92
drank Black Pearl by Mandala Tea
20 tasting notes

Ahhh I lost my tasting note :( at the end too!

Anyways, this is part 1 of the birthday tea adventure. I got my package from Mandala yesterday but apparently the mailman managed to fit the box in the mailbox so I never saw it outside my front door. You go mailman.

First mandala order and I’m already impressed! He left a cute little note—apparently he’s been to my hometown before!—and some black tea samples because he noticed I ordered a bunch of black. So nice :0!!

Anyways, opening the bag it smells earthy, but more of a hay-earthy than a mineral/soil-earthy. I’m really excited because I love earthy blacks.

First steep surprised me! I would deem this tea more of a fruity black. It has that rich fullness of flavor that isn’t chocolatey or earthy, plus it’s quite a smooth texture, so fruity it is. Oh, and the cup is empty :(

Second and third steeps bring out that hay note a lot more! The tea becomes far less fruity but that sweetness remains in the hay. As it cools, the hay becomes more grain-y and sweet and coats my mouth deliciously. Oh I just want to drink this tea forever!

While waiting for my kettle to boil more water, the aftertaste I’m left with reminds me of the flavor of a really peppery grilled steak—without the spicy heat of course (which is good considering how wimpy I am about spicy foods :x). It’s actually a really pleasant aftertaste which I enjoy more than some of my other black teas.

My dad distracted me so on the fourth steep I was worried I had overdone it—coming out of the spout though it looked fine, so that reassured me. That peppery note became far more prominent, superceding the hay flavor; however that grain note came back out near the end of the cup again!

The fifth steep began to lose flavor, so I think four steeps is the max for my method. Four delicious, full bodied steeps is wonderful though! This will likely become a staple everyday tea for me :)

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 45 sec

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Profile

Bio

Hello! My name’s Natalie and I’m seventeen. I only got into drinking loose tea regularly about six months ago and I’m definitely a newbie :)

I really love black teas the most but every now and then I’ll pick up something else. Right now I happen to be on an oolong streak! I drink almost exclusively straight teas as well so I’m rarely interested in blends.

I’m always open for swaps so if you see anything in my cupboard just send me a message to see if I’m interested in swapping it! Also, I have tons of samples that I don’t add to my cupboard on here so if you’re wondering if I have any samples you might like just ask me :)

(Other than drinking tea of course) my hobbies include Irish dancing and playing the cello (and I have an unhealthy interest in biology haha).

My scoring system:
0-29: I’d pour out my cup of it after one sip.
30-49: I’d finish the cup, but I wouldn’t particularly want to make it again.
50-59: It’s alright, and I’d drink it if offered to me.
60-69: It’s tasty but I won’t go out of my way to buy any.
70-79: I’d buy this to drink every once in a while, but if I ran out I wouldn’t rush to get more.
80-89: I enjoy this tea a lot and drink it regularly. Would recommend!
90-94: Super delicious and would run to buy more once I run out!
95-100: This is so good I am probably crying over the difficulty between drinking it all the time or drinking it only on special occasions.

Location

California

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