the only tea I’m drinking this afternoon (so far) and I’m trying it grandpa style, per Garrett’s recommendation. I quite like it! It’s toasty, nutty, sweet, loads of flavors that I love in black tea. I’m still getting the honey taste, like the other time I tried it, and this time I’m noticing some the “pastry” flavor the description mentioned. It’s a lovely, slightly roasty tea. It’s perfect for sipping this winter afternoon, while I work on a writing project. I think it would go nicely with some dark chocolate or some rich dessert. Yum! I only wish I had a sweet to snack on.

I have mixed feelings about this one…It’s a good tea, not too harsh, plenty of flavor. I don’t really care for the mild grape-y flavor in it, though. This time through, the overall flavor I’m tasting is the honey note that other people have mentioned, but the grape aftertaste isn’t my favorite. It’s not a bad taste, or bad tea by any means, just not the combo for me, I think. I’m glad I got to try, and I’ll be revisiting my sample until it’s gone, because sometimes my opinion of teas varies by my mood.

So I sat on this light/medium fermented shou for over 4 years. It sounds like awhile back it was certainly greener. As of 2017 it is dark and tastes like roasted chestnuts, early infusions with a bittersweet bite to it. It gets nicely sweet and creamy in the later infusions. Not bad for paying $12 over 4 years ago.

Full review http://oolongowl.com/2009-menghai-dayi-yellow-box-tuocha-shou-puer/

Received this lovely Shu blend as a free sample again and I couldn’t be too disappointed at not getting a new tea to try because it’s such a delight. I’m already in love with it in the Rice Aroma blend (I grabbed 4oz). Given enough time, I may just fall in love with it on its own.

I’m putting it in that easy-smooth drinker category with Noble Mark and Special Dark- the two teas that taught me that shu puerh isn’t always disgusting and “fishy”. I still haven’t really ventured past them though.

On a side note, my five year old temp varient HB Pro Kettle is starting to leak from the water level gauge. When I went to buy a new one I noticed almost all of the brands have only 5-6 crappy temp settings now. I’ve become spoiled with my kettle’s versatility and lack of presumption when it comes to assigned tea type temps; we’ve brought two home so far and taken both back after deciding our leaking kettle is better. C’est la vie (looking for recs).

Steep Count: 2

This was the second lovely sample I received from Mandala. I was a little sulky when, a couple days after I placed my order, they added this as a tea (that description)! I would’ve ordered it instead of the random puerh I ended up going with (edit: looking for Special Dark replacements- Noble Mark is still around and Noble Dark doesn’t exist… yet).

First and second steeps exceed expectations, with a creamy and silky profile and a touch of high grade dark chocolate (traces of earth, nuts, berries). Mandala description says later steepings have notes of brown sugar but I get hints of that now. The aftertaste reminds me slightly of dark chocolate covered acai/blueberry jellies. These flavours mellow out as it cools, becoming simply milky with an earthy dark chocolate finish.

Third steep was equally perfect.

Fourth steep was ditto (this was from last night so I may have been half asleep and missed the development).

Steep Count: 4 + a rinse

Smooth and sweet. Initial steeps were slightly funky, which is typical of ripe.
I’ve been discovering that I don’t really like ripe that much… but this is one that I might still stock for occasional indulging.

I could have sworn I’d already written a note for this one, but I can’t seem to find it. I absolutely love this tea. I’m drinking it while I work on a writing project, and it’s very comforting. It’s sweet, not astringent, but not weak either. It’s kind of starchy and chocolately and would go nicely with a pastry. In fact, I’m baking right now so I can have a little treat to go with this fantastic tea. It reminds me favorably of Golden Monkey, which is another absolute favorite Chinese black. I always dither over my morning tea decision, but I’ll probably have this one again tomorrow since I love it so much.

Today this is all about the sourdough. I guess sour fermentation and nutty rice grains promote some crossovers with other food associations.

I wonder how many steeps I’d have to go through before stripping back most of the flavouring.

