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“I’ll have to remember to cut back on the number of pearls I use for this one! Most of the ‘pearl’ teas require 6 to make a decent cup, IMO. I previously used 6 for this one, & that was too...” Read full tasting note
“I got this tea from Mandala earlier in the week but I’ve been waiting for a quiet time at home to try it. Beautiful hand rolled pearls! I love the artistry that goes into these things. It’s...” Read full tasting note
“Oh yes. Hello good morning wake up happy tea. 5 pearls for my 16oz travel mug brewed for about 4 mins I’m not sure there’s anything more to say tht others haven’t covered besides yes…..yes…and more...” Read full tasting note
“I am exhausted and the day is only half over considering I got up at a reasonable time today. However I know I will have my second wind around midnight so I have a ways to go. So I began my day...” Read full tasting note
Take some of the finest black tea you can imagine and then hand-roll and dry it into tight little balls of deliciousness and you’ve got these amazingly delightful Black Tea Pearls from MandalaTea.
We’ve auditioned several similar products over the years but have never been moved enough by any of them to want to carry them in our shop. But now we are proud to offer these very high quality bundles of hong cha joy and share them with our customers.
This tea was processed by the very same folks who make our “Pure Bud” black tea, one of our favorites and hottest selling black teas. This is expertly crafted, folks, and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we are. A must-try black tea!
Company description not available.
This is the 3rd black pearl style tea I’ve tried. This is my favorite. I used 7 pearls in 16oz of just under boiling water.
First steep about 2.5 minutes – Nice dark rich, a little malty, just a hint of chocolate. I especially like how it feels on the tongue. It’s nice and thick, it feels substantial. I actually liked this steep more as it cooled, more of the richness kept coming out the cooler it got.
Second steep about 3.5 min – Not quite as dark, barely any chocolate, more of a sweetness to it. As this steep cooled, I was getting some fruitiness. Am I crazy, it’s possible, but that’s what I thought. Still really nice mouth feel.
Third steep about 5 minutes – A little astringency – not much just a hint. Still totally drinkable but not as complex as the first two steeps.
I think I liked the second steep the best. Some other tasting notes mentioned pepper or spice – I didn’t get any of that. Love how the pearls just unfurl, so beautiful to watch. Next time I’m going to add one more pearl and a little shorter steep time on the first infusion.
I was drinking another black pearl last night and really enjoyed it. I like this one better.
Thanks Mandala for another awesome tea experience.
Terri sent me these a few months ago, but for whatever reason, I haven’t tried them until now. :O I feel like I should be ashamed of myself or something for waiting!
I brewed these up without instructions as my computer wasn’t on yet, but I guessed that 4 pearls in 8 oz at 3 min would be ok. And it’s definitely ok. This tea is rich and malty, and just a touch sweet. I’m waiting for it to cool a bit more so that more notes will pop out.
Thanks again Terri Harplady for letting me see what the fuss is about!
Thank you to Claire for this sample of Mandala Black Pearl Tea!
I used to get my Black Pearl Tea from China until I found a similar tea with the same taste at my local tea shop (with no shipping cost).
Today, I was going to a shop in Old Town to refill my bottle of vanilla-orange vinegar (I use the vinegar when baking cranberry bread and in Swedish pancake batter along with cardamom), I thought I’d walk around the corner through the melting snow from Sunday’s storm… to my tea shop.
I’d ask Preston to do a side-by-side comparison between their Black Pearl Tea and the Mandala sample.
Preston was glad to accommodate my request because the shop wasn’t busy at the time.
He warmed 2 Gaiwans, 2 small porcelain teapots and several small tasting cups.
First we tasted the Mandala Tea…which was surprisingly smoky.
I was expecting a cocoa sweet, malty tea…but instead the tea was very much like a lightly smoked tea, very smooth and so thick that it coated the inside of my whole mouth.
Next, we tasted the Tea House Black Pearls, which were sweet and cocoa-malty.
This was the type of Black Pearl I’ve tasted from several vendors…all very good.
I had expected a similar flavor from the Mandala Pearls…but they didn’t taste the same.
The flavor comparison of the two were so dissimilar, that they seemed like different tea’s. One smoky-buttery and the other cocoa-malty.
Mandala’s Black Pearls would be enjoyed by people love the tease of subtle smokiness…a thick, rich buttery coating in the mouth and an ultra- smooth finish.
