Mandala Tea Phatty Cake

Tea type
Pu'erh Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Dirt, Earth, Mushrooms, Tobacco, Smoke, Wood, Flowers, Fruit Tree Flowers, Mineral, Raisins, Nuts
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Kawaii433
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 30 sec 6 g 5 oz / 161 ml

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50 Tasting Notes View all

  • “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...” Read full tasting note
  • “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...” Read full tasting note
    98
  • “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...” Read full tasting note
    95
  • “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,...” Read full tasting note

From Mandala Tea

The perfect sized ripe pu’er tea cake that is sure to please newbies and seasoned tea drinkers alike! An exclusive ripe tea painstakingly ripened in 2007 using 2006 raw material and then commissioned for pressing in 2011 by MandalaTea of Winona, MN.

About Mandala Tea View company

Company description not available.

50 Tasting Notes

80
2291 tasting notes

I am pretty sure this is the one sent to me by Dexter (I have so many puerh samples from you! Thank you!) It’s marked 2011 on the label.

Yeah, this one I like. There’s something about it that reminds me of forest. Plus a very sweet scent that comes and goes. And a hint of spice. I think I liked the other one better, though. The one I said I didn’t like. Whoops!

10s rinse, few minute rest, 10s steep.

This would be really good with a little cinnamon.

12s: Oh boy, this is really strong. I wasn’t really expecting that. Why, I don’t know. I have had this before. My tongue is tingly. I think I’d call this leather. Maybe. Possibly.

Actually, this is a very nice counterpoint to fresh veg, guac and salsa…

12s: More of the same, also lots of distractions playing with the cat.

12s: More tingly tongueness again.

12s: Still going strong.

I’ve had to refill my Zojirushi, whoops. This thing takes forever to boil.

Etc. I’ll edit, I suppose.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 g 5 OZ / 147 ML
OMGsrsly

I’ve had 4 more steeps and it won’t quit. Maybe it’s time to put it away…

boychik

rinse, maybe even twice ( sorry if you do and ignore it ;) shorter steeps,almost flash until you get accustomed to the taste

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95
1271 tasting notes

Phatty cake! What a great pu’er! The highlights of this tea is it is easy to drink, full flavored, bold with notes of earth, chocolate, wild mushroom, spice, raisin, sweet, smoke, and mineral, all developing and changing with further infusions.

I should really buy this cake, I made another order recently for some stuff on sale and pass on the cake. Next order then! I had a really good experience with Mandala teas so I’ll be ordering again for sure!

To read my full review aka Oolong Owl’s pu’er tea drunk party time, check out the blog entry http://oolongowl.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/mandala-phatty-cake-from-mandala-tea-tea-review/

Preparation
Boiling
graceatblb

The Phatty cake is just amazing, isn’t it? And Mandala’s releasing a sequel in the soontime. I can’t wait.

And I love love your blog. Your owls are adorable.

Oolong Owl

thanks! I’m going to buy the sequel for sure! I didn’t buy phatty cake with my first order as I heard about the sequel, and figure I’ll be able to wait for the new one, hopefully.

TeaBrat

I loved this too

Mandala Tea

Yahoo!!! We have good news about the “Phatty Cake: The Sequel” – all of the loose material made it to the pressing factory and was sifted, blended and pressed this last week!! The addition of the grade 3 leaf to this will make for more complexity. We are pumped! Thanks for the review, my friend! Time for some thrash metal and more pu’er :)

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82
761 tasting notes

Tasted pretty much like a good strong pu erh should, in my opinion, though I can’t really say I noticed anything that set this one apart from the others I have had. It tasted fine, and deep and rich and only a little bit fishy. I should add that I did not rinse the leaves, nor did I steep this one gong fu style. Perhaps I’d have a different tasting experience with this that way, though as this is just a small sample, I won’t really have the opportunity. I’ll see if I can save the leaves for a third steep tomorrow.

I’m not sure who to thank on this one…it comes from OMGsrsly but the package has stuff Sil sent her to pass on to me, so it could be either.

OMGsrsly

Haha. I tried it and decided to share because I was doing an order! But then I didn’t end up buying this one. :) So it IS a Sil-tea.

