Back again with more incredible Mandala Tea shou puer! For today, I have mini touchas of 2020 Zendo and Haiku ripe puer. Mandala Tea ripe puer game is always strong and they ship fast for those in the US as they are in Minnesota.
Mandala Tea’s 2020 Zendo Ripe Puer
The material from Zendo is from Mang Fei mountain in Yongde county, Yunnan. I have the mini toucha as my sample, but Mandala Tea sells this tea also in 100 gram cakes and loose leaf form.
Zendo’s leaves have an earthy and black licorice scent.
For both shous, I went with 1 gram of leaf per 15ml vessel ratio, gongfu steeped in boiling water. After a rinse, the scent is strongly an earthy camphor dirt pile. The leaves broke up after a single rinse too.
First and Second Infusion: Zendo starts off sweet and clean, with hints of earth and sugar, brightening mineral sweet at end of the sip. Not a speck of funk, bitterness, or wet pile – just smooth sweet darkness.
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Infusion: Mandala Tea’s Zendo steeped up pitch black, with notes of red bricks, huckleberry, with a hint of black licorice. It is overall incredibly smooth, easy to drink, with a buttery texture. Each infusion develops more of the huckleberry notes. Taking this tea slow shows off some complexity with some sandalwood notes, but this shou is an easy one for me to chug.
Sixth and Seventh Infusion: After this many infusions, Zendo is dropping in flavor fast, but the final infusions are mineral sweet and more smokey sandalwood, with hints of berries.
Comments
Mandala Tea’s Zendo shou puer is absolutely pleasing and balanced – leans on the sweet fruity side, but steeps up rich and dark. There is a nice complexity and interesting shou flavor profile, very likely to please a wide audience of tea and non tea drinkers!
Mandala Tea’s 2020 Haiku Ripe Puer
Haiku is a gongting grade shou from a Da Mountain in Menghai County, Yunnan. This is a limited pressing offered only in mini touchas.
The minis have a bit of a leathery scent. Steeped up the tea opens up to a strong spicy leather scent. Giddy up!
First, Second, and Third Infusion: Haiku shou packs a wallop right away with lots of flavors of leather and funky leather bound books with a bit of a medicinal cooling effect. Along with the notes of myrrh and amber incense, and I’m getting this meditative vibe. The tea finishes off mineral sweet but more leathery aftertaste, while the texture is silky with a light buttery feeling.
Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Infusion: Haiku opens up to an unusual parsnip note, along with the medicinal leather quality and dried, but dried shiitake mushrooms and elderberries.
My head is also thumping to a beat that only it can hear. Tea drunk shou happens to me, but not that common. I started to feel it at the third infusion that I’m on a carousel ride, spinning about the room, causing me to calm and stay put. Sipping away, I start sweating, hearing my own blood flow, and just want to close my eyes and ground myself.
Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Infusion: The final infusions of Haiku are frankincense, myrrh, and mushrooms with a sweet finish that is light in flavor. My brain is also exploding and I need to lay down. I felt like I could get more infusions but worry I’m too drunk at this point to know what is going on.
Comments
Haiku from Mandala Tea is a high tea energy shou with also unusual notes of leather, medicinal, vegetables, and dried fruits. Mandala tea has excellent shou and tea energy is often quite meditative, this one wanted me to settle down than tea party.
Mandala has many shou to choose from, but all are distinct and quality – despite being these 5g mini tuochas. You can’t judge a tea from its presentation, that’s for sure.
This year I’ve reviewed other Mandala Tea shous – Antwerp’s Placebo, Scarlet Fire, We Bulang Together, 108 Old Tree, and tRuth. I’d say 108 is my favorite with Haiku being a close second.
(provided as free samples with my tea orders)
