Mandala Tea Phatty Cake

My Phatty Cake is becoming a skinny cake.

I decided to make a big pot of puerh to experiment with tonight. I rarely cook red meat even though I have chronic anemia, but tonight I promised my girls steak. I knew I might need some help with digestion and decided to take care of that naturally, and do it early so I won’t be miserable when I go to bed.

I made this nice and strong, but something kept picking at my brain. Everyone talks about puerh lattes, or just puerh with milk and sugar, so I decided to give it a try even though I usually don’t add sugar to my tea.

First of all, wow. Wow. I added some sugar to the hot puerh and it was as rich and satisfying as a dessert. Then I added a lot of milk and ice, and I think it was too much. The ice melted really quickly and made my drink a bit watery. I added some more puerh and it is a little more balanced now, but I think my favorite way to have this is either plain and hot, or plain with sugar, or cold steeped with no sugar. The latte isn’t bad, it just isn’t my favorite way to drink this. Perhaps if I had sweetened it and then cooled it so I wouldn’t need so much ice it would be better.

I made 24 ounces and have some resteeps to go, so I will definitely be drinking this rest of this hot and probably with a sprinkle of sugar. This is my dessert tonight, and I do not feel deprived at all!

On that note, hubby’s dessert was something I saw on the menu for a local deli. S’Mores sandwich, made with wheat bread buttered on the outside, Nutella and Marshmallow Creme inside with fine crumbles of graham cracker sprinkled on the Nutella, then toasted in my Breville. He loved it, but I think I like my dessert just as well!

Pu-erh Abuse Warning! The following maybe sensitive for some readers…

First and foremost I want to thank Garret for this lovely-crazy-huge pu-erh phatty cake! (I just like saying that…I think I will say it again!

First and foremost I want to thank Garret for this lovely-crazy-huge pu-erh phatty cake! (There…I said it again!)

I apologize in advance to the pu-erh purists out there for what I am about to say.

I have had a really hard week and today was the ‘cream of the crop’ really. I needed to release some tension. While pondering just how I was going to go about tasting this pu-erh while at work with only my cup and standard hot tea water that I use for nearly all of my daytime tea…I wondered how I was going to proceed.

A few months ago I received a very hard/sturdy mutant-like plastic tool from japan that I cannot find on any website nor do I really know WHAT it is or how I am supposed to use it. Weeeeeeeell, I ‘dug’ the heck out of this phatty cake from center to sides…just enough to get a good amount for tasting. It seemed to work quite well.

Like I said…I know many pu-erh purists are probably cringing right now…but…desperate times call for desperate measures!

I did a rinse – thankfully – because it was TAR brown/black! The aroma was a gentle pu-erh type smell. Not overly loud at all, actually.

For my first infusion…I did a super short one because of the darkness of it. About 15 secs. This worked REALLY REALLY WELL!!!!! So well that I’m rather tickled with myself!

It’s still very dark in color. The aroma is about the same intensity level. The taste is delightful! It’s malty and rich and and velvety. It’s sweet and fairly fruity! This is right up my alley! WOW!

Dare I say I LOVE THIS Pu-erh? I just might…I’m almost there…ALMOST. Regardless this is really great!!! I’m going to do an infusion test. Stay tuned for more infusions and more notes about this one, folks!

Ahhhhhh! YES! First Infusion Score…HIGH upper 90s…between 97 and 100…at this time.

I’m finally getting around to trying my sample of this today (thanks, G)

I really like the way this dry tea smells! It reminds me a bit of the pu-erhs I’ve been drinking which are flavored with the rice herb. I did give this a quick rinse in boiling water and now it smells earthy and sweet.

Steeping method: gaiwan.

1st steep: 30 seconds. A smooth and dark reddish-brown liquor. A very soil, rich kind of earthy with a definite sweetness bordering a bit on fruity. No off odors or flavors like fishiness are present. A hint of… tobacco perhaps?

2nd Steep: 10 seconds. Believe it or not, 10 seconds was plenty, especially for the way I feel like drinking it today. But it still got very dark! I’m getting a slight smokiness in the aroma here, kind of chewy in the flavor, nice forest floor aroma.

3rd steep: 30 seconds. I am starting to feel some of the invigorating effects of this tea. I did really need it today somehow. Even matching up my socks from the laundry is feeling like a chore. It has a very smooth feel in the mouth, which makes me want to sip on it slowly and linger around with it. Aside from earthy and smoky I feel like I’m getting a bit of raisin here.

It is fairly warm here today, which makes it hard for me to think about drinking more shu so I’m going to save the remainder of these leaves and experiment with cold brewing them.

This is a very nice offering from Mandala’s private pressing, I have enjoyed trying it and may need to get some more in the future. Good job…

I’ve been drinking this for about 3 hours. I went with about 8G in my yixing, with the initial steeps very short, & then building the time up. I haven’t had any of this since March, I think, & today the Chaqi is outrageous! I’m flying high & loving it! Such a tasty Shu, my little cake is pretty much a flat disc now. I have a Phatty Cake II waiting in the wings.

Anyway, these leaves still appear to have much to give, but I’ve definitely had enough tea for today, so I put them in a jar of water, & they are in the frig now, to become a refreshing drink.

I haven’t had this one for a while. I missed it. It’s like an old friend that I haven’t seen for a long time but think of constantly.

I tried shorter steeps this time around because I wanted to extend the leaves a bit.

1st Steep-10 seconds
Slightly smoky with a sweet raisin finish. I am going to see what shorter steep times can do to this tea. So far so good.

