This morning I wanted a Mandala tea and I wanted it to be a raw pu-erh. I’m really excited to try some of my teas I got from Mandala but I chose this one from Dexter3657 because I got her package first. First off I got the brew time wrong. I used boiling water, rinsed the leaves and then let them steep for 2 min. Later I now see that’s quite a long steep since most are seconds. Should have checked her first! It was still a good cup though and and drank the whole thing. Not getting some of the notes and flavours others here are getting probably because I just haven’t had much experience with pu-erhs. I did find it mellow. It didn’t have the astringent grassy flavour green teas normally do. I will maybe spend more time over this when I make it again to savour the different flavours and notes. I did a 2nd infusion at 30 sec and found it seemed to have some lighter (floral) notes coming out in it. I made a 3rd infusion and took it in my Timolino for the day but the Timolino just didn’t do anything good for the tea. So that was my tasting experience. Not bad but the most AMAZING thing was how I felt. Going to work, I felt soooo energized but not jittery. I was clear headed. All the cobwebs that have been there lately (WEEKS!) seemed to clear away. I’ve been periodically stressed and a little down and for the day I was upbeat, cheerful, focused. Man, I felt like that guy in the movie who took the little magic pill (Limitless). I knew what I had to do and I did it. lol
Thank you Dexter3657 for this fine sample and thank-you Mandala for such a fine tea. Now I’m wondering if all raw pu-erhs have this same effect or is it just this one?
PS: Not rating this tea yet only because I want to spent a bit more time with it to get the rating just right.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec
mrmopar

Yep good sheng has lots of good effects.

Dexter

Yay!!! Positive experience. I would play with the leaf amount and steep time until you find your “sweet” spot. I’m not sure about just sheng – but good tea makes me feel good. :))

Ubacat

Wow! That’s good to know. I’m in for a real treat then since I’ve got quite a bit of sheng to try. Thanks Dexter3657. I’ll try to work out the steep time on the next brew. It tasted best to me with the short steep so I’ll start with that.

Garret

Happy that you are enjoying this tea, my friend! Sheng pu’er… my passion. Not all shengs are the same as far as uplifting, qi raising goodness. It all depends of area, picking, processing and of course, the mood of the drinker!

Buying the tea right at the farm made this tea a very special creation for me. I tasted each of their mao cha’s from spring 2012 and opted for what ended up in this cake. Such a pleasure it was to pack the mao cha into boxes that we delivered to the pressing factory. And now, the thrill of people sharing their good experiences had with this tea, well, let’s just say it’s heart opening and joyful!

In China when drinking even a young sheng or mao cha, boiling water is the favored temp. But we have many many customers who will begin their steeps with 195 degree water in earlier shorter infusions and slowly bring up the water temp as they progress with the various infusions.

Best advice I can give is to “play with your tea.” Make the great experiment yours!! And yes, pay attention to the flavors and aromas but in my experience, sheng pu’er drinking is about just that – the experience and mainly how it makes body and mind feel. A good sheng will lift you up, open you up, warm your lower dan tien (energetic bank account, root of the breath) and then lower you down so gently that you have no kicks to the adrenals, only the detoxifying, cleansing, feel-good properties.

Oh yes… sheng pu’er can be a treat!

Ubacat

Thanks Garret for all that info. There’s so much to learn and taste. I shall enjoy the journey!

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mrmopar

Yep good sheng has lots of good effects.

Dexter

Yay!!! Positive experience. I would play with the leaf amount and steep time until you find your “sweet” spot. I’m not sure about just sheng – but good tea makes me feel good. :))

Ubacat

Wow! That’s good to know. I’m in for a real treat then since I’ve got quite a bit of sheng to try. Thanks Dexter3657. I’ll try to work out the steep time on the next brew. It tasted best to me with the short steep so I’ll start with that.

Garret

Happy that you are enjoying this tea, my friend! Sheng pu’er… my passion. Not all shengs are the same as far as uplifting, qi raising goodness. It all depends of area, picking, processing and of course, the mood of the drinker!

Buying the tea right at the farm made this tea a very special creation for me. I tasted each of their mao cha’s from spring 2012 and opted for what ended up in this cake. Such a pleasure it was to pack the mao cha into boxes that we delivered to the pressing factory. And now, the thrill of people sharing their good experiences had with this tea, well, let’s just say it’s heart opening and joyful!

In China when drinking even a young sheng or mao cha, boiling water is the favored temp. But we have many many customers who will begin their steeps with 195 degree water in earlier shorter infusions and slowly bring up the water temp as they progress with the various infusions.

Best advice I can give is to “play with your tea.” Make the great experiment yours!! And yes, pay attention to the flavors and aromas but in my experience, sheng pu’er drinking is about just that – the experience and mainly how it makes body and mind feel. A good sheng will lift you up, open you up, warm your lower dan tien (energetic bank account, root of the breath) and then lower you down so gently that you have no kicks to the adrenals, only the detoxifying, cleansing, feel-good properties.

Oh yes… sheng pu’er can be a treat!

Ubacat

Thanks Garret for all that info. There’s so much to learn and taste. I shall enjoy the journey!

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Green teas are my favourite teas but I also enjoy: white, some herbal,rooibos, raw pu’erh, light oolongs, a little bit of black , and a little bit of ripe pu’erh. I have moved away from artificial flavourings and there’s hardly anything left in my cabinet with artificial flavouring or colours. It is mostly straight teas or tea blends.

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Ontario , Canada

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