2025 Yunnan Sourcing "You Le Shan" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

This is a first flush of spring 2025 harvested tea! 

You Le Mountain (aka Ji Nuo mountain 基诺山) is situated east of Jing Hong city about halfway between Jing Hong and Yi Wu. The tea was picked and processed entirely by hand by the growers themselves in a protected area (国有林) near the village of Sheng Niu (生牛). The tea is tippy and healthy and is covered with downy silver fur. The raw material is almost entirely intact leaf and bud sets and so stone-compression was used to preserve the natural beauty of this tea. 

The brew itself is full and round. The very characteristic You Le taste is present, fragrant with some floral notes, sweet and full in the mouth but with a vegetal bitterness present. An excellent single-estate You Le tea!

Production is tiny (100 kg total / 400 cakes).

Why it’s special

• Single-estate, protected forest: Material from a 国有林 enclave near Sheng Niu naturally vigorous leaf with thick buds and silvery fuzz.

• First flush energy: Early spring pick delivers high aroma, fine texture, and clear, dynamic kuwei (pleasant bitterness) that turns sweet.

• Stone compression: Gentle, traditional pressing protects the intact sets and promotes graceful aging.

• Tiny production: Just 100 kg total a focused expression of You Le terroir.

Tasting notes

• Aroma: Citrus blossom, wild honey, fresh bamboo/green wood, sugarcane, a hint of orchid.

• Liquor: Pale gold to light amber; bright clarity; medium body with silken texture.

• Flavor: Sweet citrus and white-floral top notes over fresh cane, light stone fruit; a tidy, vegetal bitterness that resolves quickly.

• Finish: Long, cooling hui-gan with steady shengjin (mouthwatering return) and a mild mineral snap.

Origin & processing

• Region: You Le / Ji Nuo Mountain (基诺山), east of Jinghong, between Jinghong and Yiwu

• Harvest area: Ya Nuo village; near Sheng Niu (生牛) in a state-protected forest (国有林)

• Season: First flush – April 2025

• Processing: Hand-picked • hand-processed • sun-withered • rolled • sun-dried • stone-pressed

• Pressing date: July 8, 2025

• Form: 357 g cake (7 cakes per bamboo-leaf tong)

• Total production: 100 kg (≈400 cakes)

• Wrapper design: Fabio Cesaratto

Brewing guide

(Use great water; adjust ratios to taste.)

Gongfu (recommended)

• 6 g / 100 mL

• 98–100 °C (208–212 °F)

• Quick rinse, then 5s • 8s • 10s • 12s • 15s, adding gradually for 10+ infusions.

• Early steeps show floral-citrus and cane sweetness; later steeps bring greener herbs, light bitterness, and mineral length.

Western

• 3–4 g / 300 mL (10 oz)

• 95–98 °C • 2–3 min

• 2–3 infusions, adding 20–30s each round. Keep steeps short to highlight sweetness over bite.

Grandpa style

• 1–1.2 g / 100 mL, 90–95 °C

• Top up as you sip. Smooth, sweet, gently herbal; avoid heavy agitation to keep bitterness in check.

Cold brew

• 8–10 g / 1 L, room-temp water; refrigerate 6–8 hours.

• Crisp florals, cucumber-mint coolness, and a clean, sweet finish.

Pairing & occasions

• Beautiful with neutral snacks plain nuts, lightly salted rice crackers, fresh pears so the perfume shines. Ideal for focused gongfu sessions or side-by-side tastings against other Six Famous Mountains.

In Summary

• Caffeine: Medium

• Storage & aging: Allow normal airflow; store cool, dry, odor-free, away from direct light. Pressed July 8, 2025 already settling nicely; poised for steady evolution over the next 3–10 years.

• Mountain: You Le (Ji Nuo 山 / 基诺山)

• Area: Ya Nuo village, near Sheng Niu (生牛), Jinghong, Xishuangbanna

• Season: First flush, April 2025 (pressed July 8, 2025)

• Format: 357 g cake; 7 cakes per tong

• Processing: Hand-made sheng pu-erh; stone-pressed

• Production: 100 kg total (~400 cakes)

• Wrapper: Artwork by Fabio Cesaratto

In short: A first-flush, single-estate You Le sheng with luminous florals, cane sweetness, and tidy green bitterness that flips to a long, cooling hui-gan stone-pressed and limited to 100 kg.

This tea has been tested in a certified laboratory for 404 pesticides, and is within the EU MRL limits set for those 404 pesticide residues. For a full list of the 404 pesticides we tested for and more information about MRL testing and the EU Food and Safety commission click on this link.