Mandala Tea
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First one to rate this tea yay! Oolongs from Taiwan are a love of mine and this is a good one! I get a creamy butter instead of buttery cream from the milk oolong in that can make any sense. Second and third steep I tasted a delicious roasty sugar note. Another good tea from Mandala
Preparation
From the Unflavored TTB.
Gongfu method with a gaiwan. Steeping times: 15, 15, 20, 20, 30, 45, 60, 120.
The dry and wet leaf aromas are buttery and floral. When the leaves steeped for the second infusion I could smell cinnamon (this went away afterward). The first infusion is clear in texture, and I mostly taste salt and butter. Following that, the liquor becomes creamier and more floral, which overtakes the butter flavor during the latter infusions.
This is my third milk oolong. I’m positive that this kind of tea doesn’t do anything for me. It’s not bad per se, but…“meh.” The first infusions each time weirded me out – salt?? Artificial taste?? Even though I liked this one the most of the three, I’m not rating because I don’t want to skew the number. (leaving that to people who actually like and can compare milk oolongs)
Preparation
I think these TTBs are great for learning what you like and don’t like. I found that I love milk oolongs because of a TTB.
LOVE TTBs. What’s most interesting is that you read about how people’s tastes vary or evolve.
Oh yeah. I know how much mine have changed, even in the last couple of months.
I don’t seem to be a fan of milk oolong either, or any green oolong for that matter. Too light and too floral. :P
I’m more of a darker oolong kind of person.
I seem to be finding that about myself as well, probably because I’m a black tea person in general. I need to try more dark oolongs. :D
I haven’t been able to try many since I’m branching off in all different directions for unflavored teas, but so far I’ve liked Da Hong Pao from Verdant, Teavivre, and Yezi. If the Samples TTB has some dark oolongs that’d be awesome.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Lewis and Clarke TTB has some. But I’ll steal them all, since I’m right before you! Muahaha! <3
Fie at your devious nature! Spare naught but a few crumbs?
The Lovely TeaFairy was drinking this earlier and found apple and peach. She brewed it gongfu style, so I decided to go the other way and see what I found.
I steeped half the sample (about 4g) in my 10oz yixing mug with 90C water for 4 minutes.
This is an odd little tea. It is oolong, there is no doubt about that. It has subtle woody notes, a few slight mineral tones, and there is no doubt about the cinnamon. Sweet gentle cinnamon. The second steep wasn’t really woody, still a little mineral, still some cinnamon, but I was getting some fruit (more grape to me).
This is interesting – I don’t think I’ve had anything quite like it. That’s what I love about Mandala, Garret seems to be able to find unusual and interesting teas. Thanks so much for sending this sample to me. I’m going to steep the rest of the sample with short steeps and see what the difference is.
Mmm. I love Round Gui!
Rou Gui! (Autocorrect attacks again).
I have a sample of this I need to try. I’m interested to know which way you like it best Dexter
No cinnaNOM for me :-(
I’m going to short steep the rest of the sample tonight (if it’s not too hot) and see if I get the apple peach that you were tasting. Western style – definitely cinnamon.
I don’t think I’ve ever had such a fruity oolong before. This is amazing.
I thought I would be able to identify cinnamon notes, but quite frankly, my taste buds don’t seem to pick up cinnamon much at all.
What I do get is lots of apple and peach. Oh, this is oven baked apple and peach cobbler with honey drizzle!
It’s lightly roasted and nutty, smooth, sweet and creamy, no astringency present at all.I also get a faint earthiness mixed with some minerals…not strong minerals like from a giant rock or something, very gentle…like pebble minerals :-)
I really like this…pure oolong awesomeness.
Thank you so much Garret for this generous sample…
I love that your samples are always large enough to brew gongfu style.
Oh my… this sounds just yummy! Love the review!
Thanks Sars…I think I may need some of this in the cupboard…sigh.
Awesome!!! Really happy that you enjoyed it, and really happy that it’s more apple, peach than cinnamon. This was the sample that I asked for with the order I received today!!!
This does sound amazing! You always sell me on the teas you review though :), except the greens…but that’s not your fault!