I wonder if brewing by another method might not be as successful as using a Gaiwan. I’ll have to see.
NOTE…For those who use lots of Black Pearls when they brew, I wouldn’t do that with these Pearls. We used 3 in a Gaiwan and that was enough! They unfurl rapidly.
For me, the flavor was refined and very enjoyable.
oooh on to the shopping list this goes!
Ditto, Sil.
we are not good for one another.
Haha. I added it to my list even before I saw your comment…
My main black pearl experience is with Teavana. Now I want to order black pearls from several different venders & do a comparison.
I read the reviews after I reviewed this tea and they puzzled me. It’s why I made the note about how many Pearls I used and the method of tea preparation. I’ll be watching and waiting for your tasting comments!
I may have to try these…
I also found this one surprisingly smoky!
prepared western style (I don’t have any gaiwan)
A strong,malty and lightly smoked tea.
I was just like …oh how many pearls should I use for my mud and decided to go for 5, it was a good choice.
Thanks to justjames for sending me this lovely tea
Hello French cousin :-) Missed you!
Thank you :) There is a guy at work who is moving to Montréal in January and I think every time…he may cross the way of TheTeaFairy…
hahahah! That is so cute! Well, at this time a year, I go to montreal only to visit my mom…I’m in my phase «hibernation à la campagne»! I’m only an hour away from montreal but being up north, I got 40cm of snow this week and they got almost nothing. But no worries, your friend will get to experience Canadian winter, in January there will be snow in Montreal for sure. Here’s what my backyard looks like today, snowwwww!!
Hi you French speaking beauties! Those pearls are a little smoky I think too! You have a lot of snow TeaFairy. You are a snowfairy I think by now. We don’t have snow down here probably until after the New Year, but maybe a dusting.
Bonjour, Bonnie chérie! Yes, at this time a year, I turn into the Snowfairy, oui, oui!
I thought you were getting lots of it too in Colorado…
No no pardner. Out West, this cowgirl won’t git snow fer a bit.
lovely snow :) I am jealous :)
this tea has frustrated my intelligence. true i can be stubborn and do things in my own manner, but i have followed the instructions for this beautiful tea. i love the smell, i love the appearance….. but i get a mediocre taste!
1 minute, 1.5 minutes…. 4 minutes. hotter, colder. nope.
it is so highly sought after, and there is no more to be had this year at least and with every steeping i am wasting my supply.
i will rate this one… i do not believe it is a failing on my part or my other teas would be impacted. very sad…. i really did want to love it as others do….
Bummer. I am still curious to try it !
It makes me sad that you are having issues with this tea.:((( I LOVE it. I knew it was discontinued, and I’ve heard a rumor that Garret isn’t sure he will ever be able to get more. That also makes me very sad :(( I’m hoarding what I have. I don’t even know how I steep it. I would have said that you can do anything to it and it just works.
Do you like Teavivre Black Pearls?
actually, i also found them lacking. interesting. i wonder where the glitch is?
Teaboxes are taped up and ready to go. I just need a chance to get to the post office! Sigh. Soon I hope. So between the two teaboxes, I get to try a hella more black pearls.. one of my favorite tea types! These ones are thanks to Terri Harplady! At her suggestion, I’m using five pearls. These pearls are rolled very tight… only hot water will get to them. Much like how tough it is to get a shell open to get an actual pearl.
First steep // three minutes
Oh I can tell this will be good just looking at the color in the mug. A deep reddish brown. The aroma is a nice one too. It’s like dark chocolate, as these lovely pearls tend to be.
Second steep // three minutes
This black tea is actually the one with the most wine like qualities to me somehow. Not like I ever drink wine. Tea is my wine! But maybe there is something with a hint of fruit to it, grapes or plums. The perfect amount of astringency. The second cup tastes the same as the first, even though the pearls were fairly unraveled after the first steep.
Third steep // not sure how long
This cup wasn’t as good, probably because I left it steeping too long. I still didn’t mind drinking it though!
Overall, I don’t think these pearls have a malty enough flavor to make these my favorite, but I appreciate the UNIQUE flavor that they have!
Yay! Glad you like them!
I’ve never had a black pearl…I hope I get to try some from the HHTB :D
Mandala, Teavivre are popular sources and I get some from Happy Lucky’s. All are really good but the second steep from all of them isn’t ever as tasty as the first and I never do a third steep. Some people use only a few and are disappointed…so you have to use enough to get a rich brew.
