Mandala Tea

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Recent Tasting Notes

Gongfu!

This was such a soft and soul-soothing session; the tea liquor was rich and buttery in both taste and texture with a pleasant medium body. Totally free of any astringency or bitterness. Coconut milk is the tasting note that jumps out the most, alongside hand churned butter, fresh cream, and a hint of floral hyacinth.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4GbuMOuIP9/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JxUtYGhsAo

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74

Thanks so much for this one, Cameron B! I was really missing fresh oolongs when I woke up this morning, seeing as I have been trying to rein in the ridiculous tea stash and not buying fresh teas. I think I have been doing fairly well the last few years — but I don’t know if it’s just the volume of tea packaging that is necessary for just the one serving remaining of tea I tend to leave around, it’s like the volume of tea never seems to decrease. Oh well! One day the stash will be down! And I will certainly know which teas are necessary to have around. I have only had a couple of these oolong bricks in the past. This one seems bigger than the other oolong bricks I have tried, but also seems to use bigger leaves and isn’t quite as compact as they have been in the past. The flavor is light on the first steep. But by the end of the session, the huge leaves are bursting from the basket infuser. Possibly this one shouldn’t be used for mug steeping, but the flavor was never too harsh. It’s actually a hard oolong for me to describe. Nothing really stood out here, in flavor profiles. Where are the flavors for me that derk noticed?! And it was those super nuanced and distinct oolongs I was missing this morning. oh well. I certainly don’t fault the very elaborate packaging here — this one should have definitely maintained the flavor with it being wrapped in three different wrappers. hmm
Steep #1 // 29 minutes after boiling // 7 second rinse // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 2 min
Steep #4 // just boiled // 3 min
2024 sipdowns: 9

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Wow. This oolong sample has overcome old age, sloppy storage, and ham-handed western steeping in a bag with an office kettle, and still shines. Roasty, toasty, with a classy hint of spice. I should save the rest to drink properly, outdoors, watching some leaves fall.

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87

I received this YEAAARRRS ago.  But somehow have only tried it now?  It really does seem like this one would be all flash, no substance, with that shiny foil and odd shape.  BUT NO!  It’s delicious!  There really aren’t any negative qualities about this.  It’s a decent amount of leaf when it unravels, as the shape somehow seems tightly packed.  I can’t really be specific about flavors at the moment, but it was tasty enough to me.  If it’s rich enough, I will usually call that a win for a ripe!  Four great steeps.  Why do I doubt Mandala? (at least how much I will enjoy their puerh?) They pick good stuff to sell!

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80

I’m treating this tea more delicately, this morning’s session with my mother was much better. The steep time and temp were both lower resulting in a smoother and nuanced experience. These leaves really have legs too so the infusions go on and on.

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80

I don’t know how to describe this tea…
I guess it’s the 2nd or 3rd Sheng I’ve had, but it really has a character all its’ own. The wild monk has come to visit.

This is from a 1oz loose bag and not the cake.

The body lingers on the tongue, it’s both bitter and sweet on the finish. The liquor is smooth and viscous. There’s a lot going on in the background which comes to the surface and leaves me wanting to poke my taste buds further into the cup, they are firmly awake after sipping this.

Maybe this is what people mean by “Shengy tang?” The tea has taken over my palate and is setting up camp for the long run. Maybe mushrooms or loam? I can’t get past the lemon/tang on first infusion, it makes my lips curl at the edges. The amazing thing here is the depth, especially compared to lighter or weaker teas.
As the tea cools, I taste the smoke come through, followed by an overbearing syrupy sweet/sour.

The nose on wet leaves is sour vegetables, bok choy and malt vinegar.

Definitely above average, lots of depth and character. I’m not craving this every day, but I did end up coming back to it because I wanted to explore again. That’s worth some points in itself.

Second infusion I had a friend try some, he pulled grapefruit which is apt to describing the sweet acidity this tea leaves in the mouth. Minutes later and the Hui Gan is still peaches and cream.

edit I stepped the water temp down to 170 DEGF from higher temps and the nature has improved, the tea is more balanced.

