Mandala Tea

I like this tea name. My cinnabar dragon (that I picked up in SF Chinatown around that New Year) is sitting next to my Western tea mug.

Tried a short step with Western equipment. Every time I make something like it makes me want a gaiwan even more. (The one I like even has dragons.)

Scent (brewed)- dried fruit, mushrooms
Flavour- baked bread, fruit, sweet

For my attempt at a 30 second step, I think it was more like a minute. Still turned out well. Shorter seems to be better for my future shou brewing.

This stuff is amazing! And it’s simply too much fun to use. At first I was like ’I’m just doing to do one liter on my most tea-stained stuff’, which turned into ‘make 4 liters and clean anything that has the slightest tea or coffee stain on it’. Haha- and I’ve alot of various cups and thermoses and teapots. I even soaked the OUTSIDE of a brushed stainless steel thermos, just to see how it would do (SHINY!) I’m half tempted to make a big bunch of this stuff to see if it’ll get my stainless steel kitchen sink super shiny, but that would be overkill… and a waste of cleaner. Although the tea stains never really bothered me before (except on the inguineTEA), it was just really cool and fun to watch. I think some of this stuff is possibly shinier than when I bought it.

Warning: it does make your hands slippery and slick for awhile after touching, so be careful with handling or you’ll drop it. After the first few I switched to using rubber gloves so I wouldn’t drop anymore things, I didn’t want to risk the ceramic. Also, it does work tons better when HOT.

A sample from my first order from Mandala, during the Great Sale. Prepared gongfu style with a ceramic gaiwan. 5 second rinse. Steeping times were 5, 5, 5, 10, 15,20, 30, 45, 60, 120.

The dry leaf smells of mushrooms and earth, and the wet leaf of mostly freshly baked bread with raisins. Some chocolate, after only the rinse. Throughout the session, the liquor was rusty red, medium-bodied, silky smooth, and a little thick in texture. There were earthy notes at first, but these disappeared later, when I mostly tasted whole wheat bread, somewhat sugary. Not a hint of coffee-like bitterness or astringency. This shu is mild, even gentle, though the after effects were not weak, and I felt my energy strengthen yet calmed.

I forgot I did a session of this not two weeks ago. My notes said mostly said that it was earthy and coffee-like, and that there were mushrooms (taste-wise). Weirdly incredible how my palate changed. I didn’t even drink shu between then and now o_O

Sipdown (114)!

Thanks VariaTEA for the cones! I’ve actually had these before and don’t remember being the biggest fan, so I just grabbed one of the two you sent me to try out with some grenadine for a little make shift Monk’s Blend tonight – the second one is gonna get brought in to work for Chef Darcy. I don’t think he’s ever had a flowering tea before, and even though this is a pretty simple one I think he’ll get a kick out of it.

I used a lot more grenadine this time around than I did with the last straight black I used for operation “Make my own Monk’s Blend” – just over 2 tsp. I think? Last time I felt like the flavour of the grenadine was totally drowned out, and I didn’t want that this time around. However, I don’t think this is the right amount either because it tastes a little too strongly of grenadine/cherry. Also, I’m drinking it in a clear glass mug and despite being all steeped up it’s still a bright cherry red colour. I actually had to double check how long the tea had been steeping because I saw no visual change in colour as it was steeping (I added the grenadine first).

I do taste the tea though; mostly a bit of malt and perhaps something a little raisin-y? It’s not a good balance though; and the grenadine with the raisin is coming off cloying and unpleasant. But hey I’m learning! Next time I think I’ll reduce the grenadine down to either 1 tsp. or 1 1/2 tsp. – last time, if I’m remembering correctly, I used 1/2 tsp…

Oh; and just a reminder for anyone curious about some of the specifics the brand of grenadine I’m using is Rose’s Grenadine which is probably the most commonly used brand in bars/restaurants for alcoholic drinks. It also has more of a cherry flavour than the traditional pomegranate the grenadine is actually supposed to be.

Sipdown (110)!

