2025 Yunnan Sourcing "Mo Lie Shan" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

From Mo Lie Shan (also called Shang Mu Lie) just south of Bingdao in Mengku, east of Bingdao Lake. Spring 2025 first flush from naturally grown 70–120 year trees around 1800 m. Pressed into compact 200 g cakes. Total production 40 kg.

Why it’s special

• Classic Mengku mountain character from an area near Bingdao but with its own voice

• Old-arbor material at high elevation for thickness, stamina, and clean energy

• First-flush pick with a potent cha qi and a distinctly cooling mouthfeel

• Small run and an age-worthy build that will reward patient storage

Tasting notes

• Aroma: sweet wood, mountain honey, light wildflower, faint citrus peel

• Liquor: bright gold with high clarity and a heavy, viscous body

• Flavor: firm early bitterness that flips quickly to cane-sweetness; grain and light stone-fruit hints over a tidy mineral backbone

• Finish & feel: long hui-gan, steady shengjin (mouth-watering return), and an active, warming energy

Origin and processing

• Area: Mo Lie Shan, Mengku County, Lincang

• Elevation: about 1800 m

• Trees: 70–120 years, naturally grown

• Season: April 2025 first flush

• Craft: hand-picked, sun-withered, hand-rolled, sun-dried, traditionally stone-pressed

• Format: 200 g per cake

• Production: 40 kg total (about 200 cakes)

• Wrapper: Design by Patrik Benedičič

Brewing guide

(Great water helps. Keep early steeps short to let the sweetness bloom.)

Gongfu

• 6 g per 100 ml

• 98–100 °C

• Quick rinse, then 5 s • 8 s • 10 s • 12 s • 15 s, adding a little time each round for 10+ infusions

• If the bite is too firm, brew at 95–96 °C or shorten the first two steeps

Western

• 3–4 g per 300 ml

• 95–98 °C for 2:00–2:30

• 2–3 infusions, add 20–30 s each round

Grandpa style

• 1–1.2 g per 100 ml

• 90–95 °C, top up as you sip

• Smooth, sweet cup with a gentle green snap

Aging notes

Young Mo Lie Shan shows decisive bitterness and strong perfume. With 3–8 years of clean storage expect more honey and cereal sweetness, softer edges, and deeper length. Store in 50-65% RH and 70-90F, in an odor-free area, with minimal airflow.

Pairing and occasions

Good with simple nuts, lightly salted crackers, or plain sponge cake. A great compare-and-contrast alongside Bingdao or other Mengku area shengs to explore sub-regional nuance.

In Summary

• Name: 2025 Yunnan Sourcing "Mo Lie Shan" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

• Region: Mo Lie Shan, Mengku, Lincang

• Harvest: April 2025, first flush

• Trees: 70–120 years at ~1800 m

• Net weight: 200 g per cake

• Total production: 40 kg

• Wrapper: Patrik Benedičič

In short: a focused Mengku mountain sheng with real backbone, cooling lift, and long, sweet aftertaste — built to integrate and round out with age.

Wrapper is the same as our 2025 Yunnan Sourcing "Bing Dao Lao Zhai" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake, but is differentiated by a hand-stamp in red ink with the characters 磨烈山.

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.