Flavors: Dark Bittersweet, Lemon, Sour, Tangy

Preparation
7 g 5 OZ / 150 ML
beerandbeancurd

I almost got this one, but then went with the Ripple. Sounds like a fun journey.

Barsomn

I’m wondering what changed in the 10 years this has been aging. Definitely a flavor expedition though!

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76

I sort of waited to see if something would smack me into full note-taking mode here, and nothing did. I find I am enjoying shengs, but I can’t really tell why…? The floral and cedar/sandalwood tasting notes provided by Mandala got me pretty excited to try this; I think maybe I just need to sit more quietly and focus to find them, as it was nice but without any specific flavor-angels singing to me. Hm.

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82

One of the better products of my grandpa’ing this week. Didn’t get bitter, lasted through several water additions when the soup started getting too strong. Not my favorite way to drink it (the lilac was there, but not the gong fu BOOSH BOOSH LILAC), but a nice way to get through class today.

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82

I’ve been loving the rain, but today felt like spring and I got so much done in the sunshine! ’Twas glorious, and inspired me to put some spring into my pot with these fragrant green joy-nugs.

Big big lilac everywhere. The first steep whispered smoke, actually(!) — then more expected flavors of grass and cornsilk, with creaminess after a few steeps.

Not the most refined leaves — the bottom was a little thin, and flavors were more distinct than melded — but a little sunshine-bringer nonetheless.

Flavors: Corn Husk, Creamy, Grass, Lilac, Smoke

Leafhopper

I miss having good TGY. I need to check my tea museum to see if I have any left.

beerandbeancurd

The examples of TGY I’ve had have all been so different — lots to discover!

derk

It’s still raining here. What a long season and it’s not over yet up here. I’m ready for some sunshine. Need to get my grubby tea fingers on some green tieguanyin this year.

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82

Lilacs, lilacs, lilacs. Butter and green peppers. Lovely.

One time when I was a kid, my dad cut a whole bunch of purple and white lilacs off the bushes in our backyard and put them in a big jumbled pile. He asked me to take them up the hill to my mom. I looked down and I’d somehow managed to pick up all the purples in one hand and all the whites in the other. It blew my little mind that this miracle had occurred.

Flavors: Butter, Green Bell Peppers, Lilac

ashmanra

What a lovely memory! Out lilacs are blooming now. I need to get out there and give them a big snoof!

beerandbeancurd

I took them for granted as a little — would love to have them around again!

gmathis

Lilacs already? J-e-a-l-o-u-s! That’s one thing from the farm I couldn’t preserve before we sold it … nowhere hospitable in our yard for cuttings to grow.

ashmanra

Gmathis: my butterfly rose is blooming and two of the turtles came out of hibernation a month earlier than usual!

derk

Everybody’s like “What do you miss about Ohio?” Oh you know, thunderstorms, green summer grass and lightning bugs, autumn and apple picking, a slower pace of life AND LILACS.

beerandbeancurd

Ugh, yasssssss! Who knew all grass wasn’t green and all balmy dusks didn’t blink? Not this kid.

Martin Bednář

Can I move to Ohio? It sounds like a place which I would to live in. Lilacs, autumn, apple picking and… THUNDERSTORMS. I love them.

beerandbeancurd

Yes, even with all the rain we’ve had in California, I haven’t heard a lick of thunder. :(

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78

Sipdown, as I took my last brick to a class I’m taking this week. I steeped it grandpa for the morning. Unremarkable brewed this way — initial steeps were too strong, and later steeps very weak. In a narrow metal tumbler, I just didn’t find much to appreciate beyond the fact that I’m happier when I’m drinking tea than not.

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78

Used a whole brick for this first session; I felt like half would be underleafing and I didn’t want to fraction it out any more than that, so in it went. Such pretty colors pressed into these pats of leaf.

Steaming leaves were both floral and vegetal, with some cream and butter. I actually didn’t break the brick up much, as I thought the large amount might benefit from the water having to do a little more work to suss them out. First pour without a rinse already has a nice full mouthfeel, with cream and vegetals dominating. I expect the florals will arrive in time, but how fun that they are waiting while we do something else for a minute.