Dex, how funny that we both requested the same sample! I can’t wait to have your impressions. I’m surprised I did not get cinnamon…but I don’t care, that apple taste is so good and juicy.
Mj, lol, I know you haven’t crossed to the green side yet :-)
Fairy – how did you steep this? Did you gongfu it or did you western brew it? Parameters?
Is ok mj – stay with us over here on the dark side – that green stuff is scary. ;))
Gongfu gaiwan. 4 oz water and it was perfect. Now I don’t remember how long, but I think I did 20s, 30, 60, 90, and then lost track. I’m terrible with that, sorry. Did about 6 steeps. Are you trying tonight?
Dark siiiiiide. We don’t drink grass here! :p
Lol, if you don’t drink it, what do you do with it? (Innocent face)
Mow it? :p
Lol.
You don’t know the power of the Dark Side. I must obey my master.
I’m an imposter…I play both sides, and I,m loving every minute of it….cause I want ALL THE TEA!!!!
I’m going to go the other way and western steep it in my yixing mug. I’m going to use about half the sample and do about 3-4 minutes – see if that gives a different flavor profile. Will be back….. (if I drink this tonight I don’t need to enter it into my spreadsheet)
Lol you know you’re addicted to tea when….?
LOL You know you are overwhelmed with tea when….
(How am I suppose to enter "from my personal stash 2006 ripe from Yong De area?)
The joy of spreadsheets :-o
OHHHH I found cinnamon…. this is odd – good but strange….
Yay, you found it!
i love that dexter really does have to “find” her teas…
I’m with you, TTF. I like both the dark and the light side. The dark is new for me, though.
This sounds really good
Krystal, it is hard to find a Mandala tea that isn’t!
I found one once!
No wait. That was something else. Nevermind. :p
See??? Lol.
Yes I am just finding this out now Tea Fairy! But bettet late than never
Better*
Manna from heaven! Sweet nectar of life! Opening the bag first whiff smells like sweet sweet buttery popcorn and tastes just like that. I’ve had milk oolongs before and this is such an amazing tea! I think I may have found my replacement milk oolong :) happy dance happy dance happy dance
Flavors: Butter, Cream, Milk, Popcorn, Vegetal
Preparation
This is a complex and tasty tea. It does have, at least in the first infusions, notes of cocoa and molasses. It is somewhat earthy but does not have overpowering fermentation flavor. There is a slight bitterness to this tea that slightly overpowers the sweetness. It is complex. Sugar brings out a nice depth of flavor in this tea.
Flavors: Cocoa, Earth, Molasses
Preparation
Sample from an order from who-knows-when. I’m not very good at keeping track of samples— they just sort of turn up in my tea trunk when I’m not expecting it.
Just on my first steep (about 30 seconds), I swear I can taste banana bread with a hint of dark chocolate chips. Glancing through others’ notes, I don’t think anyone’s mentioned anything about bananas, so I’m a bit baffled as to where that came from.
I have no idea what’s going on with my tongue, but I’m definitely enjoying this shu so far!
So this tea went down in the following way:
TTF posted about it this AM, so I made one cup made with a one minute steep time. Then I made two more cups (2 and 4 min steeps), and put them in a travel mug.
Then I promptly left the travel mug at home when I left to go hiking with Brian. We hiked and picked wineberries. We filled all of our containers and the shrubberies were still completely full. It was glorious! Here’s a small portion of our haul:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14781160523/
We saw some turks cap lillies:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14781161023
and some beautiful streams:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14574608300
When we finally arrived home, I reheated the two cups of tea. Normally I don’t like to do this, but I also hate wasting tea. Anyways, it’s still delicious. What an interesting tea! It’s very obviously sweet, and no additives are required. Perfect for a little pick me up before our friends arrive for Sunday TV night. It’s also a perfect compliment to the lovely thunderstorm currently raging through the city.
Preparation
Nice pictures! That stream is gorgeous! And now I know what a wineberry looks like heh. Enjoy your Sunday TV night :)
Yeah, they pretty much look like shiny raspberries, but they have their own flavor. Thanks! I hope we don’t lose power!
Wine berries make some good jelly. 2 gallons in the freezer already. Our season is about over though.
I want wineberries.
Oh wow! 2 gallons!!! We got closer to 1 gallon. Gotta bring more containers next year!!!