Well, it took me a little while to finish off this sample from Sil but I definitely enjoyed it. Today it happened to be in a timolino; I think I would have enjoyed it better with a little milk but there’s no milk in the house, so…

But yeah; this wasn’t really an exceptional tasting black tea – the coolest part was totally the “flowering” aspect and even that is a little dull. But still. Not bad.

Cold brewed one cone in 25 oz. of water for like 18 hours, which resulted in the perfect amount of black tea taste for it to be light and refreshing with some mild maltiness but not weak and watery. Enjoying sipping on this one now.

Thanks for this one Sil!

It’s my last tea of the night! I feel like I got a pretty good amount of stuff in today. I mean, no sipdowns but at least I tried a new tea and had fun doing unfamiliar things with familiar blends.

As for this one, I steeped it in my glass Octo mug so I could watch it bloom. I have to say, it’s definitely not the prettiest bloom. In fact, mine kinda came apart in the cup. Taste wise, it was somehow better than I anticipated; though I don’t know what I was anticipating other than it was not this. The tea was not the most mind blowing straight black, but it does have one thing really going for it: it’s very malty. And I do love malty blacks.

So again; thanks Sil! I think I’ll enjoy the last two blooms!

Okay, time for a delicious cup of this, as I just found the last of the Black Beauty in my cupboard. First, the two-steep method. Delicious as usual. Second, I wanted to try the new method for the single-steep method. The flavors differ a bit…I think I preferred the two-steep method.

In some respects, I may have been a bit too enthused about working from home, today, due to allergies, because it gave me a chance to finally brew a pot of Dark Beauty, using MzPriss’s recipe!

Surprisingly, it is not as dark as I expected. Hmm, I wonder why…I did all the steep times and amounts to the letter. Perhaps my water was too long off boil, before beginning the Special Dark steep.

But it is tasty! The thickness of the tea is awesome, and if a flavor can be described as “dark,” this would be. Even better that it seems incapable of being oversteeped! I may extend the steep time for my next pot.

Just got this yesterday from Mandala. This is a nice little shu! Very, very smooth with lots of earthiness and a thick, thick mouthfeel. Definitely looking forward to enjoying this as the fall arrives (there are good things about summer ending!)

This tea is smooth with little or no trace of fermentation flavor. It has a natural sweetness. I found the cocoa notes early on and even could detect, but just barely, the spice notes listed. They turned up in the fourth steeping, or at least that’s when i noticed them. I steeped this five times in a 220ml gaiwan with boiling water and just over 6g of leaf. I steeped it for 15 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 30 sec, and 1 min. I did not find a hint of bitterness throughout any of the steepings. This is good puerh. I may go back for a sixth steeping but I have already had too much caffeine today.

Another sample from my lovely Mandala ripe puerh sampler! It definitely sounds tasty from the description. It looks very similar to the Year of the Dragon sample I had. It’s mostly one big chunk from a cake, and the leaves are a variety of browns with a few metallic golden spots on the chunk. Dry scent is very mildly fishy, with cocoa and a vague sweetness. I followed Mandala’s instructions and did a 15s rinse, then 30/45/s steeps. I found that there was a teensy bit of bitterness, so I decided to do another 45s steep instead of 60s. I may keep going, but they’re all tasting pretty similar so I’m writing the note now. :)

The brewed aroma is somewhat sweet with chocolate and woody notes. This tea is actually somewhat similar to Year of the Dragon. It has that same lovely smooth, creamy texture and similar milk chocolatey flavor. However, this tea veers more toward savory instead of being quite as sweet as the other. The wood flavor is quite similar, but this one does seem to have a bit of a fragrant, slight spicy cedar edge to it. There’s a very mild earthy/mineral quality that seemed to fade as I kept steeping. I can definitely taste the nuttiness mentioned in the description, and to me it tastes specifically like pecans or walnuts – slightly earthy, but quite rich and creamy.

Overall, this is a very tasty tea and I love the woody and nutty qualities it has mixed with the chocolate. However, I still like Year of the Dragon better… ;) I’m a sucker for vanilla!

Since I feel like I can’t drink tea without reviewing it, especially when it’s new to me…..

this is the 2012.

