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KiwiDelight drank Special Dark by Mandala Tea

371 tasting notes

Stephanie is so awesome to include this as an extra in her swap package! And I must announce that this is my first Mandala tea ever.

I don’t drink pu’erh much. My palate isn’t adjusted for it, especially shou pu’erh. This mostly tastes earthy – wonderfully earthy, not as strong as the other few shou pue’rhs I’ve tried – though I was able to detect the chocolate and cocoa notes. Additionally, the liquor is full-bodied, brisk, and thick.

Delicious! I don’t think I’d have to drink a hundred pu’erhs to discern that this one is a good one. I’m so glad Stephanie gave me the opportunity to try it :]

Flavors: Chocolate, Cocoa, Earth

Preparation

Boiling 0 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

I Like This

10 likes

3 comments

Garret
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Thanks so much for writing about your experience with this pu’er! I smile as I hear about another person who doesn’t drink much pu’er but digs this one. It is a pretty refined shu pu’er and is so accessible for so many. Glad you found it enjoyable.

I am grateful that you took the time to write this up. – Garret

KiwiDelight
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You’re welcome! I just had to write a review :]

Stephanie
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Yay!! I’m glad you liked it, Kiwi :)

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Comments

Garret
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I am grateful that you took the time to write this up. – Garret

KiwiDelight
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You’re welcome! I just had to write a review :]

Stephanie
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Yay!! I’m glad you liked it, Kiwi :)

Profile

Bio

I began drinking tea because its complexity fascinated me. I love learning about its history, its manufacturing processes, and its place in various cultures.

Japanese greens were my first love and gateway into the world.

My favorite teas are leafhopper oolongs, pu’erh (shou and sheng), and masala chai. My favorite herbal tisanes are spear/peppermint, lavender and chrysanthemum.

I’m currently exploring pu’erh, and any Chinese and Taiwanese teas in general. I’m not much into flavored teas, unlike when I first started. The only teas I truly dislike are fruity tisanes and the ones that have too much fruit. I do like hisbiscus, especially iced.

I like to write nature essays. I’m a birdwatcher as well as a tea enthusiast. The kiwi is one of my favorite birds. I also like Tolkien, Ancient Egypt, and exercising.

IMPORTANT NOTE, PLEASE READ: After two and a half years of having an account here, I will no longer will provide numerical ratings as an addition to the review because the American school system has skewed my thoughts on numbers out of a hundred and the colors throw me off. Curses! My words are more than sufficient. If I really like what I have, I will “recommend”, and if I don’t, “not recommended”.

Key for past ratings:

96-100 I adore absolutely everything about it. A permanent addition to my stash.

90-95 Superb quality and extremely enjoyable, but not something I’d necessarily like to have in my stash (might have to do with personal tastes, depending on what I say in the tasting note).

80-89 Delicious! Pleased with the overall quality.

70-79 Simply, I like it. There are qualities that I find good, but there also are things that aren’t, hence a lower rating that I would have otherwise like to put.

60-69 Overall “meh”. Not necessarily bad, but not necessarily good.

0-59 No.

If there is no rating: I don’t feel experienced enough to rate the tea, or said tea just goes beyond rating (in a positive way).