Mandala Tea

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Recent Tasting Notes

95

It has been a while since I last tasted Noble Mark, but had a sample sent along with my last order from Mandala Tea and had a chance to enjoy this once again. Such a great tea to sit down with and enjoy multiple steepings. Not overpowering, just a wonderful balanced taste that changes in a subtle way with each brew and sip. Very important to give it a quick rinse first, and I brew at about 180 to 190 degrees F.

Flavors: Bamboo, Bread, Earth

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 0 min, 30 sec 4 g 4 OZ / 118 ML

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95

Warm and rainy afternoon today, so I have been having a nice session with a sample of 2011 Noble Mark Ripe Blend send by Garret with my last order from Mandala Tea. A very smooth and silky pu’erh with none of the harsh edges. Very much what one reviewer here on Steepster called a “gentleman shu” — with a tad of elegance and only a hint of earthiness below the surface.
Rich, balanced flavor with hints of cedar coming into later steepings. A really exceptional blend to introduce newcomers to pu’erh without scaring them away.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec
Garret

Brother, I am so glad that you tried and liked this tea! This has been my first tea of the day, every day, for over 6 months. I just don’t want to stop drinking it! And I guess I don’t have to! We had 320 250gram cakes pressed and 150 pounds of it in loose leaf. Just secured the same ratio of the various leaves from the same processor of this years ripened tea, too. It’ll be interesting to see how it differs. Thanks for writing it up!!

E Alexander Gerster

Hi Garret. Such a great tea! I will be putting together a new order soon, and this one is on the list… Shared a few of your teas with Alex Zorach who runs RateTea.com, and we have discussed several through Google+. He might be contacting you for samples since he really has been loving those I shared. One day I am going to have to come drink tea with you, :)

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92
drank Milk Oolong by Mandala Tea
1 tasting notes

Other people have already written comprehensive reviews about this tea that are worth reading, but a quick note I’d like to add is that it’s very easy to get into. Even people who don’t know the first thing about tea love it. If you’re interested in getting people into trying different kinds of teas, this might be a good starting point.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 6 min, 0 sec
Garret

Thank you for the review, my friend! I agree with you about it being an easy tea for so many people. We also like how different the spring crop tastes from the autumn crop. Tea is such an interesting and wonderful thing! Enjoy!

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92

thanks much to jamie at mandala for this great sample.

i would say that green teas are the ones i am least familiar with so really this was an excellent sample to send.

to me this is a complicated simple tea, lol. very mild smelling, quite beautiful to look at— as though jamie had it pressed just before shipping it off! the flavour is where it becomes far more complex.

steeps very light. a nice natural sweetness. i found no cling with this tea…. not from caffeine or from any aspect of the taste profile. it left my tongue clear. there is a taste coming from the green side of nature that is neither grassy, nor vegetal nor floral… honestly, i think the closest approximation may be comparing it to the scent of fresh bamboo. there is the merest suggested marine note…. like the smell of warm dried nori, but not overpowering and absolutely not fishy.

very nice! i’ll take your challenge jamie, i’ll go green with mandala.

very nice indeed.

and thanks, did my first test at school today and i’m fairly certain i aced it! i won’t be trying any of the other teas from my mandala order until all of my other teas have been halved….. but samples don’t count, do they? this was better than cake =0)i’ll be getting into my mandala treats right around midterms as i see it!

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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This was my final tea of the day, from the Here’s Hoping TTB.
The first steeping was really creamy, that was the one thing that stood out to me. I didn’t take any notes, as I was teaching during this time, but the flavor was wood & sweetness, like maybe raisins. There was more to it than that, but that’s all I can think of for now. I love the box it comes in, which I noticed from the picture. This was a small sample, 5G, & although I tend to go a little heavier with my Shu puerhs, it was very nice, & a sipdown for the HHTTB!

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83

Only 3 pearls needed for one gaiwan, now that’s called efficiency. Steep time can go up to 10 minutes. Very enjoyable drink.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 8 min or more
mrmopar

I have found all of Mandala’s teas to be superb.