Another from the travelling tea box! When I see a black pearl, I have to go for it!
This is the strangest Black Pearl I’ve had (I’ve tried 3-4 from different companies). I found this one quite gritty, lots of sediment at the bottom of my cup, and it definitely tasted more like a mild puer than a black tea. Interesting!
No notes really popped out at me except for earthy or sort of like fresh dirt. I was pining for a sweetness or smokiness that never really came – didn’t get any floral. (I used 3 pearls for one small mug). The resteep didn’t impress me too much so I didn’t go for a third.
That said I was very happy to try! I think I’ll stick with the Jasmine Black Pearl from DT and Black Dragon from Teavivre for my pearly needs, but thanks travelling box!
HI!! I have to figure out what’s going on here. I’m Garret and I founded mandala tea. I sourced these black pearls each year in China. I can’t for the life of me understand why the last two reviews (both of whom received it as a trade from someone else) are having such poor experiences with it. This is the same batch that is usually reviewed in the 90’s and that we sell a ton of (literally). I can only surmise that something has occurred in the storage of or the shipping of the leaves. One reviewer said they were overpowering in jasmine and yet they are not imbued with jasmine whatsoever. This is, indeed, a curiosity and it’s making me a little crazy. Ok… I was crazy to begin with :) Just hard to see what I know is such a great tea all of the sudden get two bad ratings. Well, I may never know what happened here. But I appreciate you writing about it. If you read the previous reviews, you’ll see some pretty great things said about them. This is a headscratcher, for sure. I hope you are having tea-riffic day, my friend!! Joy to you!!
This tea comes to me thanks to Azzrian, who sent me an awesome box of tea in our recent swap. This is one of the few that I asked for specifically because I really love Teavivre’s black pearls and am interested to try others as well.
I used 5 pearls for my 12oz cup. After two minutes they unraveled pretty completely and the liquor is a dark reddish amber. It smells rich, a touch chocolatey, with a hint of something else I can’t quite place. Oh right, a bit of smoke.
Yeah, this definitely has a smoky note to it that I was not expecting at all. It reminds me a bit of a keemun I tried once… with all the grainy, mollassesy, chocolatey sweetness, and a hit of smoke on top. Unfortunately, I am not really a fan of those smoky notes. They really do not do it for me at all. I can tell this is a very nice tea and without those smoke notes, I would love it. But I definitely won’t be seeking this one out again. Thanks so much for letting me try it, Azzrian!
The fact that this tea is made up of little pearls alone makes it fascinating. I just found them adorable, and it just seems like such a clean, low-fuss way to make tea.
I smelled the tea as it steeped, and immediately thought it was interesting. I could immediately detect an earthy smell, combined with a smell similar to raisins, or maybe even Henna.
The taste actually reflects the scent quite accurately. It definitely has an earthy quality, but also retains a distinct sweetness that was not provided by the rock sugar that I added. Something about drinking this tea reminded me of a farm, and I imagined enjoying it after a long day of doing…farm related chores (I say this as a girl who grew up in a bustling city, and who’s probably never done a farm chore in her life). The farmy aspect of it isn’t entirely unlike that in the Keemun that I had from art of Tea. Not necessarily unpleasant, but definitely distinct. I’m really happy I have enough for another sample, and may even consider ordering more of this when I place my first Mandala order!
again, thank you so very much, JustJames! Mr. Keychange always asks if I’m “going to have another sample from your lovely tea friend in BC.” now!
aw! happy for you… bummed for me. lol.
okay, you know what? i’m just going to rifle through your cupboard and add the whole thing (that doesn’t have rooiboos) and add it all to my shopping list!!!
LOL why is everyone so anti rooibos? Rifle away…. Anything Mandala would be way up on my list of recommendations. If you see anything you just HAVE to have, I’m sure we could work something out.