I like it even better than the 2014, which I really enjoyed.

I can’t tell you much about it other than I really like it. I’ve been drinking it all day. And I do mean All Day. I am currently drinking infusion 12…or maybe 13…it could even be 14. I didn’t keep track. All Day Long.

And the tea still has more to give.

2014

From the wonderful Stephanie

rich
earthy
deep
not smoky, but minerally I think
complex
kinda spicy

I was drinking this all day while dealing with a shit ton of work crap that just seems to be getting deeper. I don’t even know anymore. I remember drinking the tea and enjoying it, but I don’t remember a lot. It’s a shame. I know I want this one again.

I didn’t particularly care for this one, though it is not bad. I found it acidic and not very smooth. But it is deep.

Dry leaf aroma: Cocoa sweetness with a hint of malt.
Dry leaf appearance: http://instagram.com/p/r2qmImlcEX/

Wet leaf aroma: Damp hay with vegetal notes.
Wet leaf appearance: http://instagram.com/p/r2-jL9lcDw/

Preparation: Initial 15 second rise, then brewed western style in an all-glass infuser mug.

First steeping: 4 minutes 30 seconds at 205 degrees. Freshly steeped the aroma is a fusion of hay, malt, sweet potatoes and cocoa. The liquor is a lovely dark amber and the flavor is smooth and malty with undertones of cocoa and the slightest aftertaste of hay. As the cup cools the taste remains strong with no changes in the flavor profile.

Second steeping: 5 minutes at 205 degrees. The second brewing was very much like the first, though not quite as rich.

I received this as a free sample in my order. Thank you Mandala, I enjoyed this quite a bit!

Sipdown!
Good that I am finishing a few things off recently because my tea collection is still massive. All I want to do is sit around this weekend and drink tea!

This is a lovely silver needle white. I wouldn’t hesitate to get more of this someday. The almond notes are really wonderful this morning and I usually find it to be very relaxing. Hope everyone is having a good weekend so far :)

I don’t drink a lot of white teas, but this is one I really like when the mood for a white tea strikes me.

I’ve been gong fu’ing a lot of teas lately and this is really good when steeped in a gaiwan, with boiling water for about 20 seconds. That seems to bring out the rose notes and a really wonderful sweetness! The first two steeps were the best that way but I steeped it 5 times and it was really lovely throughout. The later steeps had more of the almond and hay like notes. If you like white teas you can’t go wrong with this one.

I’m not a huge fan of white teas generally, but I wanted a silver needle in my cupboard and decided to get this one from Mandala with my last order. I trust Garret’s taste in tea so I knew I’d end up with something good :)

The weather has been dreary here and my sweetie has been out of town, so it seemed like a good day to try something light and sweet.

The other reviewers mentioned this tastes like hay… I get the association but I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten hay. ;) To me it seems a bit nutty like almonds, with a definite sweetness and some floral component. This is very gentle and nice, perfect for an afternoon cuppa and doesn’t need any additions. A lovely silver needle, I’m glad I got this one…

Sipdown! (124) (Yay I’m halfway to 100!)

Giving this tea a second chance today! I found that I didn’t enjoy it much gong fu style, each steep was bitter to me. Apparently this is unusual? So today, I’m trying it Western-style to see if I find it more agreeable that way. I did two teaspoons in boiling water for 7 minutes.

Meh, I guess this tea is just not for me. I will say that I think I prefer this method to gong fu, because it doesn’t taste as strongly woody as before. However, it’s still quite bitter. To me, it kind of tastes like biting into a bar of baking chocolate, and I do not consider that a pleasant experience. I added some sugar and soy milk to see if that would help temper the bitterness, and it did lessen it slightly. However, I don’t really want to buy a tea that I have to drink with sugar and milk.

I’m really kind of torn on whether or not to rate this, since it seems everyone else loves it. But I’m not really biased here so I don’t see why not… Hmm!

