Mandala Tea Not-So-Mini-Tuochas

Tea type
Pu'erh Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Chocolate
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Jason
Average preparation
Boiling 2 min, 30 sec 8 g 3 oz / 100 ml

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14 Tasting Notes View all

  • “I have a sample of this from Garret, and I’d like to say, “Thank You Garret!”, because he is the epitome of customer service & hospitality. I drank this during the afternoon & early...” Read full tasting note
  • “Backlog… I bought Mandala’s mini-tuocha sampler and this, along with the 2005 Pu Wen Ripe Coin Pu’er is the absolute best of the bunch in my opinion. They’re all tasty, but these ones just seem to...” Read full tasting note
    93
  • “Anyone who has been following me knows that I adore pu’erh, and that I’m a huge Mandala fan. I’ve been drinking mild black tea all day today, really needed a change. I’ve had these for awhile...” Read full tasting note
    91
  • “I have tried many pu’ers but not many tuochas. This one was my first and they were great. I’m very glad I bought 4oz of these lovely little tuos. 1st Steep-30 seconds Very hayish with a molasses...” Read full tasting note
    90

From Mandala Tea

What a treat! For those demanding the finest of ripe tea in a small package, this is it! Customers loved this one so much when we first got it in that we contacted the makers and bought every last ounce they had left.

The material itself originates from Menghai (spring 2003) and was processed into ripe goodness in 2004, dried and then pressed into these little (but kinda big) mini-tuos. The average weight per piece is 8 grams.

Brew it up short for milder and sweet flavors or for “in your face” flavors, brew it up espresso thick with a longer infusion. Tea-riffic either way, sure to please any ripe tea drinker.

We have experimented by doing a rinse or two with boiling water and then a first infusion of 30 seconds in 6 ounces and increasing the times from there subsequently. Some might find this mini-tuo quite favorable in more water, say 12 to 16 ounces. As you like! Get plenty and enjoy the experiment. We can’t say how long these goodies will be available in our shop. Sarah is already wanting to horde what is left! mandalatea.com

About Mandala Tea View company

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14 Tasting Notes

3294 tasting notes

I have a sample of this from Garret, and I’d like to say, “Thank You Garret!”, because he is the epitome of customer service & hospitality.

I drank this during the afternoon & early evening, & that was hours ago, so I don’t really have much to say except that this is probably my favorite shu tuocha ever. A very rich flavor, a lot of depth, & sweet as well. No objectionable tastes, just a smooth chocolaty-ness & almost a coffee-like personality. I will probably need to get some more of these, at some point.

JustJames

love the name of this! lol.

Dag Wedin

Haha i agree!

Terri HarpLady

Yeah, I wanted to try this one for awhile, just because of the name, LOL. These tuochas are big! They are super rich looking too, like a fudge brownie.

I left the leaves in my blue lotus pot last night, gave a quik rinse to heat the back up this morning, & I’m drinking a few more steepings before I move on. Still a very nice sweet flavor, with a bit of a black strap molasses edge.

Sil

Mmmmmm will need to try this one. :)

Terri HarpLady

Garret sent me 2 tuochas, Sil. I almost sent one of them to you in the BBBB (LOL, I’ll tell you what it stands for later). Instead I sent you an oz of Zhu Rong, which I’m pretty sure you’ll love. I guess I could have sent 1 tuocha & 1/2 oz Zhu Rong, but…it’s too late! The box is sealed & FINALLY going to the PO today! The other ladies got teas you already have from thepuritea.

Sil

haha not to worry terri. No complaints here – there will be other months of having the box come at me from you heh. I can’t wait until i sipdown enough of my cupboard to be able to start digging into the puritea teas you sent. It’s just that they’re sealed at the moment so i can’t bring myself to open them yet..not until my opened teas are more gone. heh

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93
172 tasting notes

Backlog… I bought Mandala’s mini-tuocha sampler and this, along with the 2005 Pu Wen Ripe Coin Pu’er is the absolute best of the bunch in my opinion. They’re all tasty, but these ones just seem to be way ahead of the rest in terms of quality and taste.

So how can I describe it? Smooth is the first thing that comes to mind, very smooth. Also very sweet with a pretty intense chocolatey flavor. And, well, these things are huge. Double to TRIPLE the size of most of the other minis. These are very very good, and this sampler has done its job because I’ve found my new favorite mini-tuochas (though nothing will top Verdant’s Cornfields minis in my eyes).

