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graceatblb drank Golden Strand Black Tea by Mandala Tea

97 tasting notes

Garret included this one in my birthday order as a sample. I was overjoyed because it was on my list before pu’er craziness took over and I added another cake instead. This one was really really good.

First of all, the leaves are so pretty to look at. They are these golden bits of pretty. I almost felt bad pouring water over them. And they smell like the best caramel you’ve ever had. As I said yesterday in my review of Long Life, black teas for me fall into 5 categories fruity, chocolaty, malty, roasty and kick you in the butt. This one falls right in the malty category. There is a bit of nuttiness and even some chocolate notes but it’s not one of those “Good Morning!" with a punch in the face teas. It’s mild and gentle. Golden Strand is that quiet kid in school who always does well even though you don’t hear from him much in class.

I’m going to steep this one a bit more. I only had time for two steeps tonight. I’ll probably update this tea note tomorrow.

Preparation

Boiling 1 min, 0 sec

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2 comments

TeaBrat
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oooh, this looks good!

Sil
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Oh man this sounds tasty…

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TeaBrat
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oooh, this looks good!

Sil
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Oh man this sounds tasty…

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Bio

Book blogger. Hockey fan. Reformed coffee drinker. Newly minted tea addict. I grammar police myself and no one else. Pu’er lover.

My favorite type of tea is pu’er. I can see myself living in a house alone with just pu’er cakes, a electric tea kettle, my trusty pu’er pick from Mandala and a thermos. I prefer ripe pu’er but love raw pu’er as well. My current favorite is the Special Dark from Mandala Tea.

Black Tea-I also love all forms of black tea. Black tea is where I started and I still love the malty loveliness of a good black tea. My current favorite is Grandpa’s Anytime Tea from Butiki.

Green Tea-Green tea is pretty hit and miss with me. I have never really developed a liking towards it. I have been dying to explore green tea more. Especially matcha and genmaicha. My current favorite is Autumn Harvest Laoshan Green from Verdant Tea.

Herbals/Mate-It depends on what’s in them. I gravitate more to herbs and spices rather than fruit flavors. My current favorite is Fired Up Fennel from Davids Tea.

I love mate (and guayusa). It helped me kick my coffee habit to one cup a day. I will try any blend with mate in it. My current favorite is Chocolate Rocket from Davids Tea.

White Tea-Sadly, I haven’t tried many white teas but I am planning on it very soon.

Oolong Tea-I have tried one or two oolong teas but in blends only. I am dying to try a straight oolong. My current favorite is Milk Oolong by Mandala Tea.

Rooibos-I love rooibos blends but they are very hit and miss with me. I love the woodiness of rooibos. My favorite is currently Oh Canada from Davids Tea.

Flavored Tea-I love flavored teas. I am willing to try just about any flavor combination and the weirder the better. My current favorite flavored tea is Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha by Verdant Tea.

I am always searching for a tea with fig or chili in it.

My favorite tea companies-Mandala Tea (their Phatty Cake was my first ever “Oh My God” tea moment), Butiki Teas, Verdant Tea, and Davids Tea