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2018 Yunnan Sourcing "Buddy" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake | Yunnan Sourcing Tea Shop

2018 Yunnan Sourcing "Buddy" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

by Yunnan Sourcing Brand Pu-erh
$64.00 - $64.00
$64.00
$64.00 - $64.00
$64.00

"Buddy" celebrates the spirit of companionship that dogs and humans share.  Buddy is also a young stray dog that we fostered for a couple of months during the summer of 2018.

This is a powerful blend of autumn harvested Lincang (Mengku) teas from wild arbor sources that will age wonderfully!  Thick, sweet, aromatic, astringent, bitter and heavily laden with cha qi makes this tea a sure bet for long-term aging!   

Furthermore, $5 for every cake sold will be donated to "Central Texas Ruffugees" to support their efforts in rescuing and rehoming dogs. With 500 cakes in total, we will generate a donation of $2500!  When I mentioned this to the director of CTR she said: 

"$2500 will make a huge difference. We can transport 10 dogs for that amount. 10 dogs like Ana, who was in a small rural rescue/shelter for a year. We sent her to WA and she was adopted within days of arrival."

 

Scroll to down to read "Buddy's Story" and learn more about the great work that "Central Texas Ruffugees" does!

 

Buddy's Story:

"Buddy," as he came to be known, was a blue heeler / pit mix that showed up one morning on our property.  We live down a quiet dead end road which has become a notorious dumping ground for unwanted dogs.

We took Buddy to the vet and scanned him for a microchip but he had none.  He did have a lot of fleas and even a couple of ticks.  Luckily, he was heart-worm negative!   We canvassed the neighborhood and posted on FB groups searching for an owner, but given his situation, being a young male (about 10 months) dog that was not neutered, we were told again and again that most likely he was dumped.  We could not take him to the shelter as it was not a no-kill shelter, and the other no-kill shelters (besides also being over capacity) would not take him without him being neutered.  We did eventually make contact with "Central Texas Ruffugees" who told us that, if we could have him neutered and hold onto him for 5 weeks, then they would drive him with a bunch of other dogs to Washington state where he'd be adopted very quickly by vetted owners.

At first, it was a little rough as he was still recovering from a flea infestation and had to sleep on the porch.  He wanted inside constantly and he was so hungry (despite eating a lot) that he even challenged Lucy for food during her mealtime (a bold undertaking)!  Lucy, for all her fangs and snarls at mealtime, actually started to like Buddy (and Buddy learned to stay away from Lucy during mealtime).  They started to play a lot and it seemed like Lucy had regressed to puppyhood.  We were actually a little jealous because Lucy paid us so little attention when Buddy was around.  Buddy's skin healed from all the fleas and scratching, as did his incision from the neutering.  His fur developed a nice sheen, and he was now inside when he wanted to be, often sleeping next to Lucy.

We really considered keeping Buddy, but with our constant back and forth traveling between Yunnan and Texas and having to tag-team parent Lucy or place her with friends or relatives, we decided that we'd still give up Buddy to Central Texas Ruffugees.  When the day came to drop him off at their place in Austin it was rough on all of us.  Buddy was smart and well-behaved, charming and handsome, and he'd won our hearts.  We drove back home teary-eyed but also happy to know that Buddy would be OK.

A few days later we heard from Central Texas Ruffugees that they'd arrived in Vancouver, WA (after 28 hours of driving) and that Buddy was adopted the same day by a young couple who lived on a 1 acre plot outside of town!   Yay Buddy!

 

Central Texas Ruffugees gathers dogs from small, rural shelters and areas, that have little hope of making it out alive. CTR works with local veterinarians to get the dogs up-to-date and healthy, and then makes long haul drive (24-30 hours) to rescues who open their hearts and kennels to them.

To learn more about what they do, click here to visit their website or make donations here.

You may also peruse the Central Texas Ruffugees Facebook page here!

You can see Buddy briefly here in one of our videos!

March 2025 Update - We are almost sold out, so we will send the final amount (200 cakes x $5) to Central Texas Ruffugees for this pressing!

May 23rd 2019 Update - We've sold 100 cakes and 18 T-Shirts!  We'll be sending a check for $554.00 (100 x $5 and 18 x $3) to Central Texas Ruffugees tomorrow! Thank you to everyone who supported the Buddy project!