Garret

At Mandala Tea we had gone through a couple of different sources for organic dragon jasmine pearls. Each time, I wasn’t all that excited, though we sold alot of them because they were better than anything people had experienced before. When I locked in on this source, even I was pumped. And we’ve been acquiring our jasmine pearls from them for 4 years now. I keep trying other ones, but they leave me wanting good tea flavor or are overpowering in their jasmine (likely because of being sprayed with oils rather than authentically scented. So glad that you enjoyed these, Peter! Thank you for the review and thank you, too, John!

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98
drank Milk Oolong by Mandala Tea
149 tasting notes

Words cannot describe how incredibly surprised I am by this tea. My expectations were set pretty high from what others have said about this milk oolong, but oh my goodness that first sip was just magical. Broke my tea buying hiatus with this order (plus orders from TeaVivre and Verdant), but I think the deliciousness of this makes up for almost all of it.

Yum!

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91

this was included in my first mandala order by jamie, thanks so much!

i kept trying to place my order but the checkout system refused to acknowledge me as canadian! lol. i wound up calling and talking to jamie who said he’d sort it out for me which he did while including some lovely samples as well.

lately i’ve had some odd experiences with puerh…. off beat sweetness or an overpowering mossy taste leaving the sense of having been whacked in the tongue by something good tasting but somehow fluffy; a heavy feather pillow to mouth. that is not the case with this puerh.

it steeps up to be very light, very mild smelling: hints of grass and a baseline earth tone. natural sweetness!!! this puerh has also given me insight as to what i appreciate in a puerh… a mild astringency to cut through the fuzz. the good tasting fluff is still present in this puerh, but it is balanced with a very clever astringency that is neither bitter nor acrid— just the tiniest bit sharp.

excellent. i can imagine buddhist monks drinking this to boost clarity, lol. i just had the most awesomely ridiculous image: a room at some immense altitude of orange garbed monks, all sitting cross legged and speaking the mantra in one great voice, ‘teaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.’

very nice. a savvy sample indeed, jamie! next time i’ll buy…

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Garret

So very happy you enjoyed this tea! It was one of those teas that I tasted in China, surrounded by samples of all kinds of other mao cha, that would not refuse to let me go. So I bought it all, knowing that I wanted to press a bunch of cakes of it as well and it became Wild Monk. What you tasted is the 2012 crop. Soon the 2013 crop will arrive and I look forward to seeing where it will take me.

I’ll make sure to let Jamie know to read your review! Thank you so much for taking the time to write down your thoughts, my friend! I am grateful!

JustJames

this blend is your baby? very nice! i’m picky about the blends i rate this highly…. i even had it naked, lol. i usually have my teas sugared and creamed!

just so you know garret, i’ve been stockpiling the last few weeks because i am officially back at school and have to be careful about spending. i chose to allocate some of my budget to your company’s brilliant rep! i cannot wait to try the black pearls! they’ve been on my list for months.

Dexter

Welcome to the wonderful world of Mandala pu’erh. The Wild Monk sheng pressed cake is really good too. Did you get some Noble Mark? All their pu’erh blends are fantastic, but Noble Mark is AMAZING. Let me know if you would like to try some…

JustJames

jamie included a sample of that as well!

Dexter

Awwww isn’t Jamie wonderful. Hope you enjoy it. :))

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78
drank Colored Species by Mandala Tea
286 tasting notes

This was a sample sent to me from Dexter3657 – thank you!

Holy leaf expansion!

This is the first time that I have tried an oolong with a hint of floral in it. Took me by surprise, I was expecting the usual mineral taste from this one. The floral note is not so overpowering that it detracts from the enjoyment of this tea.

I’m only on the first steep and am looking forward to the different flavour profiles. So far I’m enjoying what I’m sipping.

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95
drank Special Dark by Mandala Tea
1271 tasting notes

Round 2! I resteeped the leaves from last night’s go at Special Dark.
This time I added some honey and a splash of soymilk.

SOO CREAMY! Rich, chocolately with a interesting caramel note along with some woodsy nuttyness thickness.

I think I prefer short steeps of Special Dark, though adding milk and sweetner was pretty yummy – I could see myself doing it again.

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 0 sec
Stephanie

That’s it…I’m gonna have to make a Mandala order as soon as I have the cash! :P

TeaLady441

I’m thinking the same thing!