Do you guys have those in TX, MzP?
I don’t think so. I’ve never heard of them before. But they are so pretty and luscious looking.
I guess they’re a northeast thing. Originally from China, though.
I received a sample of this tea with my Phatty Cake II from Mandala Tea a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying my Phatty Cake II, hence why I waited to try this tea out.
Side not to this review: I have been under a lot of stress due to work, graduate school, and financial stuff. To top it off, my quality of sleep has been steadily decreasing, which only exacerbates the stress. The only things that have been keeping me sane are my wonderful girlfriend (who I am slowly getting hooked to tea!), and my new-found love of tea (which includes the amazing community of people that make up the tea world) .
Due to these factors, I woke up this morning feeling groggy, and achy. I needed something good and strong to kickstart my day, thus I decided to try out this tea sample. This ripe pu’er tasted very earthy, which I love, and slightly creamy. It was strong at first, but not as strong as I had hoped. However, this tea was interesting because it gradually got stronger and stronger in the following steepings (which were about 10-15 seconds each). It reminded me of hiking a mountain. It started off light, gradually became stronger, richer, and more intense, then smoothed out and I noticed more of the creaminess. All in all, this tea did an awesome job of waking me up, and brightened up my mood substantially. Super tasty stuff!!! Now that I’ve tried and loved a few different ripe pu’er teas, I need to try out some raw pu’er. I have been super intrigued by the Heart of the Old Tree from Mandala Tea, and I am hoping to get some soon!
“Grandpa Style” in my new orangey-gold original Timolino (no, not from DavidsTea!).
Just 1/2 tsp and full of hot water.
IDK if I’ll refill it today.
But it’s good to be drinking tea.
Even though this one still isn’t a favourite, it’s better this way. Steeping for 4 hours brings out more flavour, although this tea is always a lot lighter than I expect.
Preparation
My BFF came by to pick me up for a day of shopping, and so I made us this tea.
It’s really mild. I mean, I know I only did a 2 minute steep, but wow that was not the kind of morning tea I was expecting! Still, I did enjoy it. Sweet, thick, a hint of spice as it cooled.
And then I was out, needing more tea, so I followed it with Awake at Sbux. That… was not good.
Flavors: Spices, Sweet, Thick
Preparation
Yum, sounds delicious. :D
It was good, but I wanted more. If that makes sense. It was so mild I didn’t get any flavour until it cooled a lot.
A, umm, close to 30 minute second steep has brought me closer, although now it’s getting a little astringent.
I love this one! Cam, I can send you some on our next trade, if you like.
Totes mcgotes! :D
My name is Kristie, and I’m a sheng addict.
It started innocently enough. I just tried a few, because my friends were doing it. I wanted to fit in. To be cool. It just escalated so quickly.
I was even scared of the tightly packed cakes at first. But now… I can’t keep from busting them all open. I say things like: “Come here, you little cake of yum yums! I am going to poke you with a pointy stick and make drinks from your tasty flesh!”
Some days it’s hard for me to concentrate on other things. I think about sheng in the morning, all through the day, and then again when I go to bed at night. Sometimes I sheng 4-5 times per day. I’ve already shenged twice today and I don’t show any signs of stopping.
The other day, I looked into my boyfriend’s eyes and said: “I love you, Sheng. I just love you so much.” My boyfriend replied, “my name is Brian, you crazy tea fiend!” Then he called Teahab and asked if he could have me committed.
The End. Or is it….
Also, this tea tastes like smoked apricots. Is smoked fruit a thing? Because it totally should be!
Preparation
I smell it when I am at work. From nowhere.
I’ve tried smoking fruit, but it just wouldn’t stay lit!
Cwyn: Maybe we should start a support group. :p
G: Maybe you need a totally different kind of support group. Just sayin’ :)
little chunks of tightly compressed puerh can look like weed
All I can think about is teeeeeeaaaaaa!!!!
Hey, we do nothing wrong here…it’s all legal. For now.
Ans sarsy…that was hilarious. Really.
Thanks, my little croissant!
Tea had better stay legal! I need my sheng. Precioussssss….
I am going to end up living alone in a cave, with 8000 cakes of sheng, a kettle, and a pu pick, aren’t I?