Sil

heh as long as it’s not a SIL-E-Tea

Plunkybug

It was tasty, and worth another shot with steeping differently. I have some Verdant Pu Erh I can try that with.

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73
6105 tasting notes

Thanks to TerriHarpLady for letting me sample some of this popular pu’erh! I’m not always a huge fan of shu pu’erh, but was curious enough to want to give this one a shot.

I gave it a 10s rinse before steeping… unfortunately I have no idea how long I steeped it for. Either 1 or 2 min, I think. Just no longer remember! Anyhow, the result was probably the best shu pu’erh I’ve had. Sweet, earthy, absolutely no fishiness. It was exactly what I was craving right then. I’m pretty impressed! Glad I have enough for at least one more go :D

Preparation
Boiling

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76
20 tasting notes

so i know nothing about pu er. like, absolutely nothing. however, i’ve always been interested in the flavors people describe it with so when my dad offered to let me buy tea (as a present for getting my drivers license) i decided I AM GOING TO BUY PU ER. AND NO ONE WILL STOP ME.

then i received the package today and just sort of. stared at it. what do i do? how do i do this? what? i read how other people did it and did it that way

not a thorough review but here are my impressions: it smelled much more strong than it tasted. for the most part it just tasted very smooth and almost mushroomy with a bit of herb-yness. if most pu ers taste somewhat like this, i guess i’ll keep going. it’s nice and i’d drink it again :0

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec

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97
9 tasting notes

First off let me say I love this Pu-erh!!!! It started off smoky and creamy on the first infusion. Subsequent infusions lost the smoke and got really smooth and creamy. Highly drinkable! I am on the 5th infusion and its still going strong, going to finish it off today. I am really impressed, the only downside is its only 100grams. I want more!!!!! This is definately a keeper and must have in the cupboard at all times.

Spencer

Clever name, and it sounds tasty!

Mandala Tea

JUst wait until the release of Phatty Cake 2: The Sequel!! Just pressed last week!!! 500 cakes pressed. Will likely do a pre-release on these. It is the same 2007 material with the addition of grade 3 leaf for added complexity. Can’t wait!!

Billy

Wow, I cant wait! Thanks for the update.

Billy

Any word on when the Phatty Cake 2 will be out?

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90
1 tasting notes

Full disclosure: I’m a full out pu-erh junkie. Have been since my first sip in a San Francisco tea shop, only exacerbated by trips to Asia, which means my pu-erh stash is pretty deep, full of lovely tea not available here in the States.

That said…

…I’d put Phatty Cake up against the best of ‘em in a heartbeat. It’s smooth, rich, lovely, and complex. Have been able to pull quite a number of brews from the sample Garrett sent, each just as delightful as the earlier round.

I need one more pu-erh like I need a hole in the head, but hey. Looks like that’s precisely what’s going to happen (the tea, not the hole).

Enjoy!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 30 sec
Garret

This review makes me happy! Thank you for taking the time to write it up here. I am so glad that you are diggin’ it! Wishing you all the best, Garret

PaperQueen

My pleasure, Garrett. One question: What grade is the Phatty Cake? I see on the site there’s a Phatty Sequel mentioning the addition of Gr. 3, but am curious as to what the single “non-Sequel” clocks in at…?

Garret

Hi! The material used in the original Phatty Cake is grade 1 leaf. So not the smaller gong ting grade. Grade 3 is a slightly larger leaf added in to add a different dimension to the phatty cake. It’s a sequel right, so it had to have a different twist in the plot :)

When I tasted the 2007 material for the phatty cake, I chose not to do a blend because the single leaf experience was just so nice and I wanted to see how it would age once pressed. And it has done very well, indeed.

The loose 2007 material is this:
http://shopmandalatea.com/ripe-pu-er/loose/lin-cang-2007.html

I hope you are having a tea-riffic day!! G

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76
6 tasting notes

My journey into puer began with this cake and i love it! When i compared it to some Taetea cakes, it was good for the value, but not as complex

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 45 sec
Garret

HI! Thanks for reviewing the Phatty Cake! Yes… one thing in regard to the complexity with pu’ers is that many are blends of various sizes of leaves. The Phatty Cake is comprised of just one grade of leaf. Most of my other ripe pressings are blends, but I was so excited about this one grade of leaf that I did an entire pressing of it, knowing that over the years, the complexity of this tea would change. And indeed, it already has. With the lighter fermentation this leaf underwent, this pressing will see still more changes in the next few years.

