Special Dark

Yes, so good this one!

This is my comfort tea. I promise you can do a 7 minute steep on this. But it’s great gong fu’d too – I just don’t have time very often.

I can totally see how a 7 minute first steep would be amazing! I’m leaving the rest in the box for others to enjoy, but I’ll pick up some of my own very soon. :)

Lol, to each their own. I really like it but I overleaf a little, have you tried that?

How long did you steep? I like 1 tbs per 8oz boiled water for 5 minutes. It is all cocoalicious then! :(

I’ve done quite a few steeping parameters but haven’t found any that work. I do tend to underleaf in general but with this tea I’m trying not to.

How much do you overleaf by TeaFairy? I might give it another go. I really really want to like this tea!

It doesn’t ever taste bad. It’s just kinda meh.

That’s why I think you may be under-leafing it, cause to me it’s so flavourful, tastes like chocolate covered raisins! I weigh it, and use 7g for a 6oz Gaiwan. I brew for just a few seconds the first steeps.

If I do it western style, it’s the same as Stephanie, a full tablespoon for about 5 min.

Do you prefer the western or the gaiwan?

Honestly, I’d always prefer Gongfu over Western if it wasn’t for the time consuming issue. But I have to say this one works really well both ways, IMHO.

LOL LOVE this one – two big tsp/8oz steep forever – 9 minutes is not too long – IMHO it just keeps getting darker and richer the longer you steep it…

Ok I’m going to do a really long steep with tons of leaf tonight and see how it turns out.

Yes, I can totally see why this tea would appeal to any coffee lover! Used to drink mine black also :-)

Yay! You will find this stuff will grow on you!

I just got done packaging a bunch of this tea. There is something special about such a very small batch ripe tea like this. I’ve got my feelers out all of the time for ripes processed like this one was.

I’ll never ever forget my first ripe pu’er. So exciting. And then I went to China and experienced raw pu’er and had a whole other experience. I love both styles. First tea of the day has been a ripe pu’er for years and years. The last two years, my first tea has been Noble Mark. Then I usually switch to raw pu’er and whatever else is being brewed up in the shop at any given time.

I’m glad you like it. You can make a latte with some maple syrup. It just soo good, like hot chocolate.

I didn’t get any mushrooms. Can you make it gongfu style? 1tbsp 212F rinse short steeps like 5/10/15 sec

I tried doing 1 min the first time, I could try even shorter steeps to see
Though people recommended longer steeps to get the chocolatey flavor, I get zero cocoa!

Funny to see this review as I just finished a tea class with a group of people and the last tea that I brewed up was the Special Dark. We brewed it two different ways – gongfu (with steepings starting at 15 seconds) and western style. Gong fu style, people commented on hints of pecans, walnuts and baked goods, while western style yielded comments about the cocoa notes.

6 people were in the class and it was really something to here everyone say walnuts at the same time. Uncanny almost. Nutty, even :)

I love it Western style!

I’m going to have to try gongfu style!

@whatshesaid – you are very welcome. We all have different tastes. I don’t like to contemplate a work morning without a huge mug of this western style. I like it gong fu as well, but this is my happy day starter.

I just tried a 15-20 sec resteep and though I didn’t get mushrooms, still no cocoa or nuts!

I hate when this happens, makes me feel like my tongue is betraying me :/

hold on, it could be water. i had some Yunnan the same as Lee, steeped the same parameters and it came out different. i used filtered tap water and she uses some special filtered one.

I usually use tap water but could try some bottled water to see!

Water is HUGE when it comes to tea. Chlorine will zap tea flavor and is found in city tap water. Best to filter it out with some carbon-based filtration system. If you do get bottled water, just make sure it is spring water and not reverse osmosis or distilled. Also, check the “bottled on” date and get the freshest water you can.

Water is the mother of tea. The better the water, the better the tea. I read an old quote the other day: “if you take tea that is an 8 and brew it with water that is a 10, the tea will also be a 10. If you take tea that is a 10 and brew it water that is an 8, the tea will also be an 8.”

Tea is 99.9% water, after all :)

Ok @Garret, I tried it with bottled spring water and you’re right, the taste is very different.
Next time I will do steep one that way so i can really compare!

Now I have to break the news to my husband that I’m going to need a permanent supply of filtered/ spring water, lol

Water filtration is less expensive than buying water. Additionally, you won’t have the bottles to deal with. There are systems that will sit right next to your sink. Like these: http://crystalquest.com/countertop%20water%20filters.htm

These are much more effective than the pitcher style types or the ones that attach and hang on the faucet itself. I can get you set up with any of these. I’ve been a dealer for this company since I owned my wellness center. I’d love to help, if you would like. You can shoot me an email at [email protected]

Otherwise, I’m sure that you can find similar systems near you. Make sure to get activated carbon rather than charcoal. There are also undersink models, if that might work for you better. Just don’t get reverse osmosis. No good for tea. Gives you water that is one-dimensional in flavor. You want full-on 3-D!