It’s a possibility sarsy. i might be around in a cave near you. We’ll both have our durable mandala picks to carve some pupu cakes on the cave’s walls….and in a million years from now they’’ll know we were there…and they will wonder about those flying saucers carved on the walls…only us will know they were pupu cakes… The end. (I am totally tea drunk)
Hahahahaaaa!!!! That actually sounds like a pretty decent life to me.
I am just afraid of kicking the bucket and someone stealing my stash. Or my son throwing it out. I will haunt him from the grave if he does.
Oh my. Well I hope you have many years to come, but you could always bequeath your tea to Steepsterites, just in case!!!
I think we should all be allowed to live as long as we have teas in our cupboards!
In this case we gonna live forever, we keep buying tea almost everyday or swap
Exactly!!! :p
I am the official bail you out of puerh jail man. I will only as for a small portion of your tea to do this for you. I will let chairman meow decide which ones.
LOL. Worth it! Chairman Meow is real, BTW. He’s my boyfriend’s cat. :)
I am still in the intimidated by pu phase :(
Oh Marz… Jump on in. Join us !!!
Chairman Meow, AKA The Most Interesting Cat in the World says: Pu’erh yumz!!!
MzPriss’ Unflavored Tea Box – Tea #26
These leaves are long, twisty and a dusty green. I could swear in the first sips of this one, it’s very nutty! Then quickly turns to peach, but then I swear the peach disappears… maybe that is where the “cloud” and “mist” comes from… the interchanging ever shifting flavors. The second steep seems to combine the nuttiness and peachiness and remains throughout the cup the entire time, but on a very light level. As it cools, the flavor kind of turns weird, but this is another case where the leaves sat overnight, so I’ll keep the rating to the first cup. Very different but very delicious! Nutty & peachy! I wish I had some more teas like this, but then I think of combining teas that are nutty and peachy.
Steep #1 // 28 min after boiling // 2 min
Steep #2 // 20 min after boiling // 3 min
MzPriss’ Unflavored Tea Box – Tea #24
I appreciate trying this one, but I’m not sure my tastebuds can comprehend these delicate raw pu-erhs yet. The ripened are so robust yet the raw are some of the lighter teas. I have no idea if I steeped this one right… I really wish Mandala would have instructions for their teas. They would know better than I. I also don’t think I used enough leaf, as I was trying to save a little bit for the tea box. So I used about 3/4 of a teaspoon and filled the mug 3/4. This one just seems like a fuzzy white tea to me: light without much flavor.. hints of apricot maybe. The second steep was a little stronger, but my tastebuds still couldn’t figure it out. I’m leaving the other raw pu-erhs in the box for the rest of you to figure out!
Steep #1 // 20 min after boiling // 40 seconds
Steep #2 // 10 min after boiling // 1 min steep
Oh, phooey. I forgot that Mandala doesn’t have brew instructions online. ): Sorry about that. They recommend 1TB for 8oz of water. Brew temps vary, but I stick to low rather than high. I think you’re supposed to start with around 30sec and increase in increments of 15-20sec. I would have to check…again, sorry.
I’m having a lovely evening at home, relaxing with my dogs, reading some Joseph Campbell. You simply haven’t lived if you’ve never read “The Power of Myth”. It’s a life-changer, swearsies!
Method: 3.3 g, 3 oz, rinse, 10-15-20 seconds, 200 degrees, ru kiln gaiwan
Aroma: fruit and new leather. Hey, dried apricots! This also smells like dried plums! And spring forests!
Flavor: This is so mild and pretty. I think this one has a slightly more astringent finish than some of the other shengs I’ve tried. It’s kind of refreshing. It definitely has some fruity flavors, but is a little less sweet.
The only things missing from my wonderful evening are my boyfriend, who is at work, and a huge, puffy reading chair which I do not own. Yet.
I think I am going to work out some kind of goal to read at least one chapter of a chosen Joseph Campbell book per week, and to do so while drinking a pretty sheng. JC and sheng are pretty much a perfect match. I really have to work on that puffy reading chair, too…
Preparation
I remember the original TV show for The Power of Myth back in the 80s, read the book back then. I recall his favorite was the Rose window in Notre Dame.
