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Recommended
drank Mandala Phatty Cake II: The Sequel by Mandala Tea
371 tasting notes

Brewed Western-style. 15 second rinse. Steeping times: 30, 45, 60, 90, 120.

Leather dominates the dry aroma. The leather is intensified in the wet aroma, and notes of tobacco and a scent of moist forest soil also appear. After the second infusion, these disappear, replaced by chocolate.

The liquor has the color and consistency of coffee. A thick, creamy texture. Full-bodied. The first and second infusions taste like milk chocolate and cocoa. Leather returns in the later infusions. Old leather-bound books comes to mind. Fire smoke lifts from the liquid and rises to the roof of my mouth. The flavors also shift further away from the sweetness and become bitter, a light bitterness present in good quality black coffee.

This rich shou is incredibly comforting, even when the weather’s warm and a little humid (cold, no, come back, it’s autumn now). I felt like I /became/ the pu’erh. I was really looking forward to trying a Phatty Cake. It obviously lives up to its reputation. I wanted each cup to never end.
Preparation
Boiling 7 g 8 OZ / 236 ML
11 comments
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Cheri
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I think the texture surprised me the most. It really is creamy.

KiwiDelight
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It’s one of the creamiest tea ever!

Cheri
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I’m definitely enjoying it this morning.

Cheri
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(well, I guess it’s afternoon. I haven’t had lunch yet, so I’m all discombobulated.)

KiwiDelight
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ALL DAY LONG! I had three cups last evening.

TheTeaFairy
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Great review, love this tea!!

KiwiDelight
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Thanks! I just had to get a cake.

Cheri
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I got one, too.

madametj
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This one was soooo good but it gave me THE WORST tummy ache ever. I’m starting to think I’m allergic to tannins or something :(

KiwiDelight
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Oh nooooo! Just this shou? Hopefully? Stomach aches feel so terrible :[

madametj
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I’ve gotten stomach aches from shoe lots of times (still trying to figure out why), but this one was much worse than any of the others. And this time it wasn’t on an empty stomach either!

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Comments

Cheri
Delete

I think the texture surprised me the most. It really is creamy.

KiwiDelight
Delete

It’s one of the creamiest tea ever!

Cheri
Delete

I’m definitely enjoying it this morning.

Cheri
Delete

(well, I guess it’s afternoon. I haven’t had lunch yet, so I’m all discombobulated.)

KiwiDelight
Delete

ALL DAY LONG! I had three cups last evening.

TheTeaFairy
Delete

Great review, love this tea!!

KiwiDelight
Delete

Thanks! I just had to get a cake.

Cheri
Delete

I got one, too.

madametj
Delete

This one was soooo good but it gave me THE WORST tummy ache ever. I’m starting to think I’m allergic to tannins or something :(

KiwiDelight
Delete

Oh nooooo! Just this shou? Hopefully? Stomach aches feel so terrible :[

madametj
Delete

I’ve gotten stomach aches from shoe lots of times (still trying to figure out why), but this one was much worse than any of the others. And this time it wasn’t on an empty stomach either!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

I began drinking tea because its complexity fascinated me. I love learning about its history, its manufacturing processes, and its place in various cultures.

Japanese greens were my first love and gateway into the world.

My favorite teas are leafhopper oolongs, pu’erh (shou and sheng), and masala chai. My favorite herbal tisanes are spear/peppermint, lavender and chrysanthemum.

I’m currently exploring pu’erh, and any Chinese and Taiwanese teas in general. I’m not much into flavored teas, unlike when I first started. The only teas I truly dislike are fruity tisanes and the ones that have too much fruit. I do like hisbiscus, especially iced.

I like to write nature essays. I’m a birdwatcher as well as a tea enthusiast. The kiwi is one of my favorite birds. I also like Tolkien, Ancient Egypt, and exercising.

IMPORTANT NOTE, PLEASE READ: After two and a half years of having an account here, I will no longer will provide numerical ratings as an addition to the review because the American school system has skewed my thoughts on numbers out of a hundred and the colors throw me off. Curses! My words are more than sufficient. If I really like what I have, I will “recommend”, and if I don’t, “not recommended”.

Key for past ratings:

96-100 I adore absolutely everything about it. A permanent addition to my stash.

90-95 Superb quality and extremely enjoyable, but not something I’d necessarily like to have in my stash (might have to do with personal tastes, depending on what I say in the tasting note).

80-89 Delicious! Pleased with the overall quality.

70-79 Simply, I like it. There are qualities that I find good, but there also are things that aren’t, hence a lower rating that I would have otherwise like to put.

60-69 Overall “meh”. Not necessarily bad, but not necessarily good.

0-59 No.

If there is no rating: I don’t feel experienced enough to rate the tea, or said tea just goes beyond rating (in a positive way).

Location

Westchester, NY

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