Garret

So great! This is the tea we’ve been brewing up at the sampling bar all day!! Yum! So happy you’re diggin’ it!! I just secured 20 more pounds of it from the producer, but that’s it. All gone after that unless a miracle transpires and he finds more in his tea factory!

Oolong Owl

Uh oh. Limited supply always gets me, I know I’m ordering more with my next order!

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95
drank Special Dark by Mandala Tea
1271 tasting notes

I saw Terri Harplady steeped Special Dark for like 7 minutes and I totally needed to try it! I tasted it at 5 minutes and WHOA THAT IS FREAKING DARK! Rich, burnt chocolate with almost a nutty finish – it’s comparable to coffee like in intensity. It’s so strong, flavorful and addictive, I have to sip it very slowly. I made my cup while I was finishing up making dinner (Pioneer woman’s pork roast with apple and caramelized onions and some risotto on the side) and I’m still working on it after I’ve finished eating dinner!

My roommate, the one I’ve converted to tea for sludgy coffee, would dig this tea. I might have him try it – he’d love it sooo much!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Bonnie

Good stuff! This is how I make puerh lattes…really strong!

Sil

oh man..i can’t believe it’s never occurred to me to make a puerh latte…

graceatblb

The 7 minute steep is my favorite way to drink Special Dark. It’s a kick in the face but so yummy. I shall have to try it in latte form. I never thought of trying that before.

Terri HarpLady

Even though I sometimes like to do short steepings, I really love doing a long strong one too. I don’t usually go 7 minutes. I think I got that idea from Grace :)

Bonnie

Sweetening puerh or adding milk can increase the caramel notes…You begin to know which ones are going to be best for lattes after awhile. A real Fall and Winter treat!

Garret

Not latte’s! CHA-tte’s! That’s what we call here at Mandala Tea :) So tasty!!!!!! And if you are adding something other than whole milk and using thinner products like almond or rice milk, I like blending in some really nice coconut milk to thicken up the mouthfeel a bit. I just use a stick blender. Awesomeness, children!

Terri HarpLady

On the rare occasion that I make a Chatte (I’ll use that from now on Garret, thank you), I use canned coconut milk, but for some some reason I never though of whipping it up with my immersion blender! Now I want to make a chatte!

Garret

YES – to coconut milk!! I use that in my post-workout smoothies! So delishus. And the coconut oil/fat is so beneficial to the body. And incredible oil that I use for darned near everything – cooking, skin care, tea. I could drink coconut milk til the cows come home!

Terri HarpLady

Yup, me too Garret! I also make Keifir from it :)

Garret

That is an excellent idea! I used to make so much kefir when I had access to raw, grass-fed milk… Do you use kefir “grains” or some other culturing method?

Terri HarpLady

I use Kefir grains. They have to go into real milk every couple of days, but my sons can drink the milk kefir, so it works out ok. I’ll have extra Kefir grains soon, so if you want some, let me know!

AOTeaAcounselor

I used to do coffee tastings and recommendations for specialty grade coffees (can I say coffee here? :) ), and although I drank my coffee black, there were some origins that benefited from a bit of sugar or cream.For example, a bit of sugar would bring out the complex fruitiness of Ethiopians and Kenyans, and just a dash of cream would bring up the chocolate notes in a great Kona or Guatemalan.
I have a sample of this that Garret sent along with an order and I need to try it asap. As a almost former coffee drinker, I will probably do 2 rinses and then a 5 minute steep. From what I read, it sounds like I’m in for a treat.

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95
drank Special Dark by Mandala Tea
1271 tasting notes

COME TO THE SPECIAL DARK PU’ER SIDE!

If I could describe this tea in a few key words it be: rich, decadent, and addictive. The flavor is strong and rich cocoa that gets better and sweeter each steeping. Early steepings the tea is so rich that I had to drink it in slow sips, savoring it. Later steepings I’m guzzling this tea like crazy and wanting more.

I feel I could have this Special Dark Pu’er and Milk Oolong (also from Mandala tea) and be set on dessert teas.

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/2013/09/03/special-dark-ripe-loose-leaf-puer-2006-from-mandala-tea-tea-review/
Owl interns?

