ValleyGreenTea

Pu-erh raw cake Jin Yu Shang-2007

$92.00 AUD

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Jin Yu Shang Raw Pu-erh Cake (Sheng 生) — Aged Menghai, 2007

Other names: Jin Yu Shang Pu-erh, Aged Raw Pu-erh, Mid-Aged Sheng Pu-erh, Menghai Raw Pu-erh, 金御赏生饼, 生普, 生普洱, 普洱生饼, 普洱生餅, 普洱生茶饼

Jin Yu Shang (金御赏) is a mid-aged Menghai raw pu-erh with one of the most prized markers of good age:

a clear camphor aroma (樟香) — a cool, woody, almost minty-resinous fragrance that only develops in well-aged raw (Sheng) pu-erh.

Tightly pressed and well matured since 2007, it pours a deep, mellow cup with that camphor character and a long, intense aftertaste. For anyone who loves the settled, woody depth that only years bring, this is a lovely one to reach for.

About This Cake

A mid-aged raw (Sheng) pu-erh from Menghai, tightly compressed and matured naturally since 2007.

Time has drawn out its signature: a delightful camphor (zhang xiang, 樟香) aroma, a deep, mellow body, and an intense, long-lasting aftertaste. It's a classic "must try" for lovers of mid-aged raw pu-erh.

Type: Raw (Sheng 生) pu-erh cake, mid-aged
Region: Menghai (勐海), Ban-Na, Yunnan
Flavour: prized camphor (樟香) aroma; deep, mellow body; intense, long aftertaste
Craft: tightly compressed, well matured
Production: 2007
Weight: 357g full cake, 50g sample

Essential Pu-erh Tea Accessories

A pressed cake needs a couple of tools to enjoy it at its best:

Cake pin: to break the cake neatly, slide a cake pin in from the edge and prise gently, keeping the leaves as whole as possible. This one is tightly pressed, so take your time.
Vessel: for pu-erh we reach first for a Yixing zisha pot — the unglazed clay rounds the cup out for a smoother, fuller brew — or a gaiwan for an easy, more affordable start.
Storage: keep your cake breathing in a pu-erh bamboo storage unit or an unglazed clay jar.

See the full range in our Pu-erh accessories.

Want to understand pu-erh a little better? Here's some honest, no-fluff knowledge to help you find your pu-erh.

How to Choose Your First Pu-erh

Your first pu-erh:

start with our Pu-erh Beginner's Trial Pack.

It brings together raw and ripe, loose and cake, in one box

— the easiest way to feel the difference and learn where you'd like to start next.

The quick version:

Raw (Sheng) is like sashimi — fresh, bright and a little wild;

Ripe (Shou) is like a rich, slow-cooked stew — dark, mellow and smooth, transformed by time.

Love green or white tea? Start raw — like this cake.

Love black tea, dark tea (hei cha) or roasted oolong? Start ripe — explore our Ripe (Shou) pu-erh.

Your next pu-erh: explore by region.

Scroll down — there's plenty here to help you decide. Finding a pu-erh you love is a genuinely fun journey, and the pricey one isn't always the one that suits you.

A well-aged, camphor-scented Menghai like this is a wonderful window into what years of ageing can do for raw pu-erh.

Pu-erh Regions: Why Origin Shapes Taste & Price

Region is one of the biggest reasons two pu-erhs can differ so much in taste, quality and price.

Across Yunnan, tea grows on hundreds of mountains, each giving its own character — shaped by the land and the tree type (ancient-tree, arbor or plantation).

Here's how Yunnan's three core regions break down — and where this cake sits:

1. Ban-Na (西双版纳) The King of Pu-erh

Yunnan's most famous region, and home to the old and new "Six Great Tea Mountains." It splits into two very different sides:

Menghai (勐海) — bold and domineering: rich, thick flavour, powerful cha qi and a high aroma.

★ This cake is from Menghai — Yunnan's most famous tea county, whose rich, deep teas age wonderfully into camphor and wood.

↳ Bu-Lang Tea Mountain (布朗茶山) — its most celebrated origins: Ban Zhang (班章), Lao Man E (老曼峨) and Hekai (贺开).

Yiwu (易武) — soft and fine: a floral-honey aroma over a wild forest character, with the least bitterness of all.

2. Lincang (临沧) The Queen of Sweetness

Lincang is all about sweetness — a high, lifted aroma and a broad, generous sweetness, floral and honeyed, with barely any bitterness. It's built on the celebrated Mengku broad-leaf variety.

Best-known origins: Bing Dao (冰岛), Xigui (昔归), Xiao Hu Zhai (小户寨) and Mengku (勐库).

3. Pu'er (普洱) The Birthplace

Where the name "pu-erh" began. Soft, sweet and balanced, leaning to a floral-fruity sweetness — easy and approachable.

Best-known origins: Wuliang Shan (无量山) and Kunlu Shan (困鹿山).

A handy shorthand pu-erh drinkers use:

Ban Zhang is the king (bold and powerful),

Bing Dao is the queen (sweet and smooth),

Yiwu is grace itself (soft, supple and silky).

What Decides a Pu-erh's Price?

