Top Choice for Summer Heat Relief: A Comparison Review of 3 Raw Puer Teas

The dog days of summer are here, and many tea friends have been asking me what raw Puer to drink in summer.

Raw Puer has a cooling nature and relieves heat — it's indeed a fitting choice for summer. But with raw Puer, new tea has the vibrancy of new tea, and aged tea has the mellow depth of aged tea. Which one to choose depends on what you're looking for.

Today I've selected three Songdehao raw Puer teas for a side-by-side comparison: Mangfei ancient tree, Jingmai spring tea, and 2014 Bulang Impression. Two newer teas and one 12-year aged tea, compared across three dimensions — taste profile, best-use scenario, and value. After reading, you'll know which one suits you.

First, the Selection Logic

Why these three? Because they happen to represent three typical directions of raw Puer:

• Mangfei ancient tree — Lincang tea region, ancient tree material, the bold and substantial type
• Jingmai spring tea — Pu'er tea region, prominent orchid fragrance type, softer profile
• 2014 Bulang Impression — Xishuangbanna tea region, 12-year aged tea, mellow and transformed type

Three teas from three different regions, three different styles, two different age brackets. The point of comparing them isn't to rank them, but to give you an intuitive understanding of how different types of raw Puer differ.

Tea #1: Mangfei Ancient Tree — The Bold and Substantial "Hard Man"

Mangfei Mountain is in Yongde County, Lincang — a relatively understated mountain in the Lincang tea region. Understated it may be, but the tea's quality is no joke.

Taste profile:

• Bold and substantial on entry, with a noticeable "tongue-pressing" weight to the liquor
• Has a bitter base, but it dissipates quickly, followed by a strong sweetness return
• Astringency is lighter than Bulang Mountain tea, resolving without a long wait
• Aroma leans toward the deep side — not a fleeting floral note, but a sweet aroma with honey undertones
• Liquor is bright yellow-green with good clarity

Best for:

• Everyday drinking tea — Mangfei ancient tree offers great value, with an annual supply of over a hundred jin. The price is reasonable, so you won't feel guilty drinking it every day
• After meals — bold raw Puer cuts through greasiness effectively. A cup after a heavy meal and your mouth feels fresh immediately
• Drinking with friends — the taste has character and won't be bland, great for chatting over tea

Value: The highest of the three. Mangfei Mountain isn't as famous as Bingdao or Xigui, so there's less mountain-origin premium, but the ancient tree quality is there. As they say in the trade, "good material at an honest price" — perfect for tea lovers who appreciate substance.

Tea #2: Jingmai Spring Tea — The Orchid-Scented "Artistic Soul"

Jingmai Mountain is in Lancang County, Pu'er City. It was successfully inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2023 — the world's first tea cultural heritage. The biggest label for Jingmai tea is — orchid fragrance.

Taste profile:

• Soft on entry, without the impact of Mangfei
• Orchid fragrance is very prominent — from the dry leaves to the cup aroma to the lingering aftertaste, orchid fragrance all the way through
• Astringent but not bitter, sweetness comes quickly upon entry without needing to wait
• The liquor leans light and elegant rather than thick and heavy
• Liquor is pale yellow, clear and beautiful

Best for:

• Summer afternoon solo drinking — an elegant raw Puer that doesn't make you feel restless, perfect for slow savoring
• Paired with tea snacks — Jingmai tea's soft taste won't overpower the snacks, a harmonious combination
• Giving to someone who doesn't usually drink raw Puer — astringent but not bitter, beginner-friendly, even those who fear bitterness can enjoy it

Value: Jingmai Mountain is well-known, so the price is somewhat higher than Mangfei. But considering the orchid fragrance's distinctiveness and the ecological heritage of the ancient tea forest, it's still worth the price. Spring tea has the best aromatic performance of the year — if you choose Jingmai, definitely choose spring tea.

Tea #3: 2014 Bulang Impression — The 12-Year Aged "Veteran"

This is the only aged tea of the three. 2014 spring tea raw material, Bulang Mountain, 357g standard cake, stored in dry storage for 12 years to date.

Taste profile:

• Composed and settled on entry — the bitter base is still there but has been rounded off, no longer sharp
• Sweetness return is strong and lasting — five minutes after drinking, you can still taste sweetness in your mouth
• Aroma has transformed to woody and dried fruit notes, no longer the floral notes of new tea
• Liquor is orange-yellow and translucent with an amber quality, already trending toward the ripe direction
• Distinct layering — bitter → resolves → sweet → lingering sweetness — each steep reveals something different

Best for:

• Slow savoring in the evening — aged tea is meant for unhurried appreciation, feeling the changes steep by steep
• Hosting important guests — a 12-year aged tea is presentable, impressive in both appearance and substance
• Tea storage enthusiasts — this one still has room to continue transforming, so you can drink and age simultaneously

Value: With aged tea, we don't talk about value — we talk about "worth it." Bulang Mountain has a solid foundation, 12 years of aging has brought the transformation to a good place, with bitterness and sweetness in balance. If you like raw Puer with backbone, this one is worth getting. Aged tea has limited stock — every cake consumed is one less.

Side-by-Side Comparison Summary

That's a lot of detail, so here's a clear comparison table:

Dimension	Mangfei Ancient Tree	Jingmai Spring Tea	Bulang Impression 2014
Region	Lincang · Yongde	Pu'er · Lancang	Xishuangbanna · Menghai
Year	Recent new tea	Current year spring	2014, 12 years aged
Taste style	Bold and substantial	Elegant orchid fragrance	Settled and mellow
Bitterness & astringency	Medium-high, resolves fast	Low, sweet on entry	Medium, already rounded
Sweetness return	Strong	Quick and clean-sweet	Strong and lasting
Best for	Everyday drinking, value seekers	Beginner-friendly, orchid fragrance lovers	Aged tea enthusiasts, likes backbone
Summer suitability	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆

How to Choose? It Depends on What You Want

If you're an everyday drinker: Choose Mangfei ancient tree. Bold and cuts through greasiness, great value, guilt-free daily drinking.

If you prefer elegance and dislike bitterness: Choose Jingmai spring tea. Beautiful orchid fragrance, soft and sweet on entry — a cup on a summer afternoon is pure pleasure.

If you're an aged tea connoisseur: Choose the 2014 Bulang Impression. 12 years of aging, bitterness giving way to sweetness, rich layering, and still room for further transformation.

If your budget allows, getting all three is ideal — drink the new tea daily, savor the aged tea slowly. That's the true joy of tea.

A Few Reminders for Drinking Raw Puer in Summer

Finally, some practical tips:

1. Don't drink on an empty stomach. Raw Puer is stimulating — drinking it on an empty stomach can cause "tea drunkenness" (dizziness and heart palpitations). Wait half an hour after meals.

2. Don't brew new tea too strong. New raw Puer aged 1-3 years has a strong cooling nature — brew it lighter, and limit yourself to no more than two sessions per day.

3. Those with cold and weak digestion should choose aged tea. Aged raw Puer has reduced cooling properties through aging, making it much gentler on the digestive system.

4. Don't go straight into air conditioning after drinking. After drinking hot tea and sweating, your pores are open — hitting cold air immediately can easily cause a cold.

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Three raw Puer teas, three styles, each with its own merits. When it comes to choosing tea, you ultimately have to taste it to know which one speaks to you. If you'd like to try, consult on details, or learn more about our products, let's chat on WeChat.