Preparation
Boiling
Dexter

Great review. I really, really need to find an afternoon to devote to this tea. I keep overlooking it because I want to try it when I have a lot of time to spend with it. LOL Milk Oolong is also on that list….

Oolong Owl

Special dark does need an afternoon. I spent a couple hours working on the tea, totally worth it though.

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96

No notes yet. Add one?

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 15 sec

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100

I got this as a sample with my last purchase, along with a lovely note. I’ll definitely be getting more of this. It’s a bit like their milk oolong, but more toasty.

Garret

I’m so very happy that you enjoyed this tea, my friend! We sure do hear good things about it here at the shop and of course, we drink plenty of it, ourselves, too :)

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90

I received this a while back from Garret at Mandala with an order. This tea is the exact tea you should give a first time puerh drinker. This tea has the smoothness and creaminess noted in earlier tastings and a bit of a surprise to me. This tea is made with jingmai material that usually has a citrus twang to it. This is absent of any of that. I think if you wanted a good puerh to sit back in the chair and relax this is a good one. It has a good depth of flavor with no off or earthy taste to it. It has no drying of the tongue like some shou does and leaves a light cocoa vanilla taste. A well made tea in my book.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 30 sec
Garret

My friend! Thank you for the review of this tea. I’m excited to hear that you enjoyed it. It has really changed since its pressing. It will open up even further in the next year, too. The Noble Mark cake is also opening up and that is amazing stuff.

I am just nailing down the supply of this years 4 leaves for the new Noble Mark blend! Though, I will likely change up the blend a bit and rename it :) Nothing stays the same in the world of tea, that’s for sure :) Though the Phatty Cake II is dang close with just the tweak of adding the larger grade 3 leaf!

Wishing you joy,
Garret

mrmopar

Garret, you always have some of the finest teas out there! I think this is due to a lot of diligence and painstaking process to get things “right”. It is this kind of attention that keeps your customers for life! Hey on day we got to have a cup and take a spin in that old mopar thing I got!

Garret

Count me in for the spin in the mopar thang! I will always have a great love for things mopar – I know I told you about the 74 Charger, but I also had a sweet 74 Duster, 318, yellow with a black vinyl top. Golly, that was fun, too! But my first love will always be the Charger. Dang, I miss that car sometimes.

And thanks for the nice words about the teas. Man, you have no idea how that makes my day come even more alive. Life is cracklin’ with possibilities!

Garret

Correction: ’72 Duster!

mrmopar

I bet if you still had the vin number it would be VL29G2B.

Garret

YOu’re gonna have to explain that one to me, sir!

mrmopar

VL=duster, 29=2 door sport coupe, G=318 engine, 2=production year(1972). B= Hamtramck assembly plant Michigan.

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97
drank Black Pearl by Mandala Tea
1040 tasting notes

I LOVED this tea.
I hoarded this tea.
I drank the last of it at work today.
It had to be done, can’t keep it forever.
I will miss this, but am happy to have fond memories of it.

Sil

i hoarded this as well….finished mine so long agooooo..miss them :(

Dexter

I keep buying pearls from other sources but I haven’t found any that are as good as these… :((

Sil

i think? it was teavivre that was my second choice….but still no comparison to mandala’s if that makes sense

Fjellrev

I hope he will be able to get a hold of them again?

Dexter

Teavivre is my second choice too – but was looking at the ones at What-cha – has anyone tried them?

Sil

yes. the what-cha ones are tasty…but again very different from mandala or teavivre

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97
drank Black Pearl by Mandala Tea
1040 tasting notes

So in keeping with my new rules, I’m drinking an OLD tea today. This is by far the oldest tea (other than pu’erh cakes – which don’t count) in my cupboard. I’ve been hoarding it, but really it’s just getting stale.
So tonight, I’m lighting a candle and snuggling in for an evening with an amazing and special tea. I will miss you when you are gone, but this tea will always hold a special place in my heart.
http://instagram.com/p/vKFM4WuE2z/?modal=true

Ubacat

I like that rule! I should follow it too since my stash has grown too much.