Azzrian

Im sold. On the wish list it goes! Hope he has some when I have a need for more Pu-erh!

Scatterbrain

These are well worth it, as are the “coin” mini tuos.

Garret

Hey there, friends!!!!
I love the unwrapped coins! We bought all we could from the rep. They are long gone from China but we have about 15 lbs left. Sarah is threatening to take them off the site so she doesn’t run out as they are her favorite :) Her 2nd favorite are the “not-so-minis” which I picked up 75 lbs of last year in Kunming. I’ll save some for you, Amy :)

Asaf Mazar

verdant’s corfield mini’s were indeed surprising in quality. I got to try them twice.

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91
1040 tasting notes

Anyone who has been following me knows that I adore pu’erh, and that I’m a huge Mandala fan. I’ve been drinking mild black tea all day today, really needed a change. I’ve had these for awhile now, got them as a sample with one of my Mandala orders. Thanks Garret.
Cold, windy fall day = warm comforting tea in my world. Nothing is more comforting to me than a really nice pu’erh. This is one of those. I’m not good at the whole “what it really tastes like”. I’m more about how it makes me feel. This makes me happy. It’s a nice gentle pu’erh – would be good for a beginner. It’s not as deep and complex as some of the other Manadala pu’erhs but there is nothing nasty about it. It’s just nice crisp, clean earthy, maybe a touch of sweetness.
Thumbs up.

Garret

Good morning! Your review got me to break one of these out and prepare it on this chilly autumn day! Good call. We have some customers who are saying they are drinking this tea every day lately. I am glad I bought as many kg’s of them as I could. Gotta like what aging in our pu’er vault has done for them, too. The changes in flavor have been subtle over the last 4 years, but they are definitely deeper in flavor now. Glad you enjoy it! And thank you!

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90
97 tasting notes

I have tried many pu’ers but not many tuochas. This one was my first and they were great. I’m very glad I bought 4oz of these lovely little tuos.

1st Steep-30 seconds
Very hayish with a molasses finish. Starts out very bold and strong. Could replace coffee for me…I’ve been actively searching for a replacement for a while.

2nd Steep-45 seconds
Might lighter. Still earthy but more roasty. Like coffee but without the bitter finish. The tea still finishes on a sweet note.

3rd Steep-1 minute
This steep was very smooth and had the flavor of a nice chocolate bar…a good one. There is also a salty bite to it at the end.

4th Steep-1.30 minutes
This was my favorite steep out of all of them. Strange because usually it’s the 3rd. This one reminded me of butterscotch which I love.

5th Steep-2 minutes
This steep confused me a bit—-in a good way. It was a weird combination of all of the previous steeps. It was a bit roasty with a buttery note. There was also a slight chocolate finish.

6th Steep-7 minutes
I forgot I was steeping while I ran an errand. It didn’t seem to impact the flavor at all. Honey and vanilla. Getting much lighter even with the long steep.

7th Steep-20 minutes
I was watching a hockey game (not my team) and got distracted because that team was playing well while mine just doesn’t so I let this steep for the first period…bad me. But the tea was so light I really didn’t notice. It had a nice chamomile-like flavor with nice floral notes.

I really did like these tuochas a lot. I don’t think any pu’er will come close to my Mandala Phatty Cake but this comes close. These Not-So-Mini Tuochas would make a great morning cuppa. If I was courageous, which I’m not, I would replace my morning cup of coffee with this tea.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec
Garret

By the way, just who is your team?? Also… There is a package leaving MN and traveling to NY with your name on it :)

graceatblb

The New Jersey Devils are my team…and the source of much of my stress related tea drinking.

Yay! I couldn’t resist buying another cake and the Milk Oolong.

Steven

Stress? They’re doing well, even without Parise! Not as well as Montréal, or course! ;o)

Steven

I’m sad. Mandala doesn’t ship to Canada.

graceatblb

They’re slumping right now and Marty’s injured. It’s mostly the defense that is causing the stress-related tea drinking. I’ve been impressed with Montreal so far. Maybe it WAS Gomez? :)

Garret

Steven! We do ship to Canada. We just aren’t set up with the international shipping for the website. I usually just have my Canadian customers tell me what they desire, find out the shipping, send a Paypal invoice and ship when they pay. I’d be happy to assist you with this as well! [email protected] is my email address. Thanks!

Steven

Awesome! I just sent a comment through your website. I’ll make my mind on what to get tonight, and shoot you an email.
Thanks!