Butter, cream, vegetal, and very… wispy… floral through subsequent steeps. The florals actually aren’t coming through like I was readying for them to, based on the package’s “this tastes like a high mountain oolong” claim. It’s lovely, to be sure, but I wouldn’t call it flowery. There is a bit of a cooling white tea note here. Every time I bring the cup up to my face I smell a tiny bit of funk, then when I search for it again it’s gone. Mouthfeel remains full, little to no astringency.

A nice little trip, and I have two more bricks left to explore with.

Flavors: Butter, Creamy, Vegetal

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78

Little sample from Garret with my first Mandala Tea order. Opened it right up because it called to me. Not taking big effusive notes, as I wasn’t even planning on leaving one, but it’s a nice little session that convinced me otherwise. I’ve noticed some berries (darker on the leaf nose, and lighter as the session progressed), fruit, mineral, a bit of roast that is not at all the primary note, marshmallow at the end of the second steep. There’s an earthiness that actually reminds me of rooibos, which I don’t think I’ve experienced from an oolong before. Quite smooth, pretty thin/light mouthfeel. This isn’t my sirens-blaring-weak-in-the-knees kinda cuppa, but it’s really nice. I’d drink it again even if I don’t order it myself.

Flavors: Berry, Fruity, Marshmallow, Mineral, Roasty, Rooibos, Thin

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drank Pine Needle by Mandala Tea
1557 tasting notes

Dag nabbit. I just lost my entire note!

Hello Steepsters :) Internet and tea-drinking took a backseat to nursing myself back to full health and attending to more pressing affairs this month. Sorry I dipped out in the midst of the “Tea Tag” thread taking off. Now that I’ve caught up on y’alls tealogs and have one more tasting note to add of my own, I’ll pop in there.

I managed to drink through an entire bag without taking one note, so this tasting note is for yesterday’s bowl. Spring 2022 harvest.

The aroma is vegetal-sweet and savory much like split pea soup with bacon. Thick, rich and sweet with low-toned but clear nutty-umami taste. I think about corn husk, sweet roasted chestnut and hazelnut, molasses and malt, peas, scallops, straw and white wine. Earthy-vegetal undertone like lightly smokey grilled asparagus and seaweed. The tea becomes more pungent and astringent with each top off. It’s a powerful tea that for me is not to be drank on an empty stomach. It went well with some vanilla yogurt and heavily buttered toast. If sheng pu’er upsets your constitution, I’d steer clear.

My first cup of this tea many months ago when it was very fresh was grandpa in a narrow thick-walled glass. In their description, Mandala likens this to an unoaked Chardonnay, and that’s exactly what the first cup was like! Now the white wine is more of a background vibe than an upfront character.

This is likely the same tea as Yunnan Sourcing’s Yunnan Pine Needles Green Tea I had before I joined Steepster. I remember not liking it back then as it was too intense and nutty, which is a flavor profile I often have trouble appreciating. It’s still not much my style but I can say this style of Yunnan green tea has plenty to offer.

Flavors: Asparagus, Astringent, Chestnut, Corn Husk, Earthy, Hazelnut, Malt, Meat, Molasses, Nutty, Peas, Pungent, Rich, Seafood, Smoke, Straw, Sweet, Thick, Umami, White Wine

ashmanra

I have been here every day and don’t know what the tea tag thread is!

ashmanra

Also, I hope you are fully recovered and full speed! You are a gem!

Martin Bednář

I am a bit confused about tea tag as well. And I am with ashmanra with the hopes she mentioned. Happy to see you back again!

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reviewed Glass Tea Thermos by Mandala Tea
1557 tasting notes

This thermos is a beauty. Great proportions and a sleek visual contour which is amplified by the double wall glass construction. Smooth bamboo lid. Mandala’s pretty logo is well placed toward the bottom, which I appreciate, letting the color and transparency of the brew shine. The teas that produce the greatest visual appeal are my Chinese and Taiwanese teas, specifically green, white, unroasted oolong and lighter, fruitier red teas.

