2012 Yunnan Sourcing "Yong De Blue Label" Ripe Pu-erh tea cake

Tea type
Pu'erh Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Cherry, Cocoa, Leather, Root Beer, Tobacco, Biting, Bitter, Camphor, Coffee, Drying, Fish Broth, Molasses, Salty, Sweet, Umami, Creamy, Forest Floor, Medicinal, Smooth, Bread, Wood, Chocolate, Earth, Fruity, Cake, Oak, Vanilla, Cacao, Smoke, Smoked, Rose
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by derk
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 1 min, 0 sec 7 g 12 oz / 366 ml

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From Our Community

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22 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Had this over the course of the last two days. It has been a good cup to come home to after the cold weather. This tea seems to be lightly fermented. It gives an oak type note with sweetness and a...” Read full tasting note
    80
  • “I unwrapped this cake for the first time on 12/25/2021 to try. It has been in my tea cabinet for at least 8 years. It is impressive for such an inexpensive tea, so kudos to Yunnan Sourcing. ...” Read full tasting note
    85
  • “Had an old sample of this that I revisited. The sample is probably a little stale, I keep my puerh in ziplocks and I’m sure the humidity isn’t optimal. Overall really enjoyed this tea, lots of...” Read full tasting note
    80
  • “Here’s another Christmas tea, the tasting of this cut short. Gone gaiwan: 7g, 100mL, 212F, rinse plus 8 steeps at 20/15/20/25/30/35/45/75s. Dry: fishy, chocolate Rinse: chocolate, baked bread, fish...” Read full tasting note
    91

From Yunnan Sourcing

Our Blue Label production celebrates the tail end of this Year of the Dragon. We selected the highest quality ripe tea fermented from Yong De county spring harvest material. Unlike most cakes from large producers our Blue Label cake is blended from mostly small leaf grade material with plenty of golden fermented buds. We have also blended a large percentage of gong ting into this cake.

The tea itself is an aromatic affair, with hints of camphor and molasses. Although young it delivers a thick and full soup with a nice mouthfeel not unlike a good raw tea. A high quality tea worthy of aging that is also priced affordably. Stock up on a tong or two for future years!

357 grams per cake (7 cakes per bamboo leaf tong)

About Yunnan Sourcing View company

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22 Tasting Notes

90
1758 tasting notes

This is a very tasty ripe with a fair amount of fermentation flavor left to it. It is sweet with little or no bitterness to it. There were some notes of chocolate in there and a fruity flavor developed in later steeps. The initial steeps were thick and rich to say the least. This is one I just hadn’t gotten around to buying before. It is quite good and the fermentation taste that is there is not fishy but sweet.

I steeped this ten times in a 120ml gaiwan with 9.3g leaf and boiling water. I gave it a 10 second rinse and a 10 minute rest. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, and 1 min. Judging by the color of the tenth steep I think this would definitely go a few more but I have had enough tea at about 1.5 liters of this stuff.

Flavors: Chocolate, Earth, Fruity, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 9 g 4 OZ / 120 ML
tea123

I had this one in my basket, but removed it to save on shipping.

AllanK

It was definitely good. I had seen it before and may have even been given a free sample but had never tried it before. It was as good as other ripe I have had by Yunnan Sourcing that is for sure. I really enjoyed it.

AllanK

I got it from the US site, he has a flat $7 shipping rate. Much better shipping than the China site but less variety.

tea123

Lucky you. The shipping is what puts me off. I prefer free shipping from eBay vendors.

AllanK

EBay vendors just make you think the shipping is cheaper. They build it into the price.

tea123

If that is true, where can I buy similar teas including delivery for these prices (Note: I bought these teas after reading your reviews :) ):

ShanghaiStory: 00s Organic Premium Aged Loose Pu-erh Ripe – 250g for $12.99.
streetshop88: 2007 Top Organic Yunnan MengHai Spring No.1 puer Pu’er Puerh Cake Raw – $27.98
berylleb: 2011 Yunnan Menghai Dayi Meng Song Teardrop Raw – $42.74

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90
38 tasting notes

This is my second or third go at this tea. I used 7g in 100ml just off boil. Two short rinses. Man I really dig this one for sure. I am not sure where this comes from or who presses this one. Mine is YS but I have seen this cake with the same label elsewhere. Either way I am buying another. Wet leaf smells of un-iced chocolate cake. Smaller gong ting grade leaves but give pretty well. First few steeps are really nice and no wait for the goods. A very nice lightly fermented ripe taste that has such a great sweetness to the taste and nose. Hints of vanilla, chocolate, slight oak and the nice coffee bitterness (not astringent) that we expect. Its not an older ripe but has no fishiness or pond water qualities. Its ready to drink now. This one warms me and tonight that is exactly what I need. Its my hot cocoa if you will. I don’t know if its an aged and obscure tea snob’s first choice kind of tea but I personally go by the taste not the hype (with that said hyped tea can be good too :). This one does the trick and is cheap. It gave 7 or 8 steeps maybe more ( I don’t count, I just brew by color). I usually don’t try to get every little bit out of my ripe like I do sheng as I find that the fishiness does start to show its face at the end of a ripe session. Overall this tea kicks some ass to me and I would recommend.