Wishing you all the joy you can stand!

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

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

Yay!! I’m glad you liked it, Kiwi :)

Sounds like a great day! I love yoga and hope to get back to it some day!

“I got a whole bunch of new tea in the last week and I had every intention of trying something different this morning. And yet. Here I am sipping on a huge steamy mug of deep, dark, chocolately awesomeness …” Sounds wonderful! Garret should be very very happy!

@TeaBrat – I promise you that I am not exaggerating when I say that for me, yoga was/is absolutely life changing. There are so many kinds that you can find one that works for you and makes your life better, even if your life is just fine the way it is.

@Tman – Well a whole bunch of the new tea that came was from Garret :) – but he strikes me as a pretty happy guy in general anyway. I need to get on trying all of my new Keemuns.

It’s looseTman as opposed to Tbagman :-)

@TeaBrat – I read your post about yoga wrong. You want to get back to it – not start it. I think its naptime.

I am happy LooseTman :) tea and yoga! Yoga is amazing. Yoga is life. So happy to know more tea heads who are into yoga.

Garret,
The Steepster community appears to truly enjoy your teas. I look forward to the Mandala Tea experience. Congrat’s on your success!

Thanks a ton, Tman! We are the epitome of a small business. 3 people trying to make this whole thing go so it is very gratifying to be able to feel the love, that’s for sure. I began importing tea back in 2005 but since selling my wellness center and focusing only on tea (opened this new shop exactly one year ago in Rochester, MN), it is actually happening for us. Hard work, countless hours, but more and more joy to be experienced all the time. Have a great day, my friend!

You’re welcome! May you also have a great day Garret!

Oh yeah, after a session of yin I feel like a bird flying … so wonderful… and only discovered it in my 4th decade of life after 20 years of other types of yoga! Other styles of yoga are great but yin is different. So if this tea is like yin, I am going to have to try it.

I love this one :)

It’s a keeper for sure. I may buy some of this and put it up for a decade and see how it is then.

I also thought it was impressive, and i’m so happy to have a decent supply of it. For now…nice to know you consider it special enough to want to age it :-)

Yeah when I can afford it and also the Green sheng I drank the other night. I just put 4 other orders in and I think I am going to be in real trouble for doing it….

(just make sure to intercept the mailman first…to avoid the kind of troubles I think you are referring to…just saying)

I better “bribe” the mailman you mean!

Haha! Now I know the extend of your troubles! Yes then, a bribe might be the only way out…(hmm, does he like good pu’erh by any chance??)

I shower my mailwoman in chocolate. And I love Special Dark.

I may have to pay out cash this time!

Any SD updates?

I think I need to pull it out again soon.

Thanks!

Hi!! This is Garret from Mandala Tea, wishing you a great day. I am sorry to hear that you have not been enjoying the Special Dark. It is a very big seller here for us, but not every tea can be loved by every person.

Just out of curiosity, can you tell me what you are using for water when you prepare your tea. There can be some HUGE differences in the tea depending of the water one uses to make it. Let me know when you get a chance. I’m interested to see if that may be part of what is giving you such a different experience for this (or any other tea).

Joy and good health to you!!

Im honored and embarrassed someone from the company of the tea I reviewed is replying(thank you for the sample of gaba black btw). Until recently I was using the filtered water from my refrigerator but the city works cut off my water last week and I have been using spring bottled water. I do not believe it is water quality but I was curious about your recommended steeping times for my gaiwan I have learned this shou tasted better after two long rinses.

I love it when I have the chance to reply to users on Steepster, I am the one who is honored :) Please don’t be embarrassed. I hope you enjoy the GABA black. It is a tie guan yin varietal leaf fully oxidized into a black tea. It’s been quite popular since we began importing it. It has a sweetness to it and also the typical tie guan yin slight sourness. Very interesting tea.

Spring water is good. I just really recommend that people stay away from RO water or distilled because of the lack of minerals. Can’t get the taste from the tea without the minerals. It is always a good idea to use water without chlorine in it, too, as that chemical tends to really zap tea of its flavor.

As far as ripe style pu’er teas, I typically do two (boiling) rinses of about 5 to 10 seconds if the tea is loose leaf, slightly longer if it is compressed. With the special dark, I start with steepings around 15 seconds and slowly increase from there. That’s how I like it. Others report using less leaf and doing longer steepings. I’m always telling people to experiment and see how they like it prepared in various ways. Some drinkers allow the brewed tea to cool a bit in the cup before they sip and that does change the characteristics of the tea somewhat. Fun to see what might make it your cup of tea :)

Great to have some conversation about it. Thank you! Garret