I had this tea yesterday. This was a sample from Dexter3657. So far every tea I’ve tried from Mandala has been outstanding. This was no exception. The taste just blew me away. I just brewed with boiling water (rinsed twice) then 10 sec. Did about 30 sec on the next few infusions. It’s hard to remember clearly from yesterday but I do remember it being juicy, full in the mouth. There was a delicious sweetness that would hang on the tongue after a sip. It was a bit buttery, smooth with just a bit of astringency (which I enjoy so much with green teas). I didn’t get much smoke flavour from this one- perhaps a tiny bit in the first infusion or so. The smoke flavour is the one thing that takes some getting used to. I was using the small Chinese cups and every time I would pour I would drink it down so fast.
It was also very distracting. I was doing my work from home on the computer and every time I would take a sip, it was so good ; it took my attention away from my work. I noticed on some of the comments here Garret said he could see colours better when drinking this tea. Well, what happened to me (other then the great calm energy rush) was I could see things in a new way (like through the eyes of a child). I felt like grabbing my camera and heading out for a creative pursuit outside. Alas, I had work to do. Have to pay those bills. I’ll keep this tea in mind on a day when I plan on doing some photography. It really gets those creative juices flowing and lets me see things more creatively.
Thank-you Dexter3657 for another fine sample!
Yeah this one “pops” in the mouth when you are drinking it.
Love love love this tea. And Mandala and Garret are all the awesome.