Flavors: Cake, Chocolate, Oak, Vanilla

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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90
41 tasting notes

A solid shou, I like this one a lot! From what I understand, Yong De area leaves are not the highest quality or most sought after but I really like shou produced from Yong De area. The taste is great for a daily drinker. Smooth, dark but not too rich, some dark notes of dark chocolate and molasses but balanced with lighter notes of toasted straw and a smores / lightly spiced pumpkin pie taste (I’m tasting some toasted graham cracker in there). Tastes like a combination of a Dayi (say, a 7452) and Mandala’s Noble Mark. I’m just finishing my 25g sample today, but I have a cake in the mail. Delicious!

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 13 g 7 OZ / 220 ML
jschergen

Nice! I like this too. Hits the right chords for me. Still pretty damn cheap too.

mrmopar

Agreed on all points.

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75
10 tasting notes

Just starting in the world of Pu-ehr so I don’t have the best vocabulary yet. This one is enjoyable overall.
Scent of wet wood from liquor. Aroma of sweet candy from lid. Cacao, smokey flavor, yet very smooth and not bitter at all. Sweet actually.

Brewed in my glass flask as close to Gung Fu style as I can get. Quick steeps.

Flavors: Cacao, Chocolate, Smoke

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 0 min, 15 sec

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199 tasting notes

I didn’t really enjoy this shou much at all. I guess it’s just not to my tastes yet :) I used 8g in 100ml at 200F.

jschergen

You should try dialing back the leaf to water ratio a bit. This tea has alot of small leaves and will hit quickly as a result (especially when compared with larger leaf ripe pu’erh). I’d try it again using half the amount of leaf. If you want to strengthen your brew later, I’d add leaves as it brews out.

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100
28 tasting notes

A very nice tea for its price, has a very nice sweet vanilla/cocoa aroma. First couple of steeps brew up rather sweet. It balances out nicely after the first few steeps, was able to steep this quite a few times. Would definitely make a good daily drinker, although I didn’t really enjoy the first few steeps.

Flavors: Chocolate, Cocoa, Vanilla, Wood

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec 5 g 2 OZ / 60 ML
Kirkoneill1988

i tried this before i think

Tommy2_morrow

Yea I checked and I guess you have, I got this one from last months tea of the month club.

Kirkoneill1988

was it a full review? i forget if i did one or not

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80
1113 tasting notes

Another new sample to try! YAY!

I drank this one all day. It is a solid shu. I found the first couple of steeps to be quite sweet, but also had a lot of camphor notes. Apparently I like camphor notes in sheng but not shu… After that the steeps were more balanced, and quite nice. I will definitely finish the rest of my sample but this is not one I would seek out to purchase. I love trying new teas though, it’s my favorite! :D

mrmopar

Give it a year or so and it will change a bit.

boychik

I love camphor notes.

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301 tasting notes

This is a very affordable (currently $17.50 for a 357g cake) flavorful everyday ripe puerh. Moderately compressed cake making it quite easy to pick off leaves to brew. Chocolate brown leaf interspersed with many golden tea buds. Good woody flavor with decent energy. The dark tea soup presents a low level of sweetness with definite cocoa and berry undertones. No real bitterness. Enjoyed six dark infusions and I think I could have probably used the leaves a few more times

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 4 OZ / 125 ML
Stephanie

Oh hey I am drinking this today too! :D

DigniTea

Good thinking – I found it to be surprisingly delicious!

jschergen

Hard to beat the value on these YS ripe pu’erh cakes. Decent tea for exceedingly reasonable prices.

DigniTea

jschergen – I agree!

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100
673 tasting notes

time for a full review :)

the smell of the dry leaf is a lot like my other pu-ehr review :) a nice musty smell

the smell of the steeped tea is nice and smooth with a somewhat smokey smell

the taste is somewhat smokey but has taste of roses and smooth and somewhat like a black tea :)

I am going to keep the score the same :)

Flavors: Earth, Rose, Smoke

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 5 min, 0 sec 5 g 25 OZ / 750 ML

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