October 31st 2019 Update - We've sold 100 more cakes and 10 more T-Shirts!  We'll be sending a check for $530.00 (100 x $5 and 10 x $3) to Central Texas Ruffugees tomorrow! Thank you to everyone who supported the Buddy project!

August 29th 2020 Update - We've sold 100 more cakes and 6 more T-Shirts!  We'll be sending a check for $518.00 (100 x $5 and 6 x $3) to Central Texas Ruffugees tomorrow! Thank you to everyone who supported the Buddy project!

November 21st 2025 Update - We've gotten close to selling all the cakes and so we've sent the remainder of the $5000 that we raised in total from the sales of this cake to  Central Texas Ruffugees. Thanks Everyone!

Back to some pertinent details about the tea cake!

Net Weight:  200 grams per cake (5 cakes per bamboo leaf tong)
Harvest time:  October 2018
Harvest Area:  Mengku County, Lincang Prefecture
Total Production amount:  100 kilograms (500 cakes)
Wrapper Design by Yuri Kobylyansky

 

This tea has been tested in a certified laboratory for 191 pesticides, and is within the EU MRL limits set for those 191 pesticide residues. For a full list of the 191 pesticides we tested for and more information about MRL testing and the EU Food and Safety commission click on this link. 

 

Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 8 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Summary topics

Review topics: ["taste","blend","sensation","tea","notes","cause","cake","drinker","soup","cha qi","puerh"].

Review highlights

Reviews

Wonderful tea Rx ... daily drinker at a bargain price (and yay dogs!)

"I sank into a deep morass yesterday. Too much trauma and hurt in too short a time made me want to crawl into a hole and not come out. So, I reached for something uplifting and I brewed up some Buddy. I purchased this tea a year ago and let it rest. My first brew, I threw a chunk into a strainer in a mug and went for it. I agree that the energy in this tea is lovely, warm and uplifting. Like an enveloping hug. The soup is thick and feels nourishing. Before I knew it, I was so energized, that I was updating my tea tracking spreadsheet with several years worth of orders. The tea is playful but strong. Layers of sweet, bright notes and balancing astringency. The nose is grounding with light smoke, wet forest vegetation, suggestion of cider must and almost a bit of caramel. It was exactly what the doctor ordered and mug after mug, my mood lifted and clarity emerged. The world became bearable again and full of blessings. The price point and the wonderful cause add to the joy and ease of drinking it. The next day I brewed it in my gaiwan and enjoyed each steep and the corresponding nuances even more. The flavors lingered on my palate for hours after I stopped brewing. Looking forward to grabbing more to enjoy in the years to come."

— Monica Y. (5/5)

Young Dog Raw Puerh

"Enjoyed this one and will probably order more cakes, because this tea is an ideal daily drinker. The fragrance of the cake is very floral, with a hint of fruit (not sure if that's a viable combo, but it's the way I can express what I experienced) and sweet. The taste does not disappoint, there's some astringency and bitter, but it's not overwhelming or complex in the sense that it triggered my rational mind like "what am I tasting here?" This doggy plays it easy and is a great companion, that enjoys playing for many steeps. The cha qi was definitely noticeable (I drank it on an empty stomach first thing in the morning) and promoted a positive vibe, leading me to want to do stuff. I have yet to try stronger brews (I did 5.5 grams/ 100ml gaiwan staying on the 'safe' side, testing the waters) but I'm sure this tea will taste even better when I'm wearing my buddy t-shirt. :D"

— Hans K. (5/5)

Strong and Refreshing

"I am still a novice, yet, since I also like to read reviews, I want to at least share my first impression of this tea cake. Compression: It is not difficult to pick a portion of the tea. Not too many leaves broke during my amatuer picking. Rinse: The color of the wash looked vibrant; the smell already hinted a complex flavor. Taste: In the mouth, the sensation was upfront. I noticed; - a smokiness which I remembered from tasting a 2012 Xiaguan sample (the only smoky tea, I knew, so far); - bitterness, which is less than I expected, and almost immediately turned into a sweetness in my mouth; - lubricating the mouth, yet vegetably / brothy, at the same time, which I find a nice contrast to the smokiness; - refreshing; it feels energizing body and soul While the tea sensation in the mouth feels multi-dimensional, the three upfront characteristics (smoky, brothy, bitter then turning to sweet) feel distinct, not mixing; Which is not bad, just felt unexpectedly upfront and distinct; not like blended into one complex flavor. I find the aftertaste strong and long-lasting, blending the now fading smokiness with the sweetness and brothiness. It really feels as if the flavors had entered, no rather intruded the mouth, gathering there only to finally transform and blend into one complex after taste. Shocking at first, then refreshing and energizing. This tea left a strong impression. I like it very much, especially because it is so not boring - and moreover, it makes me feel good. To my taste, there could be even more bitterness; I hope the present bitterness remains long enough. Apart from that, it is a powerful blend as promised in the description."