Functionally, it’s well constructed with high quality, moderately thick double walled glass that stays gently warm to the touch, not the typical thin, finger-scorching walls of most Chinese made glassware. It also doesn’t retain so much heat that it overbrews teas, unlike a stainless steel thermos (which also alters the taste of tea). Regardless of the thermos’s perceived sturdiness, it’s still glass so must be handled with care, especially while washing since the glass is so smooth. The neoprene sleeve takes away from the aesthetic but gives the comfort of knowing the thermos is protected when I put it in the side pocket of my backpack or lay it on my passenger seat before heading to work. For filtration, a shallow strainer screws into the basket, or it can be used alone. The two-part strainer allows for different ways to brew and drink your tea. The basket is big enough to hold up to 4 grams of my largest loose-leaf teas like big leaf Yunnan and Taiwanese reds, and can accommodate the unruly expansion of 3 grams of balled oolong with some cramping. I haven’t had any leak issues from the cap unless screwed too tight. Screwing until just closed plus a little nudge lets the steam create a vacuum that prevents leakage. The gasket inside the cap is easy to remove and clean.

Overall, I’m very happy with this beauty. My only issue with it is that I must use a bottle brush to clean the inside.

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70

Now this was a weird one! This was the last tea I drank before I got sick in September, and prior to trying it, I had never previously tried black tea powder. I expected it to basically be prepared like matcha, and I was right. To me, it kind of came off somewhere between a Yunnan black tea and either a ripe pu’erh or a Liu Bao.

I prepared this tea by dumping approximately three grams of loose tea powder in an eight ounce mug and then adding a little 212 F water. After mixing the water and tea powder into a paste, I filled the mug with 212 F water and stirred briskly with a spoon. That’s it.

Prior to preparation, the tea powder gave off aromas of dust, earth, wood, old paper, smoke, and grass. After preparation, the aroma profile of the tea liquor did not seem different from that of the tea powder. In the mouth, I detected notes of earth, mushroom, forest floor, dust, grass, lemon rind, wood, cocoa, old paper, leather, smoke, and cream that were balanced by hints of ash, raisin, caramel, nutmeg, roasted walnut, brown sugar, coffee, roasted chestnut, betel nut, and cinnamon. The tea liquor was very gritty and bitter in the mouth and possessed a pronounced astringency. The aftertaste was odd, reminding me greatly of either a ripe pu’erh or a Liu Bao from Guangxi.

Honestly, I still have no clue how I feel about this tea. It was strange and not something I would be in any rush to try again, but at the same time, it was not exactly unpleasant. I kind of hated it at first, but the more of it I drank, the more I warmed up to it. If you can get past the gritty texture, the bitterness and astringency of the tea liquor, and the odd combination of aromas and flavors, this is actually something of a fun little offering with more depth and complexity than one should reasonably expect.

Flavors: Ash, Astringent, Bitter, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Chestnut, Cinnamon, Cocoa, Coffee, Cream, Dust, Earth, Forest Floor, Grass, Leather, Lemon, Mushrooms, Nutmeg, Nuts, Paper, Raisins, Smoke, Walnut, Wood

Preparation
Boiling 3 g 8 OZ / 236 ML

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80

30s(rinse)/8s/10s/10s/10s/10s/10s/12s/12s/12s/15s/15s/18s/…

Tuocha is tidy and dark and basically looks like every ripe tuo cha. The dry leaves don’t have much scent beyond a vague dry earthiness. The wet leaves smell like leather while the broth is sparkling and richly amber instead of going that full coffee dark you sometimes get in a shou although it does go more darkly opaque in the 3-5th infusions before settling into a ‘black/red tea’ color. The flavor has elements of cedar and sawdust and some wet wood. This tea is an excellent daily drinker or work tea. Its maybe a little shallow and it doesnt have some of the staying power but I think a lot of that has to do with it being a tuocha with more of a dust elements. The tea is (expectedly) a lot more broken up which just lets it brew out faster but it delivers a punch for the fist ~8-10 infusions which is pretty good. While it doesn’t have a complex or nuanced series of infusions, it is pleasant to drink, has no hint of musk or funk, and even has some prominent flavor notes.

Brewed in 100ml purple clay teapot.

Flavors: Cedar, Earth, Leather, Sawdust

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 100 OZ / 2957 ML

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