Steep Count: 2

I may possibly cave and order from the same company in one month, just for this tea. It’s not every day that I fall this passionately in love with the free samples; it’s the rice and the creamy-smooth ripe pu’er.

Steep Count: 4

Edit: This is an incredibly forgiving tea. I completely over-steeped my third cup but it retained it’s smooth and rich profile. The sweet and nutty components were amplified a lot- almost to the point where it became a little like peanut butter. I still like the shorter steeps though, as you get a longer session with a decent amount of flavour per cup.

Mandala must have read my mind when they sent this as a freebie. They recently stocked up on a bunch of new and intriguing teas that I was sure they would promote, so I hoped. Thank you for delivering on my hopes, Mandala!

And just as I thought, this one is for me. Apparently, all rice scented teas are for me (marry me, Nuo Mi Xiang Herb), but this one is particularly rich, sweet, and earthy. At one point in the first steep I received the impression of roasted honey-covered nuts. Also, it made my whole kitchen smell like deliciousness, and paired well with ALL the food.

I still love my Thailand ‘Jin Xuan’ Sticky Rice Oolong from What-Cha, but it would be nice to have a darker and bolder rice tea for the colder months ahead. I shall drink this tea like a hand-knitted blanket by the hearth on a snow day (it’s that level of cozy).

Will reorder more, ASAP.

Steep Count: 4, after a short rinse.

Today I debated on whether I should take a break from caffeine in the vain hope that it would reduce my wonderful inflammatory flare-up symptoms or drink this tea. This tea obviously won. Mental Health won. Seriously, this tea is balm to my soul some days. It has made bad days manageable and already awesome days stellar. This all may sound cheesy, but man do I love this tea.

Steep Count: 4

Hello again, spiritually fulfilling tea. I’m going to drink this one all day, and at some point I’m going to compare it to the sample of Jin Xuan that Mandala Tea so generously provided.

Steep Count: 5 (Aprox. 20s each at 195F)

The first steep went to my Mom’s travel mug on her journey downtown to see a play with my older sister. I am left with the second steep, and I’m noticing a lot more sweet grass notes this time around. I just ate a bunch of Squish gummies (spicy vanilla cola skulls) which I think are accentuating different flavours in this tea (like vanilla custard).

Possibly too fancy for the fate of being a travelling mug on the long the bus commute but I don’t care! It’s a carrot that keeps me on my toes. Also, I can steep it as many times as I like before and after coming home; I started drinking it last night and we’re still going strong! It’s an amazing and generous tea :)

Steep Count: 6

Best friends reunited again.

Steep Count: 6

I should make more notes to reflect how much I drink this tea. I practically always have a cup on hand now, and my pouch is sadly beginning to run low. I do what I can to make it last, and sometimes stretch the leaves out over the course of a few days- with no ill effects so far! This oolong can go on for +6 steeps without losing any “oomph”, so it seems a waste to cut it short when the day ends.

At this point I definitely know this is the Scented Milk Oolong I want to stock all the time. If I just had this and What-Cha’s Sticky Rice Oolong in my cupboard I’d be content (but I’d also need a few puerhs, a good Chinese black, Silver Needle, Kenyan White Rhino, Matcha, Cream of Earl Grey, a Japanese Sencha…)

Steep count: 5

Currently trying this tea for the first time and having a deeply religious experience.

Brb

Steep Count: 6

I got this as a sample in my recent order and I am plesantly surprised. I’d tried a Tie Guan Yin from another company and didn’t care for it, but this one is very nice. It has the most pronounced flower smell of any oolong I’ve tried yet,and that comes through in the brewed tea, too, along with an earthy flavor. I haven’t noticed the creamy taste that others have mentioned, but it’s definitely a smooth tea. Looks like I’ll have to give Tie Guan Yins another try!

Drank this at a local restaurant that sources Mandala teas. Loved it!

Very much like the longjing teas that I have had.