I was really excited to try another ripe puerh after loving Mandala’s Year of the Dragon. So I chose this one to do next, since I know it has a following here on Steepster. This is a loose leaf puerh as opposed to a piece broken off of a cake. The leaves are medium-sized and a slightly metallic golden brown in color. Their dry scent is rather sweet and cocoa-y. I followed the recommended steep again, using half of the sample and doing a 10s rinse this time. Three steeps: 30, 45, and 60s.

The aroma is surprisingly honey-like. It smells strongly of dark raw honey with additional grain and dark cocoa notes. Hmm… I’m not sure what to say regarding this tea. In all three steeps that I did, it came out rather bitter, which I did not enjoy. I realize that super dark chocolate is bitter, and there is a cocoa note here, but I just couldn’t get past that bitter taste. The first steep was a little musty, which I think means I didn’t do a long enough rinse. This tea is also quite woody in a rough way, very different from the Year of the Dragon’s wood note. There’s a bit of hay and grain, but I didn’t really taste them until the end of the sip because of the bitterness.

I feel like I shouldn’t rate this right now. I’m going to try it western-style and see if that helps with the bitterness somehow… :(

Lewis and Clarke TTB

I’m excited to try another Mandala puerh, I’ve loved the ones I’ve tried so far.
So my Yixing that I have that I seasoned for green oolongs, doesn’t get much use since I’m not much into green oolongs any more. And I figured since I only used it a handful of times, and I drink puerh a lot more and puerh is a lot stronger than green oolongs, that I can just casually switch it puerh. So that’s what I did.

I did 2 15 second rinses, and then 30,45,60,75,120,120,150 boiling water, 7g/8oz, sweetened

I collected the rinses, and took a sip. It was actually tasty, and I ended up drinking them.
The first steep is wet earth and mushroom and bread and milk chocolate, in the best way possible.
The second steep is like the first with a little more milk chocolate.
Third and forth steep are creamy, nutty, earthy and ’shroom-y.
5th-7th steeps being back some of that milky cocoa.

This baby can still keep going, and I’ll be coming back to him later

Sipdown! (126)

I’m trying the other half of my sample Western-style this morning. The lovely Stephanie was nice enough to answer my questions regarding water volume, steep time, et cetera. Thanks Steph!

It’s pretty delicious this way, but I’m sad to say that I prefer the gong fu preparation. Aww, I wanted the lazy way to be better! Lol. Either way, this is one super delicious shou from Mandala and I will definitely be ordering some once I’m off hiatus! :D

Edit: I just wanted to throw this out there – this is basically the shou version of Golden Orchid. So lovers of that tea should definitely try this one. Just saying! ;)

I got my gaiwan in the mail today, hooray! I’ve been waiting on it to try all of my puerh and some oolong samples gong fu style. I chose this one to try first because the flavors sounded the best to me – vanilla, cocoa, dried fruit? Count me in! My sample is pretty much one giant chunk with a few loose pieces. I decided to use half of the sample for my session since my gaiwan is 4 ounces and the instructions said 4-8 ounces. The leaves themselves look small and they are a variety of browns in color, from golden to chocolate. Dry scent is both sweet and savory, with cocoa and that slightly fishy/pond smell. I did a 15 second rinse and I’ve done three steeps so far (30, 45, and 60s) and I plan to continue, but they’ve been very similar so I figured I could write the note now. :)

The brewed aroma is only the teeniest bit fishy. Mostly it smells sweet and haylike, with both chocolate and vanilla. Oh my goodness, I am in love with this tea! I was expecting it to be very strong and heavy, but it’s not like that at all! It almost reminds me of a very delicious white tea in a lot of ways. It’s very creamy and grainy, reminding me of lovely sweet bread, like brioche or challah. It’s also quite woody, but in a mild and pleasant way. I do get both chocolate and vanilla from this one, and the chocolate is more of a sweet milk chocolate than a bitter dark. The bottom notes are mild leather and a slight earthiness, and I do get a little bit of a dried fruitiness. Overall, this tea is amazingly creamy, grainy, and delicious. Love the vanilla!

Thanks so much to Mandala for offering this amazing $5 ripe puerh sampler. I can’t wait to try the others! :D