— Michael S. (5/5)

Fantastic and a good cause

"Obviously I support the cause, but it's incredible tea, too. Starts super sweet, transitions to a pleasant astringency and settle into a thick, heavy, cha qi laden soup. Cannot wait for 10 plus years to pass and drink the rest. Planning on buying more."

— Nathan D. (5/5)

Ohhhhh wow

"Excellent Sheng, outstanding and unique floral taste Really potent too, thinking to get more of this cakes for storage"

— Pascal W. (5/5)

Lovely tea, lovely wrapper, lovely cause!

"Firstly I'd like to make it clear I have limited experience with Pu'er. I am by all means amateur compared to many others. But I can give you my honest opinion, and from what I've seen it's pretty in line with others opinions of this tea. I definitely recommend this cake for anyone looking for a reasonably priced raw that they want to age. I am actually thinking about buying my first tong with this tea. The YS description though short pretty much sums up this tea. It's basically a flavor explosion in your mouth. It's definitely a strong tea that's not afraid to show its flavor. Like I was "tasting" it all the way into my sinus cavities. But then again it's got some lovely delicate floral and cream notes under there too. Kind of reminds me of me of lemon meringue pie. It's also got a bite of astringency that follows down your throat and bitterness mixed in there. Plus a good juiciness after swallowing, along with lots of texture and tingles across your tongue and throat. Kind of reminds me of an orchestra right before the performance. With everyone practicing and tuning. It's all a bit out of place and all over but you can tell the show is going to be a good one. Sorry if that doesn't make sense. It's definitely got those sharp green notes. But under them it's thick and smooth. With time I have a feeling this puppy will smooth out to something really amazing. Though I have limited experience so I could be wrong. It's just a hunch I have, and I'm inclined to trust it. For those who don't believe in cha qi feel free to ignore this. I think I'm rather sensitive to the feeling. I feel like this tea has it pretty strong. I felt it right away, in my chest, from the first cup. Haha, a few cups in and I was ready to call it quits and pass out asleep. Happy I took a chance with this one. Especially since there's $5 per cake going to animals in need. I get great tea, and some puppers out there are getting a helping hand. That is like a win, win for everyone! Hope this helps those who where interested in this one!"

— Terra R. (5/5)

I think we're parked, man...

"I'm an unabashed lover of Mengku area pu-erh, and given that this is a YS production, I bought a tong +1 of this cake without bothering to sample first. I knew I wouldn't be disappointed even if I only liked it somewhat. I sort of figured that, at the very least, I'd have a serviceable tea to age. What I wasn't expecting as I sat down to my first session with Buddy was the delicious flavor bomb that was about to explode in my mouth and subsequently all over the walls. For my palate, this is Cheech and Chong level tea. The Qi is potent, and the flavor, oh the flavor! Despite said potent Qi, I had to take a nap after my session due to the ridiculous amount of happy dances being performed by my taste buds throughout the session. I wanted to continue, but I feared that my dinner later would be positively bland in comparison, so I stopped drinking tea and sadly cleaned out my teapot. There is, however, a happy ending: I get to have more! I'm relieved that I bought a tong, as once people catch onto this tea, it's going to fly off the shelves quickly. Folks, don't dawdle on this one. It's fantastic now, especially if you like strong tea, and everything about it says that it's going to age very, very well. Kudos to Scott for coming up with such a tasty blend and donating to CTR!"

— Sean F. (5/5)

Do the math

"O (as in IMO) = Strong cha qi augemented by knowing the back story of the cake. F (as in Fact) = $25.00 + shipping for a 200g raw puer cake, $5 of which seemingly goes to a worthy charity. V= Value. P = Price. Answer: O x F = V/P = an exceptionally good ratio. For those who question the solution, join the Facebook "Yunnan Sourcing Fan Club." :-)"

— J W. (5/5)

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