I have a stash of this loose leaf pu’er in China and am doing a pressing very soon that will see me adding in some grade 3 leaf (phatty cake is grade 1 leaf), from the very same year and growing area. Super clean, the cake should be a winner, with a little bit of extra depth from the addition of the grade 3 leaf.

I look forward to sharing it with you. You may enjoy the Noble Mark ripe cake that I had pressed this past year. It is not up on the site yet, except in loose leaf. It is a blend of 4 grades of leaves. Impressive for being so young. The 250 gram cakes will arrive shortly and I’ll get them up on the site!

Wishing you great joy!!!

Garret

Just firmed up the pressing details for Phatty Cake: The Sequel :) Of course, it won’t be here for a few months, but the blend has been determined and the leaf will go to the pressing factory next week. Once the cakes have dried, they will be wrapped with our artwork. I usually let the cakes dry further for a couple of months in China before I ship them over here. I want ZERO chances of mold during shipping. Can’t wait to share it with you! Have a great day, my friend!

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100
36 tasting notes

This is an interesting tea with tobacco notes.

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79
19 tasting notes

Well, it looks like it’s finally time for me to break into the puerh reviewing game. While I drink a lot of puerh tea, I must admit that my palate for puerh, and shu (cooked/ripe) puerhs in particular, is not very refined. I certainly enjoy shu puerh teas from time to time, but most shu teas taste the same to me. I really enjoy the savory, earthy character of most cooked or ripe puerhs, but I generally can’t tell one quality shu puerh from another. I’m more of a sheng man at heart.

Screen Shot 2015-01-30 at 1.35.38 PM

This Mandala Phatty Cake is a shu puerh. For you non tea-drinkers (what are you doing here?!?!), this means it was artificially “cooked” to imitate an aged sheng (raw) puerh. This process usually involves piling the tea leaves in a warm, humid environment. The leaves are turned over regularly. In essence, the tea leaves are being composted.

This particular tea comes from Mandala Tea, an excellent tea shop and online tea store based in Rochester, Minnesota. The 2011 Phatty Cake is wildly popular in the internet tea world. Steepster, Reddit r/tea, and TeaChat are all full of glowing reviews for this shu puerh.

The leaves for this cake were picked in Lincang, Yunnan Province in 2006 and then ripened in 2007. In 2011, the ripened leaves were pressed into cute little 100 g cakes.

Dry Leaf

image(2)

Normally when I brew puerh, I like to break off a large chunk or two and then have a few smaller leaves in the pot as well. However, since I’m towards the very end of this cake I could only break off this giant piece. The dried leaves are darker brown, as shu puerhs tend to be. This cake has a lot more variety than most shu puerhs I’ve seen…there are some lighter brown leaves and some darker brown leaves. The leaf size ranges from tiny and almost dust like all the way to entire leaves.

This lovely chunk of shu has that deep, earthy smell that is typical of shu puerhs. The cake is very densely compacted, and was a bit hard to break apart with my tea pick.

Teaware

image(1)

For this tea, I used my designated shu yixing pot. I bought this lovely little guy in the Yingge Ceramics District of New Taipei City in Taiwan. I bought it from a group of old ladies on the side of the road that had a little teaware shop. I can never resist buying something from cute old Taiwanese ladies.

Brewed Tea

I weighed out 8 g of this tea for my sample. I gave this tea two ten second rinses. Normally I only give puerhs one rinse, but since this chunk of tea was so solid I thought it would need another ten seconds to open up.

The first steep was an incredibly dark shade of reddish-brown, approaching completely black. And this was only a 15 second steep! You can’t even see the bottom of the cup.

image(3)

You may notice the white mist on the surface of the tea. Apparently these are tiny microdroplets of water that are actually levitating above the surface of the tea. How fascinating! This phenomenon was discovered by Takahiro Umeki and his team of physicists out of Kyoto University in Japan.

