TeaRunner

I have been stalking this tea on his site. Do you get a cocoa or chocolate aroma from the dry leaves or from the tea? Keep drinking and keep me tooted! :)

LOL!! I typed “keep me posted.” Really. Stupid autocorrect!

YAY!!! You are doing it! It’s been the best of winters to run here in the midwest! I haven’t missed a run – a bunch of us even got together in the worst blizzard this year and did 6 miles. It was wonderful :)

When I am sipping tea, there are plenty of times when I begin with only a 15 or 20 second steep after the rinse. Maybe someday, we will get to sip tea together. After a nice long run, that is :) Wishing you joy in NY, my friend!!

@ashmanra – now that you mentioned it – a dark chocolate whisper is somewhere in the tea. I could not dectect it in leaves, but I am just training my senses to even register experiences subtler than Assam (or Cabernet Sauvignon for that matter).

@ Garret – LOL – yes, I remember days when I used to love jumping out of the snowplow’s way, in my standard-issue “Public Works” reflective vest so the guys would not yell at me! This winter, in my old age, I focused on days with clearer weather. I am already kicking myself!
On another note – I absolutely adore those mini Touchas . I could order more of the same or – what should I try as the logical next step in ripe Pu’er? I was kind of thinking Yiwu Sheng Pu’er 50g Mini-Brick 2006? Or something that is bolder and more pronounced in taste than its cousins?
I’ll appreciate your advice. Thanks!

Just back from an amazing winter run…. seriously needed to blow off some steam as we are all working hard to get this new tea shop open in the new city! Gorgeous run… you ever have those runs where you just want to keep going? That was tonight…

If you are into the tuochas, you have been drinking the ripe style pu’er. I love the yiwu bricks (I brought them back during a trip in 2008)… there are only 3 or 4 left now – they are a green style pu’er. If you are going to head into the green style pu’er, I would suggest starting with a really accessible green pu’er like the 2008 silver buds cake we had pressed. You can always just try the one ounce option… great tea… can’t mess it up :) Sheng pu’er is quite a different animal from ripe tea. I love them both, but they are quite different from one another.

If you want to pursue more in the ripe tea category l like the mini-tuochas, there are many to try. The Phatty Cake is extremely popular for us. And today, I was drinking the Year of the DRagon cake I had pressed last year and am quite excited about where that tea is headed as it ages… I really recommend opting for one ounce options of several teas and seeing what grabs your fancy… and even if you stick with ripe tea, I can definitely recommend trying the silver buds cake from 2008. There are only 13 or so of the cakes left so try an ounce (or a cake) before they are gone.

And as always, let me know if I can help in any way. I’m happy to help… and not just because it’s my business :) Long may you run!

Thanks a million, Garret! I could have emailed you @ Mandala, but figured more people might find this informative and helpful if they stumble upon your advice. I’ll do my homework over the weekend.
Congratulations on the New Tea Shop in the New City! Yey!That calls for a serious celebration with your best merchandise.

Where I am, I pronounced it officially the end of winter (despite 30 degrees and a howling wind – whatever…) and had trouble extricating myself from the car after a drive after a run. But that’s good pain, right? What’s more, I am profoundly salivating over Hoka Bondi…
Thanks again, talk to you soon. Happy trails/roads!