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97
drank Black Pearl by Mandala Tea
1040 tasting notes

This is the 3rd black pearl style tea I’ve tried. This is my favorite. I used 7 pearls in 16oz of just under boiling water.
First steep about 2.5 minutes – Nice dark rich, a little malty, just a hint of chocolate. I especially like how it feels on the tongue. It’s nice and thick, it feels substantial. I actually liked this steep more as it cooled, more of the richness kept coming out the cooler it got.
Second steep about 3.5 min – Not quite as dark, barely any chocolate, more of a sweetness to it. As this steep cooled, I was getting some fruitiness. Am I crazy, it’s possible, but that’s what I thought. Still really nice mouth feel.
Third steep about 5 minutes – A little astringency – not much just a hint. Still totally drinkable but not as complex as the first two steeps.

I think I liked the second steep the best. Some other tasting notes mentioned pepper or spice – I didn’t get any of that. Love how the pearls just unfurl, so beautiful to watch. Next time I’m going to add one more pearl and a little shorter steep time on the first infusion.
I was drinking another black pearl last night and really enjoyed it. I like this one better.
Thanks Mandala for another awesome tea experience.

JustJames

aw! happy for you… bummed for me. lol.

JustJames

okay, you know what? i’m just going to rifle through your cupboard and add the whole thing (that doesn’t have rooiboos) and add it all to my shopping list!!!

Dexter

LOL why is everyone so anti rooibos? Rifle away…. Anything Mandala would be way up on my list of recommendations. If you see anything you just HAVE to have, I’m sure we could work something out.

keychange

I’m so glad you followed me! (and that I’m following you). I think we have similar tastes in tea: strong, thick, rich black teas, and not a fan of teas that taste weak or too subtle. I think I’ll rifle through your cupboard to add things to my list as well! (I’m fairly new to the world of loose-leaf, myself)

yyz

I’ve been trying to add to your discussion under Darjeeling but for some reason it isn’t letting me so I’ll try here. As you enjoy the Jin Ping Gong Fu you might want to investigate some more of the unsmoked Wuyi Blacks. Unsmoked Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong is a Wuyi Bohea tea that is sometimes classified as an unsmoked Lapsang Souchong. I found an interesting discussion here

http://blog.yayateahouse.co.nz/2013/04/09/wuyi-black-teas-lapsang-souchong-zheng-shan-xiao-zhong-cha-jin-jun-mei-anyone-confused/

I recently sampled a really nice unsmoked Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong from an aliexpress dealer it was buttery like an oolong and tasted of caramel and cocoa.
I think it was this one

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Gift-new-arrival-Lapsang-Souchong-Super-Wuyi-Black-Tea-100g-free-shipping-Hand-made-weight-loss/1001877203.html
The sample wasn’t well marked but he is sending me this one and samples of the others. I’ll let you know. He often has really great sales ( I got it for 50% off) and I’ve liked all the blacks I’ve tried from his so far.

Another option may be this tea from Camelia Sinensis
http://camellia-sinensis.com/en/tea/black/xiao-zhong

Dexter

Keychange – Welcome to the wonderful world of tea. My cupboard is pretty eclectic. My tastes have changed rapidly since I’ve discovered Steepster and found that there is more to tea than Davids or Teavana. I’ve gone through the “I need to try everything” phase, and have discovered my love of pu’erh, dark oolongs, and am now getting into blacks. Not everything in my cupboard fits perfectly to my tastes, I’ve bought some not for me teas. There are a lot of awesome people here. You’ve jumped right in, if you continue to do that, I’m sure you will find lots of people with similar tastes who will help nudge you in different directions. Exploring the world of tea is a fun journey, enjoy yours. I’m still pretty new too, but if you have questions, I’ll try and help any way that I can.

caile

If you can recall the difference, what did you like better about this black pearl tea than the one previous? Or is it just overall and not specific?

keychange

Thank you! I’ve actually started my journey through david’s/teavana (actually that’s a lie—I haven’t made it to teavana yet), although I’ve already placed a butiki order, and have a few teas I’ve yet to sample from art of tea. I, too, would like to eventually generate a “can’t live without” collection, and although the journey will be fun, I suspect it’ll also be expensive!