You can read a bit more about it at http://www.marshaln.com/2015/01/that-white-mist/. http://www.marshaln.com is also one of the very best tea blogs on the internet, so you should check it out anyways. https://medium.com/the-physics-arxiv-blog/the-mystery-of-the-white-mist-on-the-surface-of-black-coffee-a1a9624edfde also has a nice article about Umeki’s discoveries.

The first thing I noticed about this tea is that it is super clean tasting, as most other reviewers have noted. There is absolutely none of the “funk” of fishiness that you often find in shu puerhs. The initial taste is very leathery and earthy. This typical puerh flavor is boosted by a delicious savory taste, very mushroom like. As far as tea tastes go, mushroom might not be to your liking…but I certainly enjoyed it in this tea.Perhaps the most noticeable aspect of this tea is its texture. This tea is very thick and heavy, even for a shu. It is oddly filling, like a meal in a cup! The tea has a really pleasant sweet aftertaste.

image(4)

This is about the fourth or fifth steep. You can see that the tea has lightened up a little bit to a reddish-brown color. Even after five steeps, the tea is still incredibly heavy and thick. A lot of the mushroomy/savory notes have faded into a sort of medicinal or herbal note. This might not sound good, but I found it quite pleasant. There are so many flavors in this one puerhs. I was impressed by this tea’s complexity.

I lightened up the steep times to 8-10 seconds for the remaining steeps. I easily got over 15 steeps out of this one 8 g chunk of tea, and I certainly could have gotten some more out of the tea. This tea is incredibly strong and potent, as most reviewers have noticed. I love teas that have this aspect, but unless you are really into shu puerhs, I don’t think you would like this tea.

Finished Leaf

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The finished leaf is nothing too exciting to look at, since it’s a compressed puerh. But the leaves looked pretty full and high quality.

Conclusion

This is a good shu puerh, to put it simply. It’s incredibly strong and potent and will give you lots of repeated infusion. It’s a lot better than your standard $15 or $20 cake online. But at $19 for a 100 g cake, I don’t think I’ll be buying this tea again. It’s simply too pricy for what it gives. If you consider that most puerh cakes are 357 g, this tea would be in the $60 range if it were full sized. That’s pretty expensive for a shu puerh, and I wouldn’t pay that regularly for a shu puerh cake unless it really knocked my socks off. Maybe this just means that I’m too cheap :)

I’m happy I tried this tea though, and I’m happy that I supported Mandala Tea by buying it. If you are looking for an online tea vendor, you should give Mandala a look. They have a great selection and incredibly friendly customer service, even if the prices are a bit high for my tastes.

Flavors: Dirt, Earth, Mushrooms, Tobacco

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 8 g 6 OZ / 177 ML
Garret

Thank you for the in-depth review of this tea, my friend, and also for the recommendation of our humble endeavor here at Mandala Tea. It is greatly appreciated. We now have 5 cakes of this tea left. Wow! They went fast!

As far as the pricing – had we pressed this as a 357 gram cake the price wouldn’t have been triple the 100g cake as pressing fees would have been lower. It may have ended up being priced around $40 or less, lower when first pressed. But that is neither here nor there. We do better with the 100g pressings sales wise and so we haven’t done any larger pressings with the exception of a few 250 gram cakes.

Thank you, once again, for taking the time to write up your experience with this tea.

May you be healthy and happy always.
Grateful,
Garret

hrwhite

Hi Garret!

Thanks for the comment. Only 5 left, wow! Good sales, huh?

Sorry for the miscommunication about the price. That is a good point, I will go back and fix that. I would also probably pay $40 for a whole cake! I trust your judgement regardless, and it wasn’t met as a slight towards Mandala, so I hope you didn’t take it that way. You guys rock and have some of the best teas around, especially that lovely milk oolong of yours!

Garret

HI! I did not take it as a slight whatsoever. No worries there. I appreciate your kind words so very much. It means alot. The two of us (Jamie and I) are working so hard to keep Mandala Tea growing and it is words of encouragement like yours that keep us going some days. I am grateful to you.

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