Mandala Tea

Slight bitter yellow tea

Crisp, bright, light tasting

Lovely green Puerh. I like a stronger green brew. This gives me an aged bold flavor.

I’m not a big Puerh fan but I’m hooked on this! For those new to this type of tea, there is the right amount of smooth earth flavor and a hint of black tea darkness.

Bright green with depth of flavor. These small snail leaves brew to thick green leaves. A meditation to watch.

Toasty tea with long leaves that impress as they brew.

Green tea at its finest. One or two leaves and a bud are visible on every leaf. Picked by munis who pray for those who will drink this tea. Smooth, mellow taste. Not grassy nor vegetal. A classic green tea that is sure to wow new and seasoned green tea drinkers.

This is another tea with two listings so I just picked one.

Unfortunately I didn’t love this one. Or, to be perfectly honest, any of the Mandala oolongs I’ve tried. This one is just a bit thin. In taste and mouthfeel. Overleafing/steeping gives a bit more mineral in the brew. There’s a bit of spice and bark but nothing noteworthy. Just a bland brew overall. Tried gong-fu and mug brewing, and both were insipid. Perhaps this was just a poor harvest.

Well now i really need to dig in to my cupboard. Finished this one off today if only because i knew i could manage it AND it’s a puerh! Sad to see it go but i know i can pick up more at a later date. Plus the more of my mandala teas i run though, the greater incentive to get through more of my puerh so i can order more! haha.

puerh of the day for me today – more western brewing a few steeps versus gaiwan ’cause i wanted easy. Only one more of these left which is both sad and an accomplishment! Really trying to focus on my puerh…so much deliciousness in my cupboard is of the ripe variety…i barely have “normal” tea in comparison!

Starting the morning out with this one – very nearly finished with this one….though i have a hoard of puerh to get through after it. Mandala tends to be me go to, not because my other puerh is not as delicious, but i know exactly what i’m getting with Mandala and happen to love it. :) It’ll be nice to enjoy multiple steeps of this one while i work from home today.

and so begins day 1 of 4 with just me and the dog. My husband has abandoned me for a work event in the US so i’m on my own with the puppy until wednesday night. The upside? quiet time to relax in the house on my own…the downside – having to work around puppy lol. I’m not comfortable leaving her home alone all day since most days she’s at the shop with my husband, so i’ll be working from home for the next few days. Upside to that is more tea, but downside is by the time thrs rolls around i’ll be desperate to go in to work to talk to people haha.

I figured since i’m well behind all my goals this month, and next month isn’t looking good with the teas from 52 teas on the way, that i’d try and spend some time iwth my puerh since it’s half my cupboard at this point. This was today’s pick because i know what i’m getting out of this one – smooth, delicious tea that makes me happy. Extra incentive of course is getting through some of my mandala teas so i can place an order again with garret!

mmmmmm working on some of my puerh today and technically i started the morning out with this one. I’m so happy that Mandala is back online – it means i can drink up the teas i have without worry about having to order via email. I do my best shopping on impluse online :)

nomnomnomnomnomn gotta get through some of my puerh. Otherwise i’ll never get to my sipdown goal this year. I’ve been drinking this one off and on today and i’m a happy camper. I miss Mandala though…‘cause i’ll be honest while i KNOW i can email Garrett and order that way, the inconvenience of it just keeps me from doing it. I like shopping at midnight or whatever and just being able to know the order’s in. ah well…in a way it’s good since there are a LOT of teas i “need” from him.

I’ve been neglecting my puerh even though i was trying to get to it every weekend. So i pulled this one out and i’m not allowed to have any other tea until i get through a session with it :) So far so good and it’s a reminder of why i love my puerh.

If i’m ever going to get to 50 teas, i need to get my drink on with my puerh more often. I had been trying to get to at least ONE session a week but that sort of fell by the way side. So today i figured i should try. Pulled this one out because i am a mandala fan and can’t bring myself to use up my special dark. heh. This should make for a very enjoyable morning.

Going from the Bang Wei to this… utter disapointment. This tea is mouth damaging as it leaves a lingering astringency. Now 2012 Wild Monk was the best stuff as many of us know and I strongly believe that this isn’t the same material being pressed from a different year. Unless a few years changes a cake that much… I feel tricking into expecting a similar product. Maybe I’m wrong, but I have found a cake that I believe is much closer. This just wasn’t pleasant and I used a small amount at lower temperature. Its strong if you want that, but the taste is an undesired one.

This is a really nice sheng. I’m really bad with the tasting notes still, and especially with the shengs which seem very complex and different in every sip! so maybe…. Apple, sweet graham-cracker almost, grape, some autumn hay. Really good!

The Qi also triggered a very strong emotional swelling which I’ve never felt with tea before, including other strong shengs/shous (i’m assuming it’s from the tea, because i’ve eliminated most other possibilities and it seemed to rise and fall along with the energy / caffeine ride).

I will definitely be ordering a cake of this when I get some more money saved up!

Boom,

I found my sheng! Either that or I really figured out how to brew this one perfectly. 195 degrees 5/5, 7/7, etc. Took down the temps and steep times a bit. This tea is delicious. Lots of fruit characteristics and no bitter qualities whatsoever. Don’t think I’ll need to order any other Sheng cakes besides these ones for a while! Another great offering from Mandala!

It is February 18, at 9:30pm it is 69 degrees here in KC. The very first push of Spring and it is bringing with it an energy and excitement that I would imagine humans around these parts have been familiar with for centuries. The first sign that the end of the cold season is at hand. I was hoping to sit down to a tea that had a similar sort of energy and this one has lived up to that hope.

So far I have steeped it for 5s, 10, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 seconds, and still it shows no signs of slowing. Most of the flavor I am getting out of it is a combination of apple, grapeskin, pear, and dry wood. It has a powerful astringency that combines all of the notes together and finishes sweet. This is one I would definitely consider buying.

Trying to expand a little into the Raw Pu erh as I’m normally a Ripe guy. Certainly enjoyed this tea. The 1st time I brewed it I don’t believe I got the water/tea ratio quite right and it was a little too bitter for my liking. I dialed down the tea a bit today and it was much more enjoyable. Tastes of cedar, citrus, a little bitter, and overall kind of tropical.

Really enjoyed this tea! Gongfu, 5/5, 10/10, etc. First 2 steeps were very smooth and had some mineral and wet wood were apparent along with something else that I couldn’t quite put my finger on (possibly hay or something that slightly reminded me of a barn, was tasty). Around steep 3 caramel and cocoa came to mind which was a very delicious combination. Will certainly be ordering more of this!