I’m so glad you followed me! (and that I’m following you). I think we have similar tastes in tea: strong, thick, rich black teas, and not a fan of teas that taste weak or too subtle. I think I’ll rifle through your cupboard to add things to my list as well! (I’m fairly new to the world of loose-leaf, myself)
I’ve been trying to add to your discussion under Darjeeling but for some reason it isn’t letting me so I’ll try here. As you enjoy the Jin Ping Gong Fu you might want to investigate some more of the unsmoked Wuyi Blacks. Unsmoked Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong is a Wuyi Bohea tea that is sometimes classified as an unsmoked Lapsang Souchong. I found an interesting discussion here
http://blog.yayateahouse.co.nz/2013/04/09/wuyi-black-teas-lapsang-souchong-zheng-shan-xiao-zhong-cha-jin-jun-mei-anyone-confused/
I recently sampled a really nice unsmoked Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong from an aliexpress dealer it was buttery like an oolong and tasted of caramel and cocoa.
I think it was this one
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Gift-new-arrival-Lapsang-Souchong-Super-Wuyi-Black-Tea-100g-free-shipping-Hand-made-weight-loss/1001877203.html
The sample wasn’t well marked but he is sending me this one and samples of the others. I’ll let you know. He often has really great sales ( I got it for 50% off) and I’ve liked all the blacks I’ve tried from his so far.
Another option may be this tea from Camelia Sinensis
http://camellia-sinensis.com/en/tea/black/xiao-zhong
Keychange – Welcome to the wonderful world of tea. My cupboard is pretty eclectic. My tastes have changed rapidly since I’ve discovered Steepster and found that there is more to tea than Davids or Teavana. I’ve gone through the “I need to try everything” phase, and have discovered my love of pu’erh, dark oolongs, and am now getting into blacks. Not everything in my cupboard fits perfectly to my tastes, I’ve bought some not for me teas. There are a lot of awesome people here. You’ve jumped right in, if you continue to do that, I’m sure you will find lots of people with similar tastes who will help nudge you in different directions. Exploring the world of tea is a fun journey, enjoy yours. I’m still pretty new too, but if you have questions, I’ll try and help any way that I can.
If you can recall the difference, what did you like better about this black pearl tea than the one previous? Or is it just overall and not specific?
Thank you! I’ve actually started my journey through david’s/teavana (actually that’s a lie—I haven’t made it to teavana yet), although I’ve already placed a butiki order, and have a few teas I’ve yet to sample from art of tea. I, too, would like to eventually generate a “can’t live without” collection, and although the journey will be fun, I suspect it’ll also be expensive!
Caile The other Teavivre version of this is a really nice tea. I don’t want to say anything negative about it. I just found the Mandala version was MORE. It was very similar in flavors, but I thought this had more flavor, it was a bit darker, a bit more complex, a bit more changes between steeps. Both are really good teas but I like this one better.
yyz Thanks for the input. I am really open to getting all the help I can. I actually have some Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong that was described as a “new” lapsang souchong – I haven’t tried it yet but was expecting it to be smokey. As I stated in the comments on the other note, I’m having difficulties learning the language. I find it really confusing. Need to learn more. I still have so many of MY teas to try. I will look at the sites you’ve suggested tonight (I’m at work right now). Thanks so much for your input. :))
keychange Yes to the expensive. Watch for the sales, most of the big vendors post in the forum when they are having sales, sign up for newsletters (unless that will just make you binge buy with every sale you see). Swapping is also great, lets you move on something you might not care for and get to try something else for the cost of postage. Unless you KNOW you like a tea, buy small amounts. That’s really all the advice I have. I’m a binge buyer, I go on spells where I place 4 orders in a week, then am good for a bit – repeat.
The only imput I’m gonna add is, “Yum Yum!”
I love this one too. :D
yyz, I was having problems posting comments too and for me anyway it seems like you can only post when the log is on your dashboard feed and the comment box is already up, if that makes any sense. Kinda strange.
yyz re this article.
http://blog.yayateahouse.co.nz/2013/04/09/wuyi-black-teas-lapsang-souchong-zheng-shan-xiao-zhong-cha-jin-jun-mei-anyone-confused/
This actually makes me feel a lot better. If the experts can’t agree on how to label/name/type teas how is someone just getting started suppose to understand this. Thank you for pointing it out to me. I also took a look at their web site (and the other two you mentioned) so many interesting teas out there. This is why I need to learn more to cull the list of possibilities. Can’t be buying every interesting sounding tea out there. Need to narrow the search. LOL
So true… I’m glad you found the article interesting.
I’ve found these sites helpful when trying to find our about new Chinese teas and their flavour profiles as well.
http://www.viconyteas.com/directory/index.html
http://www.viconyteas.com/speciality-tea.html
http://www.jiangtea.com/