2018 Yunnan Sourcing "He Tao Di Village" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

Finally opened this cake after purchasing in late 2020. Unfortunately as a newbie to pu-er storage I may have ruined this cake by prying it apart into two disc + doughnut halves to try an A/B experiment… I’ve since scrapped the idea and put the halves back together to go back into the ziplock but placed the central loose leaf that fell out into a brown paper bag in unsealed plastic bag to “age”. This is going to be a trial run, then…

5g in 100ml porcelain gaiwan.

Wet leaf aroma: Intensely floral, the notes say orchid aroma and I can really feel that. (Orchid are my favourite flower, that’s what drove me to buy this in the first place). A lot of sweetness, a juicy note I can’t describe like it makes me imagine a fat aloe vera or fleshy jungle plant. Very pleasant. One of my favourite leaf aromas.
- 10 sec Rinse was already pretty deep-coloured and flavourful but had a bit of taste of grit so I ended up throwing it out after two sips.

1st infusion:
- Full-bodied, a bit vegetal/grassy, marine brine, very slight and pleasant dryness in the mouth. Sweetness is barely detectable but it’s not flavourless nor bitter. Smells a bit salty / umami like the sea (but doesn’t taste salty), and a hint of minerality. A very light and subtle infusion, not as flavourful as a fresh green tea, but like a (non-astringent) later shadow of one.

2nd infusion: Had to leave the house so the leaves sat there for about three hours before I could come back to them.
- Liquor now gives me a tingly cooling sensation in the mouth. Flavour is spicy (chili, black pepper), slightly bitter, mineral-rocky, and nutty (almonds or peanuts). No sweetness or fruitiness.

Verdict: It’s not my favourite right now, but I am excited to see how this will taste in 2026*!
*Unfortunately it won’t age as nicely as if I had left the entire cake intact, according to Mei Leaf’s videos about ageing raw pu-er cakes.

Today is my first time trying out a fairly recent addition to Yunnan Sourcing’s vast catalog of Jinggu teas – He Tao Di. In particular, this sample is the 2018 vintage. As it turns out, this is probably my favourite Jinggu tea at the moment. It is very well balanced and pungent. Also, it bears some resemblance to both Menghai teas (strong honey notes and a good huigan) and Yi Wu teas (being aromatic and strong without turning too bitter or astringent). It lasts for quite a long time too, I got 16 infusions (200ml/g) today; and remains interesting all the way until the end.

Dry leaves smell like squash blossom with various notes of fruits and flowers, but it’s not a pungent aroma overall. Instead, wet leaves have a stronger scent that reminds me of fireplace, wood, fur, courgette, and cinnamon. In the late stages, these get overpowered by a strong mushroom note.

Already the rinse is strong tasting and flavourful. The profile is brothy with umami, butter, and wheat flavours. First infusion is then more sweet, an aspect that seems to just keep intensifying throughout the session. There are notes of milk, honey, truffles, and cashew nuts. Second steep is somewhat grassy and nutty in comparison, while the third has new flavours such as raw olives and juniper berries. Subsequent infusions are consistently pungent with a touch of bitterness and increasing sweetness as well as a light dryness in the finish. Flavours like those of vegetable broth, wet rocks, wood, and eventually also mushrooms emerge over the course of the second half of the session. The aftertaste at times reminds me of warm spiced milk, but it also shows new notes like green peas and bay leaf among many others.

One of the definite highlights of the tea is its texture for sure. The mouthfeel is super thick, coating, foamy, smooth, and kind of sticky. I greatly enjoyed this tea and I am likely going to buy a cake with my next YS order.