I have those on DVD and I love to watch them. The first thing I ever read from JC was TPoM, so it has a special place in my heart. I always say that I am going to someday read all his books. I should really get moving on that!
He had very much wisdom and I’m grateful he shared so much of it
Couldn’t agree more. Is it possible to miss someone you never knew? It must be because I do!
Yeah he’s one of those people who leave the world much poorer when they ;eave it. I will feel the same way when Willie Nelson checks out.
Have you read “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”?
Ha! MzP, Brian and I were just talking about him on Sunday!
Not yet, mj. I’ll tackle that one next!
I think you’ll like it :). I did!!
MzPriss is a genius. My tea habits have shifted and I drink this (or a variation) nearly every day.
Special Dark combines well with quite a few black teas. So I have started trying different combos. I’m also going to try the Black Beauty with another loose shou… maybe the lincang or temple stairs.
The point is that combining black tea with a shou can result in some wonderful flavors. Thanks, Missy! You are so super!
Holy Crap. This tea is BLACK. Like my soul. :p
Method: I followed MzPriss’s instructions. But I did just do 1/2 a batch to start because I wasn’t sure I could handle the dark side. So it was about 1.5 tsp Special dark, a small pinch? of Black Beauty, 8 oz water, 208 degrees.
Aroma: This smells like a cave of mystery
Flavor: Well. It turns out that I am not quite ready for the dark side. This tastes a little burny. Not like the burninator or anything, but a wee bit smoky perhaps?
Luckily, I know I’m kind of a weenie when it comes to the ultra darks, so I brought along the bottle of maple syrup. 1 tsp later and this is like a dark heaven. This has an amazing mouthfeel, heavy and thick. It’s surprisingly not overly bitter.
I know this flavor. My Nana used to make these sugar cookies for Xmas every year, and they were super thin. Ribbon cookies? Anyway, she would always burn them because they were so thin that it was impossible to get the temp and timing just right in an old oven. That’s what this reminds me of! Nana’s cookies!
I never say “No” to anything that reminds me of my Nana. Except wooden paddles!
Edit: I did a 2nd steep of this. At this point, the teas are already mixed together in the strainer. I steeped for 5 minutes and wow, I like the 2nd steep even better. I still did the maple, but the 2nd steep is much milder. What was already just a light burn/smoke is now a whisper. I can taste a little cocoa and more bakery notes. Less like Nana burned cookies, and more cakey?
BTW: Nana’s burny cookies were famous and everyone was actually excited to get them. They were only every lightly burned around the edges, and the contrast of dark and sweet was always kind of pleasant. So it’s not a negative thing AT ALL!
Preparation
Whenever something has a smoky or burny flavor, I want to sign the Trogdor song. BURNINATING THE COUNTRYSIDE, BURNINATING ALL THE PEOPLE. Even though, this one was very mild in that area, I can’t help myself
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gz1DIIxmEE
And the trogdor comes in the niiiiiiiiiiight!!!!
Lol, “this smells like a cave of mystery.” So win! And don’t forget about the beefy arm! :P
Coming out of the back of his neck… :p
Cave of Mystery! Dang… now I gotta come up with another pu’er blend just so I can give it that name :) Puerfect!
Only with your permission, of course, Sarsonator. If it happens, I’ll credit you with the name!
Now you really have to name something “Cave of Mystery” because if you don’t, I will be super sad. :)
Since you being sad is not an option, then it shall me made manifest! I just gotta get the right leaves together. With a name like that, I really think it has to be a ripe style pu’er, don’t you think? Heck, I’ve already got a poem going for it in my head. Oh boy, that tea will have to live up to its name!!
Yes, ripe for sure.
This is so exciting!
I like black, smoky and caves, can’t wait for the cave of mystery! I’m still waiting for the day I can place an order to try the special dark, looks like I’ll have to add black beauty to the wish list!
biz: Please do. I had purchased the Special Dark, but when MzP started talking about this, I knew I would want to try it. So I bought the black beauty the next time around. I really think she came up with a heck of a mix here.