Pu-erh prices run from everyday to eye-watering, and it helps to know what you're paying for. A few things set the price:

Where it's grown (region): a famous mountain like Lao Ban Zhang or Bing Dao is scarce and commands top prices.
The tree (variety & age): ancient-tree (gu shu) leaf sits above arbor (qiao mu), which sits above plantation (tai di).
The pick: even from the same tree, tender bud-and-tip fetches more than coarser leaf — and spring tea is prized over autumn.
Age, storage & grade: older well-stored cakes — like this one, aged since 2007 into a camphor character — and higher grades all add to the price.

That's why two cakes with the same famous name can sit at very different prices. The exact village, tree type, grade and season all change what ends up in the cup, so the same name never means the same tea.

We're honest about price. Nearly two decades of clean ageing is the value here — that camphor depth simply can't be rushed.

A bigger price tag doesn't mean "better for you." Don't chase the number on the label: trust your tongue, not the price. The right pu-erh is simply the one you love drinking — which is exactly why we sample everything first.

Pu-erh, Caffeine & Antioxidants

Like all true tea from the Camellia sinensis plant, pu-erh is post-fermented and naturally contains antioxidants and caffeine — that's simply part of the leaf.

A well-aged raw pu-erh like this drinks deep and mellow, its early bitterness long softened with age. If you're sensitive to caffeine, keep your leaf light and your steeps short, and enjoy it earlier in the day.

Brew this raw pu-erh the right way

— check out our professional Brewing Guide, Storage Care, and The Origins below 👇

🍵 Brewing Guide

How to brew aged raw (Sheng) Pu-erh?

A well-aged raw (Sheng) pu-erh like this takes full boiling water — the years have softened its early bitterness, so 100°C draws out its deep camphor-and-wood character. Always give the leaf a quick rinse first.

The Vessel: Zisha or Gaiwan

Brew it in a Yixing zisha pot for a rounder, fuller cup — the clay suits a deep aged tea beautifully — or a gaiwan for an easy, more affordable start. Keep one clay pot for raw pu-erh only.

The Ritual (Gongfu Style)

Temperature: 100°C — full boiling water for this aged cake. (A young raw pu-erh would go cooler, 90–95°C.)
Ratio: 1:20 to 1:30 — for a 150ml gaiwan, use 5–7g.
Step 1 — Warm the Vessel: pour boiling water in, swirl, discard.
Step 2 — Break & Add the Leaves: this cake is tightly pressed — slide a cake pin in from the edge, take your time, and keep the leaf as whole as you can.
Step 3 — Rinse (洗茶): pour boiling water in, then decant and discard within 5 seconds. This wakes and rinses the pressed leaf.
Step 4 — First Brews: quick in, quick out — around 10 seconds each — to keep the cup clean and let the camphor aroma rise. Decant fully.
Step 5 — Later Brews: extend the steep gradually. A well-aged cake gives a long, deep, mellow run of infusions.
Step 6 — Drink: smell the empty cup — that cool camphor note is one of the joys of an aged raw pu-erh.

Common Mistakes

❌ Skipping the rinse — always pour off the first quick infusion to wake the leaf.
❌ Long steeps in the first few brews — keep them quick to stay clean and deep.
❌ Water off the boil — an aged cake like this wants a full 100°C.
❌ Using a clay pot that's held ripe or floral tea — flavours cross-contaminate. Keep one pot for raw pu-erh only.

📦 Storage & Care

Storage Care for Raw Pu-erh

Raw pu-erh is made to be kept — more than any tea, a good raw cake keeps improving with age. Bitterness softens, the body rounds out, and deep notes like camphor and wood emerge over the years.

Cool, Dry and Dark: store in a cool, dry spot out of direct sunlight. Do NOT refrigerate.
Let It Breathe: do NOT seal pu-erh airtight. The thin paper wrapper is deliberately breathable so the tea can keep maturing slowly. Keep it in the wrapper, or in a breathable home like our pu-erh bamboo storage unit or an unglazed clay jar.
Away From Odours: pu-erh readily absorbs smells. Keep it away from coffee, spices and scented foods, and never store different teas together — they cross-scent.
Signs of Age: after this many years, expect a little wrapper wear — a natural mark of a genuinely aged pu-erh, not a fault.

🌿 The Origins

Aged Menghai Raw with a Camphor Heart

Region: Menghai (勐海), in Ban-Na, Yunnan — Yunnan's most famous tea county, whose rich, deep raw teas age beautifully into camphor and wood.
What is camphor aroma? (樟香) A cool, woody, almost minty-resinous fragrance that develops in well-aged raw pu-erh — one of the most prized signs of good age.
The Craft: raw (Sheng) pu-erh is sun-dried and pressed, then left to ferment slowly and naturally. This cake was tightly compressed and has matured since 2007.
The Cup: a deep, mellow brew with that signature camphor aroma and an intense, long-lasting aftertaste — a classic "must try" for lovers of mid-aged raw pu-erh.
Weight: 357g full cake, or a 50g sample.
VGT Sourcing: for 18 years, Valley Green Tea has been a trusted place to buy authentic pu-erh tea online in Australia. Explore more Raw (Sheng) pu-erh, browse our Ripe (Shou) pu-erh, or see the whole Pu-erh collection.

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