Dexter

Caile The other Teavivre version of this is a really nice tea. I don’t want to say anything negative about it. I just found the Mandala version was MORE. It was very similar in flavors, but I thought this had more flavor, it was a bit darker, a bit more complex, a bit more changes between steeps. Both are really good teas but I like this one better.

Dexter

yyz Thanks for the input. I am really open to getting all the help I can. I actually have some Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong that was described as a “new” lapsang souchong – I haven’t tried it yet but was expecting it to be smokey. As I stated in the comments on the other note, I’m having difficulties learning the language. I find it really confusing. Need to learn more. I still have so many of MY teas to try. I will look at the sites you’ve suggested tonight (I’m at work right now). Thanks so much for your input. :))

Dexter

keychange Yes to the expensive. Watch for the sales, most of the big vendors post in the forum when they are having sales, sign up for newsletters (unless that will just make you binge buy with every sale you see). Swapping is also great, lets you move on something you might not care for and get to try something else for the cost of postage. Unless you KNOW you like a tea, buy small amounts. That’s really all the advice I have. I’m a binge buyer, I go on spells where I place 4 orders in a week, then am good for a bit – repeat.

Terri HarpLady

The only imput I’m gonna add is, “Yum Yum!”
I love this one too. :D

ifjuly

yyz, I was having problems posting comments too and for me anyway it seems like you can only post when the log is on your dashboard feed and the comment box is already up, if that makes any sense. Kinda strange.

Dexter

yyz re this article.
http://blog.yayateahouse.co.nz/2013/04/09/wuyi-black-teas-lapsang-souchong-zheng-shan-xiao-zhong-cha-jin-jun-mei-anyone-confused/

This actually makes me feel a lot better. If the experts can’t agree on how to label/name/type teas how is someone just getting started suppose to understand this. Thank you for pointing it out to me. I also took a look at their web site (and the other two you mentioned) so many interesting teas out there. This is why I need to learn more to cull the list of possibilities. Can’t be buying every interesting sounding tea out there. Need to narrow the search. LOL

yyz

So true… I’m glad you found the article interesting.

I’ve found these sites helpful when trying to find our about new Chinese teas and their flavour profiles as well.

http://www.viconyteas.com/directory/index.html
http://www.viconyteas.com/speciality-tea.html

http://www.jiangtea.com/

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92

I received this as a sample with my last Mandala order. Thank you Garrett for including it for me.

I drank a couple of steep of it last night and thought it was a bit mild for my tastes. It was a nice Pu’er, but didn’t have enough flavor. The flavor that was there was nice and smooth, no rough edges, I just wish there was more of it. This is just a little too gentle for my tastes. Sooooo I took the leaves I was using and dumped the rest of the sample in with them added cold water and put it in the fridge to cold steep.
This is my first experience with cold steeped pu’er. OMG WOW!!! Why have I not been doing this sooner. This is AMAZING. I love it. You just get a touch of the classic pu’er flavor, but it’s refreshing and oh so good. I don’t think I would want to cold steep a big bold pu’er, but this was PERFECT. I may have to order some just to have it to cold steep.

Sil

I really need to try that soon!

JustJames

this just sounds so awesome…

Dexter

I was hesitant to try this, couldn’t imagine, but now I’m a believer. Cold steeping pu’erh is fantastic.

Terri HarpLady

I think I’ll take the leaves from the Puer I was drinking earlier & steep them over night in the fridge. I know they still have plenty of oomph left in them. :)

Garret

Hey, gang! Garret here, live from Riviera Maya in Mexico. Last-minute decision to get out of dodge before the tea buying season really starts and get some r and r… So thankful that I bought loads of tea to drink on this trip for there is nothing here save for the obligatory tea bags. The locals are fascinated by the tea thermos and a gringo who knows more about tequila than them :) New tea connections here in Mexico! It is so funny that you reviewed this tea for it is one that is here in Mexico with me, along with much Noble Mark (loose-leaf version) and some new greens. I’m sure customs saw my bag go through the x-ray and did a double take – tea gear and lots of tea taking up half my bag!

thank you for writing this review and the info on the cold brew for our friends here – good stuff… This YOD ripe is still quite young and over the next little while, we are going to see much change in this cake. Sadly, I bought all of the material that was available from that producer (I’m a stickler for spring-picked, wild-arbor teas) and was only able to press 120 of these cakes. Of course, I’m saving at least one tong (7 cakes) for myself :) Joy to all!

