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drank Wild Monk Sheng Pu'er (2012) by Mandala Tea
1379 tasting notes

I’ve been craving Pu Erh for at least a week but have been busy clearing other teas from my stash. Today got to the point that I cannot wait any longer and I must have some Pu Erh.

This is a re-visited steep. In other words I have re-viewed this tea before.

The tea cake is made of large leaves that are a blend of beautiful Autumn colours such as: red, brown, green and gold. These have a high gloss shine/reflection.
Whilst raw it has a sweet and earthy smog like scent, wooden yet smoky and light.

Steeping in my 200ml Yixing Gongfu teapot.

First Steep – 30 seconds
Colour is light yellow with a sweet, smoky yet creamy damp earth scent.
Flavour is light with wood and earth tones that are sweet yet smoky, somewhat matching it’s raw scent. The sweet fog lingers into the after taste.

Second Steep – 30 seconds
Note – At this point the cake is almost fully separated.
Colour is now golden yellow and the scent has matured to newly present toasted hay and an increased dampness, almost musky. As well as the aforementioned sweet and smoky fog.
Flavour is thicker though beautifully sweet and the fog drifts around my mouth, coating everything in it’s path with it’s beauty. Also getting creamy notes which lighten the damp earth and wood. The overall after taste once the fog diminishes is very musky. It’s smoothness is very note worthy.

Steep 3 – 30 seconds
The fog is more defined in the steep, though still sweet yet smoky it is thicker and somewhat musty. I would say the musty quality has overtaken some of the wood and dampness. It feels so rich in my mouth, thick and creamy and completely coating my lips, tongue, cheeks and teeth. Believe we when I say this is a good thing!

This was very delicious, more so than I expected and so much so that I am sad to have only had a sample of it. This was a beautiful Sheng, one of the best I have had the pleasure of tasting. Though I stopped writing at steep 3 I will continue to steep this all afternoon.

The quality was great and the colours of the leaves were equally as nice to look at as they were to taste. Just as pleasing as the first time I tried this.

Flavors: Creamy, Hay, Musty, Smoke, Sweet, Toasted, Wet Earth, Wet wood

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 tsp 7 OZ / 200 ML
2 comments
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looseTman
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Excellent description – YUM!

KittyLovesTea
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Thank you. I’m still sipping this 3 hours on from the review! It’s still smooth and full of flavour. :)

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Comments

looseTman
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Excellent description – YUM!

KittyLovesTea
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Thank you. I’m still sipping this 3 hours on from the review! It’s still smooth and full of flavour. :)

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Profile

Bio

I’m 34 years old from Leicester, England named Kayleigh.

I started off many years ago drinking herbal and fruit teas which over time peaked my interest in trying new types. Eventually I began to import and sample many different teas and cultures which I still do today. My life goal is to try as many teas and ways of having tea as possible.

Tea wise my cravings change constantly from pu erh one month to jasmine green to the next and so on.

I also enjoy watching Japanese Anime and horror films.

I am always up for tea swaps so if you see anything in my virtual cupboard then please contact me.

A short list to help swapping with me easier though honestly I am not fussy and am willing to try anything. Plus the notes below are usually, sometimes I love a tea that has an ingredient I tend to dislike and other times I hate a tea that I thought I would love.

Likes: Any fruit but especially melon and orange, vanilla, all tea types (black, green, white etc), nuts (any), flowers, ginger, chai.

Dislikes: Licorice, aniseed, clove, eucalyptus, lavender.

My rating system
I have my own way of rating teas that makes each one personal. I have different categories, I rate each tea depending on what it is made of. For example: I rate green teas in a different way to black teas or herbal teas. So black, white, green, Pu Erh, Rooibos, Oolong, blends and tisanes all have their own rating system. That way I can compare them with other teas of the same or similar type before for an adequate rating. And when I do give top marks which is very rare I am actually saying that I would love to drink that tea all day, every day if possible. It’s a tea that I would never turn down or not be in the mood for. So while I agree that no tea is 100% perfect (as nothing is) I am saying that it’s as close as it comes to it. After all, in my book the perfect teas (or close to perfect anyway) are ones that I could drink all the time. That is why you will find a high quality black or Oolong will not have as high a score as a cheap flavoured blend, they are simply not being compared in the same category.

Location

Leicester, England, United Kingdom

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