Pu-erh tea raw 9948 Cake (357g)-2017
Pu-erh tea raw 9948 Cake (357g)-2017
Pu-erh tea raw 9948 Cake (357g)-2017
Pu-erh tea raw 9948 Cake (357g)-2017
ValleyGreenTea

Pu-erh tea raw 9948 Cake (357g)-2017

$98.00 AUD
  • Full Cake
  • 50g Sample
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9948 Raw Pu-erh Cake (Sheng 生) — A Master's Blend

Other names: Blended Raw Pu-erh, Designer Sheng Pu-erh, 老同志9948生饼


Most pu-erh cakes tell a single story — one mountain, and usually one factory's leaf. This one is different: it's a designer cake, composed by a master blender.

This cake is the work of Zou Bing Liang (邹烩良), one of the most respected names in all of pu-erh, with more than 50 years at the craft. He brings together premium leaf from several origins — using closely guarded techniques — into a balance and harmony no single mountain could give on its own.

2017 raw pu-erh already bursting with a high-class orchid aroma, and a cake of real collection value.


About This Cake


A blended raw (Sheng) pu-erh — is one of tea master's signature recipes, and this is a 2017 pressing.

Where a single-origin cake shows off one place, a designer cake shows off craft: premium leaves from different sources, layered by a master's hand into one seamless, aromatic whole.

Even relative young, it's already elegant and fragrant, with plenty of room to age.

  • Type: Raw (Sheng 生) pu-erh cake, blended (designer)
  • Blend: premium leaf from several origins, composed by master Zou Bing Liang (邹烩良)
  • Flavour: a high-class orchid aroma; harmoniously balanced and elegant
  • Production: 2017
  • Weight: 357g full cake, 50g sample

★ The art of the blend.

Where most cakes are single-origin, a designer pu-erh is a composed tea — a master balancing leaf from many sources into one harmonious cup. That's the craft, and the quiet fun, of a blended pu-erh.


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.
  • 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. A gaiwan is lovely for reading all the layers of a blend like this.
  • 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 designer cake like this draws on several origins rather than one — so it's a great way to taste the balance a master can build across regions.


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). A blend like this draws on several of them at once.

Here are Yunnan's three core regions:

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. The classic home of ripe (Shou) pu-erh.

↳ 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.
  • Craft & brand: a respected maker and a master blender's recipe, like this one, add value beyond the leaf alone.

That's why two cakes with the same famous name — say, "Bing Dao" — 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. With a designer cake, you're paying for the craft as much as the leaf — a master's recipe and a trusted name.

But taste is deeply personal, and 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.

Young raw pu-erh like this is bright, aromatic and full of energy. 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 young raw (Sheng) Pu-erh?

Young raw (Sheng) pu-erh is fresh and aromatic, and the one thing to get right is water: keep it slightly cooler (90–95°C) so the young leaf stays elegant and the orchid aroma stays bright rather than sharp. Always give the leaf a quick rinse first.

The Vessel: Gaiwan or Zisha

A gaiwan is ideal for reading all the layers of a blend like this — or use a Yixing zisha pot for a rounder, fuller cup. Keep one clay pot for raw pu-erh only.

The Ritual (Gongfu Style)

  • Temperature: 90–95°C for this young cake — just off the boil. (Once it has aged a decade or more, you can move up to full boiling water.)
  • Ratio: 1:20 to 1:30 — for a 150ml gaiwan, use 5–7g.
  • Step 1 — Warm the Vessel: pour hot water in, swirl, discard.
  • Step 2 — Break & Add the Leaves: slide a cake pin in from the edge, keeping the leaf as whole as you can, then add to the warm vessel.
  • Step 3 — Rinse (洗茶): pour 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 the aroma lifted. Decant fully.
  • Step 5 — Later Brews: extend the steep gradually. A well-composed blend keeps unfolding over many infusions.
  • Step 6 — Drink: smell the empty cup, and follow how the layers of the blend shift from steep to steep.

Common Mistakes

  • ❌ Full boiling water on a young raw cake — it can turn harsh; keep it 90–95°C.
  • ❌ 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 bright.
  • ❌ 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 — and a young cake like this has real collection value, deepening as it ages. Over the years the body rounds out and the aroma matures.

  • 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.
  • Keep the Cake Whole: break off only what you need. A whole cake ages more evenly than loose broken leaf.
🌿 The Origins

A Designer Blend by a Pu-erh Master

  • The Blend: unlike a single-origin cake, this is a designer pu-erh — premium leaf from several origins, combined with closely guarded techniques into one harmonious, balanced tea.
  • The Master: Zou Bing Liang (邹烩良) — one of the most respected figures in pu-erh, with over 50 years of experience. "Old Comrade 9948" is one of his signature recipes.
  • The Craft: raw (Sheng) pu-erh is sun-dried and pressed, then left to ferment slowly and naturally. This is a 2017 pressing — young, but already elegant and fragrant.
  • The Cup: a high-class orchid aroma, harmoniously balanced and refined, with real collection value and plenty of room to age.
  • 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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