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98

I’ve been a bit absent from Steepster lately. I have a good excuse. I sprained my wrist and typing is a big ol’ pain. To make it even worse, I steam burned the same hand so now I have second degree burns and a sprained wrist. I’m not whining, I swear. The only thing that has kept me from being a big baby is tea. So, I guess, there’s that. My form of pain management is drinking copious amounts of tea.

Steep 1- 15 seconds
Kind of mellow. Sweet. A little bit smoky yet creamy. Very interesting in a completely non-aggressive kind of way.

Steep 2-30 seconds
It’s asserting itself a bit more. Still smoky and sweet but where the original Phatty Cake asserted itself in a smoky way, the Sequel is all about the creamyness.

Steep 3-45 seconds
It’s getting a bit nutty…literally. It’s reminiscent of Amaretto. Call me a bit insane but I may even prefer this to the original Phatty Cake.

Steep 4-1 minute
It’s a tiny bit woodsy but it’s kind of reminiscent of vanilla extract without the alcohol kick. It’s vanilla in that sort of woodsy way and not totally pastry-like or sweet.

Steep 5-1.30 seconds
Vanilla bean with a touch of figgy fruitiness. Winner! It’s light but it’s very flavorful.

I’ve been craving some iced tea lately so I decided to stop brewing this hot and try an overnight iced tea steep. Oh my dear tea gods. It was amazing. This is going to sound crazy but it’s like I took a Napoleon, mashed it up in a blender and drank it. It’s vanilla and custard and even a bit pastry-like. I wish I had made more than a glass worth of it.

I am not going to go so far as to say that I love this more than the original Phatty Cake but I love it for different reasons. Since hockey season is getting close, I am going to use a hockey comparison. The original Phatty Cake is the flashy forward. The guy who scores all the goals, gets all the credit and is all “Look at me!!! I’m so talented” but the Phatty Cake Sequel is the hard working third liner. The guy who does everything well but stays out of the way. He’s also the guy that scores the goals when the flashy forward is in one of his cold streaks—-or decides to retire to Russia…I’m bitter. I think on most occasions I’d prefer the more mellow Phatty Cake Sequel to be honest but I think the Sequel with gain some strength with age. Hopefully not too much because I like the gentler aspect of it.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec
Sil

Awesome! Thanks for this grace….love the review :)

Ysaurella

Welcome back !

Garret

My dear, I am so glad that you are enjoying this. Given that the steaming/pressing took place so recently, look for some big changes in complexity over the next few months. This was pressed on 4/25/2013… I’ve detected big changes already. I am SO HAPPY you like it already. Thanks for writing this review and providing me with whole new ways of looking at pu’er :)

looseTman

Grace,
“Thanks for writing this review and providing me with whole new ways of looking at pu’er :)”
Given Garret’s experience with Pu’er, I imagine he hasn’t given such a compliment to too many people! Way to go!

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I have been off site going mental, preparing for the in-law visit (yay). Ahh, they are nice people; they welcomed me in their home a few weeks ago, and despite that I am spouse #2,they were very warm to me. So, I have been going crazy cleaning, cooking and food shopping in preparation for their visit, which led me astray from steepster for the duration.

On to the tea…I am glad that this was not my first experience with Mandala. I am a little disappointed with this pu’erh. It tastes a little weak and a bit musty to me.

It is however, a new tasting experience, thanks to Dexter3657, for this sample. While not to my preference, I am still waiting to put in an order with Mandala (tea hiatus), as I have read so many good things about their pu’erhs, as well as having an awesome tasting experience in a previous note.

Dexter

This wasn’t my favorite Mandala Pu’er either. I think I started with a couple of AMAZING ones, and the other GOOD ones just pale in comparison. Glad you tried it. My favorites might not be your favorites, so is good that you get to sample a few. :))

scribbles

I so appreciate your samples! Looking forward to trying ‘noble mark’.

Dexter

:)) Noble Mark is still my favorite. Good luck with the in-law visit.

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