Black Pearl

First of all, I always look for the fun factor in my tea experiences. These brown and gold pearls are fun to watch in the hot water – I love watching tea in action as it unfurls during the first infusion.

Yesterday morning I steeped four of Mandala’s Black Pearls in 8oz of boiling water and immediately resteeped because I drink my morning tea in a 16 oz Zojirushi travel mug. The flavor is fantastic – chocolate and malt with a slight straw note. I love this tea! I’ve had it several times and I always enjoy four 8oz infusions with the initial four pearls (although infusions 3&4 are not nearly as flavorful but enjoyable nonetheless). Without question, this tea is currently one of my top five teas.

Yarrrrrrrrrrrrrr! It be the day o’ days again, what ta celebrate seafarrrin’ criminal enterprrrise! International Talk Like A Pirate Day! Arrrr!

This yearrrr, I be drinkin’ a mighty appropriate bit o’ booty from me latest adventures on the high tea – err, sea! Black Pearrrrl, from Mandala! This be my first time raidin’ from those lubbers, and I don’t regret it one bit! The ship’s manifest contained a handwritten note o’ surrender* from one o’ the co-Captains o’ that ship, a Cap’n Garret. I ordered them ta give up 4 coffers of gold, and they were so skeered o’ being keel-hauled, they sent 2 smaller coffers as well! Quite a haul!

The cask o’ Pearls now, they be a fine lot! I’ve plundered pearls from Adagio before, but these have a fuller bodied aroma, like the ladies what hail from Trinidad. They are brighter and more lustrous when compared to those jewels. Darker darks, and more golden golds.

Bit less o’ a chocolate taste, but still malty and sweet. Quite good. I be enjoyin’ me first cup, and look forward ta more!

Arrrrrr!

*note of surrender was actually a very nice thank you for my purchase. No merchant vessels were harmed in this skirmish ;)

I got this as a sample in my last Mandala order. I don’t remember when that was, but it’s been a while. 5 pearls. I put them all in my larger mug and steeped it for 2 minutes. Took the steeper out. Then forgot about the tea. So I’m drinking it now luke-warm and I cannot say that I like it at all. I added milk and sugar and it did not improve. There is just something that’s triggering the face scrunch when I drink it. Can’t quite put my finger on it.

Avast!

Another wonderful, precious gift, this one from Dexter3657. Had these yesterday during husband’s band practice. The drummer, someone I consider a dear friend, didn’t have much to do (it’s not really practice and hasn’t been for months; they’re mixing the recording for an upcoming album) so we spent most of the afternoon sitting in the living room chatting while I drank cup after cup of this. This is one where the hype is warranted (or maybe I just love pearls?); 3 pearls yielded a seemingly endless stream of deliciously rich, chocolatey smooth delight I enjoyed over the course of hours. It’s sweet like an indulgence, but not cloying; it’s evened out by a textured-almost-like-plush sort of dimension that somehow makes it both eminently more easy-drinking and more interesting/compelling. Put me in a good, up-for-endless-socializing mood and may have been what powered me through a closet razing (10 garbage bags’ worth of old clothes and shoes to donate, some I had when I was still in high school, and there’s still two tiny hallway closets left to do!) that took me late into the night. I feel honored to have had the chance to try these precious, currently out of stock little wonderballs. Thanks so much Dexter3657!