I’m glad it reminded you of your Nana. It is pretty strong, but I love the dark side :) and your should is not black – you are one of my rays of sunshine <3
I’m making a big fat cup of Jabber and pondering dinner…
Oh, thanks. I like being sun shiney! :)
I had muesli for dinner because sometimes I eat breakfast for dinner.
I had scrambled eggs and toast and bacon last night for dinner
What a lovely review sars…and I too vote for a “cave of mystery” mandala tea!
Thanks, Pookie pie! I’m glad my unintentional pu’erh name is gaining a following. :p
It is a challenge sometimes to say the flavor, often a story or memory comes instead. Nice read…
After a 14 hour work day and far too little sleep, I’m propped up in my comfy comfy bed with my dogs and my laptop and a big fat cup of this. By the time I finish it and snuggle my dogs for a while I think I might be almost human: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYUR3ec9Pqs
I am so glad you made it through the day, dearest. You are amazing!
I’m a tough little broad – but it seemed like that day was never gonna end. My boss kept texting me “go home” and I’m all, “um remember we promised to get this out TODAY?” I went and got sandwiches for my staff (because WTF one of them doesn’t eat PIZZA!!) and LOL I made everyone tea. They had big ole cups of Full-Steam (we were taming tigers dammit!) and I shenged with my little work sheng set up. I had a nice YS sheng which I need to write about on the pu page. I am so behind with all of that. How are you this morning sweetest?
Oh, I just finished boiling two of my yixings – my two favorite yixings SO FAR (I have a feeling that carved leafy one may rise quickly to the top once it gets here): my adorable purple YS one and the so cute Tranquil Heart Mandala one. Then I have to make decisions about what to seasons them with and I keep changing my mind.
Perfect song! Perfect tea…
Who doesn’t eat pizza in this world???
Missy, I’m so happy you love your pots, I love mind too, they’re lime little babies, are they not?
(I have to stop with those typos, and look at what I’m typing…)
Hahahaa!!!! I am the asshole employee who doesn’t eat pizza!!!! No cheese for me LOL
But there ARE pizza with no cheese!!! You just gotta ask :-)
TTF – I love you, but for realz? You can’t get good pizza around HERE without cheese. At home, I make a bangin’ vegan pizza, but at the pizza shop… well… let’s just say that veggies and sauce just doesn’t cut it :p
Kidding, love you even pizzaless ;-)
I like to use a tofu peanut sauce for an asian veggie pizza or sometimes I use vegan cheese, but ONLY in case of emergency. Vegan cheese isn’t so good LOL
I want a lime baby…..
Now are you making fun of me mrmopar??? Cause if you are, you’re totally right ;-)
I don’t eat pizza’s either. lol Can’t eat the crust or the cheese. Leaves only sauce, meat & veggies. Believe me, there are loads of people out there that have food allergies or sensitivities. So nice you got sandwiches instead for them.
OK perhaps I should mention that I live in Austin where you can literally get ANYTHING, including pizza: vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and any other -free you can imagine
I’m with Ubacat, I can’t have the crust or the cheese, so I usually layer veggies & meat sauce in a bowl, which is the same thing I have when others are having pasta. Once in awhile I feel left out, so I make Meatsa, yeah, you heard me: mash out seasoned ground meat in the shape of a small crust, bake it until it firms up & starts to brown, top it with sauce & veggies, & bake it a little longer. Slice & enjoy :)
There’s also a crust you can make in the dehydrator from thinly sliced onions & ground flax seed. It tastes like onion rings
I want a lime baby, too! ;)
Cauliflower pizza crust:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cauliflower-pizza-crust/
you’re welcome
I don’t know how I’ve never done a cauliflower pizza crust. I’m generally satisfied with just pepperoni and cheese in the microwave for low carb pizza alternatives.
Another easy crust is low-carb tortillas, though those use a small amount of gluten in them, which I don’t personally mind but others will.
Hmmmm… interesting
LOL! Y’all are too much!
I want a lime, baby! Then I can make my pure margarita when I get home from the tea shop.
Hahah! Ok, that was a cute one, guess I’ll try to embrace my typos from now on ;-) and yo, margarita = awesome!!
I have a lime baby, LOL, it’s my dwarf key lime tree. I can pick a lime anytime I want.