2nd Steep-15 sec
Very very slight smoke. Roasty. There is also a almost breadlike note on the finish. Very thick mouthfeel as well. Shorter steeps seem to be working really well.

3rd Steep-20 seconds
Sorta sweet. Kind of leathery. Smooth mouthfeel.

4th Steep-25 seconds
There is a grape note in there. Sweet and a bit earthy. Like grapes just off the vine.

5th Steep-30 seconds
Grapes and a bit of a spice bite. A little nutmeg in some sips.

6th Steep-40 seconds
Nutmeg just popped right out there. With vanilla. The grape is gone. Still fruity but it’s a different feel to it.

7th Steep-50 seconds
Lightening up quite a bit. The fruit flavor is much clearer. Like a carmelized fig. It’s pretty much my favorite thing ever.

8th Steep-60 seconds
All fig right now. With brown sugar. This one is perhaps my favorite steep because figs are the best thing ever.

9th Steep-1.30 minutes
Lightening up much more. Tastes of vanilla wafers.

10th Steep-2 minutes
Vanilla and a bit of clove.

11th Steep-2.10 minutes
Some spice…clove still…and a floral taste creeping in.

12th Steep-2.30 minutes
This tea is pretty much done. Very floral on the last steep and that’s how I know to quit. Floral + me= no fun

Drinking phatty cake today while I agonize over finals. This morning shortly after breakfast my right eye started to twitch; this has happened to me before around finals times, and it means I am way too stressed! I figured that meant it was a good day to drink some good and calming puerh. Monday I have a 9-10 page paper due for my Shakespeare class, and I’m writing on devils and exorcism in Twelfth Night and King Lear. After writing five pages of that today I felt like I was ready for an exorcism myself. ;)

Very nice shu puerh! This was one of the ones I was waiting to try for quite some time and I was not disappointed.

I love the smoothness of the sip and the strength to its brew. Really does well with a GongFu styled shorter steeping. The liquid has plenty of body and is not watered down tasting. This allows for quick reload of your next cup and works perfect for the impatient tea drinker. No need to wait here, steep for 7 seconds in your gaiwan and you are all set – time to pour and sip!

There is very little fermentation smell or taste – more fresh uncovered earth or moisten moss. Greener, not old musty. I found no bitterness at all, no matter the steep time (I did allow the leaves to steep longer a couple times, to gauge it’s character under the Western steeping style. It’s all about knowledge and full experience, for me that is).

There were some cleaner, almost medicinal properties to the tea that I noticed the longer I drank. One surprise I found, somewhere around cup 4-5, was a numbing sensation towards the front of the mouth and concentrated on the tip of the tongue. This was most enjoyable and added depth to the overall interaction with this tea and its wonderful complexity.

I’m sure that I’ve missed a few points that are needed to be stated, however my mind is not able to put all the necessary words together. I guess what is written will have to be the only voice at this time. If there is any question of what I’m trying to say – I really enjoyed this tea!

This is a nice shu! This afternoon I was faced with a tough choice; which tea to try first. :D I was in the mood for pu’erh, and decided to try the phatty cake.

The leaves are attractive and fairly large in size. The compression on this cake is really tight around the center, I could hardly pry a piece out!

Early infusions: The first couple of infusions were a bit disappointing for me. It was a bit too mulchy and mushroomy, but I could taste the good, strong flavors underneath.

Middle infusions: All of a sudden, this tea was delicious! A bold, chocolaty flavor with a slight saltiness, and an unexpected hint of fruit; apricot and, blueberry maybe? Blueberry is definitely a new one for me. There is still a bit of “compost pit” hanging around, but its mostly gone. Around this time I also start to get some “qi” feel with some tingly feelings along the top of my head. Definitely the strongest feeling I’ve gotten from a ripe pu’erh.

Later infusions: Tea! Waht r u doing!! Stahp!!! I have some homework to get on, but these leaves just keep making more tea! These little leaves made at least twelve (I wasn’t really counting) nice, bold infusions.

This is a good, potent pu’erh, but my(not so) expert opinion says it could use a year or two to let the fermentation flavors fade.

It was snowing here today. I am not ready for winter, don’t like this cold weather. Came home and was looking for pu’erh to add to a swap package, and decided that it was time to break into this cake. I’d been saving for a night when I can spend some time with it. Cold, wintery evening equals hockey game, spicy noodles and a good pu’erh. I have hockey, I have spicy noodles but I don’t have a good pu’er – I have a GREAT pu’erh.
I LOVE Mandala pu’erh and this one is no exception. I don’t even know what to say. This is totally different from Noble Mark – great but different. I’m not going to come up with the right words, but this is almost sweet – almost desserty. It’s smooth and gentle, not a trace of nasty. Sometimes I think a pu’erh is too gentle – but this one has enough happening that it’s gentle but not boring. I’m eating spicy noodles and this balances that spiciness perfectly. Is this better than Noble Mark – no I don’t think better is the right word – I’m going to say complimentary. I highly suggest that if you like pu’erh you should have both in your cupboard. :))

thank you terri for sharing this with me. I have some of the loose version of this as well in my cupboard that i recently purchased from Mandala. I know that garret is going to be doing something in the near future with this and the phatty 2 that they have now so i wanted to make sure i got a chance to try this one out before then. I’ve been drinking it most of the morning and haven’t been focusing on that particularities of teh tea on purpose. I just wanted a morning with this to get a general sense of how i felt about it. At some point in the future i’ll go through the steepings and make notes but today? Today i am simply enjoying this for what it is. A delicious puerh i could drink nearly every day.