Steven

It definitely was Gomez. The Sharks are also slumping since they picked him up. So glad he’s gone now!

graceatblb

Apparently the only team he can play for is the Devils. I was dreading the Devils reacquiring him because it’s what they do.

Bonnie

Poor Sharks!!!! Live in Colorado, but still a Sharks Fan!

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97
7 tasting notes

Steeping it grampa style in a 40 oz hydroflask. 8g is a good size for it. This is going to become a library tea for those long study sessions.

Edited to add: after several hours of grampa-style steeping, I found that the tuo cha hadn’t even fully opened up. there’s still a clump of leaf in the bottom of the flask! Moar steeping tomorrrow!

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 45 sec

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2291 tasting notes

These have been airing out for a while now. At one point I opened most of my plastic baggies of shou so they could breathe a little, and I think it’s really paid off.

I know I had this before, because I had a broken crumbly mess in the baggie. This time I took a whole tuo and I’m steeping it in the usual kyusu. ~145ml water fit for the first couple steepings, though I’m sure that will drop as the leaves absorb water and take more space.

This is super tasty! There’s a tiny, almost non-mentionable bit of musty/fermentation flavour. It’s a bit woody, but not like I’m gnawing on a piece of hardwood. A little spice and some dried fruits. Maybe some vanillin, like how old books smell.

Yum.

Sil

this makes me wish i could spend time with my larger sizes of puerh…but i need to get some of these samples taken care of heh

OMGsrsly

Haha. Well, I have two of these left. So it’s taking me closer to a sipdown. :) I might hoard this one for a while, though. It’s super tasty and I know that many of my other bits and bobs aren’t going to be as tasty as this.

Sil

hehe these i’m all out of but special dark has been calling my name

OMGsrsly

OMG. I still have one tiny sample of Special Dark. UGH so good. That one is definitely being saved. :)

Sil

i have uh…. like a bunch lol

OMGsrsly

Yeah, so does Dex. :) But I never managed to try this before they sold out. I thought I had, but I hadn’t…

OMGsrsly

I just used up 2 litres of water on this (one rinse) and it’s not even fully opened. Time to refill the kettle…

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87
15006 tasting notes

Snuck one of these from omgsrsly’s piece of her order that came to my place. I’m glad i did because i am a fan. I’m sick today and this is exactly what i needed in terms of a no fuss, don’t have to think too hard tea. I’ve been drinking it most of the afternoon. For sure going on my re-order list!

Haveteawilltravel

Not-so-min xD I love it :D

Tealizzy

I’m drinking this one right now! My favorite from the variety pack, and I only got two!

OMGsrsly

Mmm, I can hardly wait to try it! I keep forgetting you have my teas.

Sil

i’m really trying to get all the packages out this week….few more (like 10? missb teas i need to get through before i can)

looseTman

I hope you feel better soon!

Sil

thanks!

OMGsrsly

Haha. Go Sil go! Still, no rush. Just keep reminding me in notes that you’re drinking my teas and maybe I’ll resist buying anything else. :D

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85
34 tasting notes

This is one of those deep, dark puerhs. It definitely has a little chocolatey-ness going on. Reminds me of some deep, dark pine wood forest. It went for a long time in my little gaiwan. It is smooth, delicious, and a little mysterious. The first steeps were pretty strong, which was exactly what I was looking for, but I think you could make them a little less intense by using a larger brewing vessel. These tuochas are, as the description implies, on the larger size so keep that in mind when you are brewing them. The first five or so steeps resulted in an almost espresso like drink, which lifted my fog this morning admirably.

Flavors: Chocolate

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 8 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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818 tasting notes

These were in the mini tuocha variety pack, I think. They are definitely larger than the other minis. I enjoyed a nice session with one and I think I can say it is the oldest puerh I’ve had now, as Mandala’s page says they are from 2004!

These are yummy!! So smooth, and absolutely no fermentation funk. There’s a little cocoa and a little wood. Nothing really stands out, but I think that makes it a nice starter puerh or an everyday drinking puerh. Really nice! I might have to pick some more of these up as the variety pack only had two!

mrs.stenhouse12

What paper are these in? I’m trying to figure out which kinds are which in the variety pack lol most of mine are fairly close in size, I am thinking this one has white paper with red and is a bit bigger?

Tealizzy

Yes, mine are a little bigger, wrapped in white paper with red writing.

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76
289 tasting notes

I didn’t particularly care for this one, though it is not bad. I found it acidic and not very smooth. But it is deep.

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