This is my 100th tasting note! I’ve been drinking plenty of tea, but I haven’t made a formal note on them because I was saving #100 for something meaningful to me. The very first what I call “real” (not grocery store tea bags) teas that I fell passionately in love with were Mandala teas. Garret was my first tea-pusher. I realize “tea-pusher” sounds a bit questionable and unromantic for the ever so charming and graceful Garret. But I mean it in the most affectionate way possible. Good tea is like the very best kind of addictive drug and dealing with Garret is an addicting experience: beautiful tea made possible by a soulful, ethical company. I will be a lifelong Mandala customer.
I’ve mentioned drinking my Dark Beauty cocktail many times and have had a few requests to add it to the database, so violà! (that was for you TeaFairy).
You won’t find “Dark Beauty” when you go visit Garret at the Mandala site because it’s a concoction of two of my very favorite teas – two great tastes that taste great together if you will. Dark Beauty is a blend of Special Dark Loose Ripe Pu’er and the sweet, mildly chocolate Black Beauty.
Both of the teas are spectacular on their own. I have Special Dark either alone or in this mixture pretty much every morning of my life. Special Dark is very different from most ripe pu’er – there is no leather that I detect, just a deep smooth bass note of heavy chocolate goodness. Black Beauty isn’t a bug bitten tea, but it has those very sweet lychee-honey notes that good bug bitten tea has.
Here’s how I make it: I take a 16 ounce cup or teapot, I put a scant tablespoon of Special Dark in whichever infuser basket I’m using. At this point, once you’ve boiled your water, you can give the SD a quick rinse if you wish. I usually don’t bother because it doesn’t seem necessary to me for this tea – sorry tea careful tea-crafters, sorry about that. I steep the SD in 16 ounces of 212 water for 3 minutes. Then I add a big pinch of the Black Beauty, give it a stir and steep for another 3 minutes.
UPDATED to add the new, lazy, awesome method. I’ve been losing patience with what I call The Dark Beauty Two-Step, so it’s time to make it simple. Now, I’m putting both teas in at the same time (and skewing the ratio slightly more to the Black Beauty side), pouring in the water and steeping it all at the same time for 4 minutes. Works a treat and less fuss If you’re a DB fan, try it this way and let me know what you think.
Yes, that is a LONG time to steep. No, it never gets bitter or astringent. It yields the deepest, darkest cup of sweet comforting awesome you can imagine. Earthy and chocolate with an undertone of caramel lurking back there, especially noticeable as it cools a little and a lilt of the floral-lychee bit from the Black Beauty at the top.
When I’m feeling particularly indulgent, I go Terri-style with this and add a little maple syrup and on occasion, a little bit of milk or almond milk. I have insomnia and lots of stress. This is the tea equivalent to me of the heavy, snuggly quilt my great-grandmother made that I cocooned myself in as a child. This is my pure comfort tea. When I drink this, I hear pretty much everything these guys ever sang: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nedEEL37Lvw
I’ve never had anything from Mandala, but this tea sounds like it would be quite the experience. Congrats on your 100th note!
Happy 100 :)
:) thanks y’all. Christina – Mandala is all the awesome. I especially love their pu’ers
woohoo! grats on 100 notes!
That blend sounds amazing!
Making this tonight. I specifically bought Black Beauty so I could try this!!!!!
<3
You’re super! I just adore you AND your lovely tasting notes! Have a wonderful day, HoneyBelle!!!!
Stupid steepster… That said You’re super!!!
And it had a heart. Steepster hates hearts!!!
<3
Awwwww thanks for the <3 Sars. I adore you right back and I think you will love Dark Beauty.
Congrats on 100!!!
Dark Beauty recipe is going to go on our site soon, if that’s alright with you, Mz Priss! Naturally, I’ll credit you as the contributor. We are changing up the site over the next few months and I think this will go on the blog that I just started there and also in a recipes section. Great stuff, the Dark Beauty!!
I’m making mine now!!!! Wooo hoo!!!! 30 secs left!
And the verdict, Ms Sarsonator?
Reminds me of my Nana. But probably not why someone might think. LOL. I just posted my review. Yay!
@Garret – of course it’s alright with me – I’m glad you like it. It’s my happy place, as Sars would say: Of Happiness.
Yep. That’s exactly what I would say! I think you really did a great job with this one, HoneyBelle!
Thanks hon. I’m enjoying my Jabber, thinking about what to put on a tortilla for dinner
Beans and hummus?
Veggies and hummus?
Veggies and SPICY hummus?
I have both of those things. Good idea, and maybe a cup of Black Beauty w/o SD since my Jabber is allll gone
I need to try the Black Beauty on it’s own. Maybe I will do that for tomorrow’s AM tea. I got excited and went right for your blend. :)
I love BB. It tastes bug bitten like an OB, but it’s not. It’s yummy
Oh, what a lovely review! You make everyone want to try this beauty cocktail…and guess what? I just got my black beauty in the mail, so tonight is the night!
Haha! And thanks for “violà” much appreciated :-)
Congrats on your 100th tasting note! Creating your own “Special” Mandala cocktail is an awesome way to celebrate #100! MzPriss, your truly an original!
Thanks looseTman – I hope you enjoy it if you try it :)
I love the new Lazy DB!!! Great idea ;-)
Lazy DB FTW!!! I am on my 2nd steep at 6 min. Still good!
MzPriss, You’ll have to add a just-brewed image to complete the database description of your original chocolaty cocktail!
I was going to bust this open tomorrow, but when MzP said it was her fave sheng, I decided I couldn’t wait!!!
Method: 3.5 g, 3 oz, rinse, 10-15-20, 205 degrees, ru kiln gaiwan
Aroma: apricot, plum!, spinach, a little floral
Flavor: This is buttery and sweet, smooth and a little fruity. It tastes a teensy bit vegetal, too. This has a light bitterness on the end of the sip. Not too much. It has a pleasant aftertaste. This tastes a little brothy on some sips, sweeter on others. I’m into it. Shengs are totally my jam. :p
Preparation
This is a dang good one!
This is her FAV sheng? Really – better than cowboy? Better than Wild Monk? I need it to cool off here so that I can try it. I have a sample here from one of my orders, but I haven’t tried it. Need to do that SOON – especially now that I have my sheng pot reseasoned….
Right from the lovely lady herself:
http://steepster.com/discuss/8108-your-three-favorite-puerh-teas?post_id=140842#forum_post_140842
I’m on my 4-5-6 steeping blend now and it’s way less sweet and more brothy. This one really has a great variety of flavors to offer!
Then this one might be under rated, or under noticed. I haven’t really heard much about it. Will pull out that sample as a reminder to try it soon. Just WAY too HOT here tonight.
Give it a try when ya can. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts!!!
It’s kind of funny that I’m reading this just now…I just placed a new order with Mandala and grabbed one of those cakes…when I read the description on their website, I thought “heck, why didn’t I order this one before??”
It’s my favorite of the moment – possibly because it’s the one I’ve been drinking lately (and I need more). Frequently Wild Monk is my favorite and I haven’t tried the Hot Cowboy yet, or the Misty Peak ones I got recently or the Tea Urchin sample I got from Stephanie … but yeah, right now I’m loving this. It’s got this really yummy grapey flavor that I LOVE and it makes me feel witty and brilliant – though I could be confusing witty and brilliant with buzzed sheng-head motormouth. I REALLY like this.
It’s definitely a win for me, too. I wish I had brought some to work today. People are already pissing me off and it’s been less than an hour. I could use a nice sheng buzz
Also, auto correct tried to change “pissing me off” to “pudding me off”. I wish someone was pudding me off, autocorrect!!!!!!!
MzPriss’ Unflavored Tea Box – Tea #18
I don’t remember how exactly I steeped this one, but I didn’t use too many leaves to save some for others and might have filled the mug too high on accident. I just wanted to note mainly that WHOA this one is very nutty when it is cooled! I’m not sure if that is usual for Alishan, since as far as I know, I’ve only tried one oolong labeled ‘Alishan’ and that was from the Butiki teabox. I don’t remember it being particularly nutty. But this one is also very sweet and buttery, so the kettle corn comparisons I’m seeing are accurate! (Now I want kettle corn!) The second steep wasn’t as flavorful, probably steeping it incorrectly though. But if you’d like a nutty oolong, try this one!
