On 8 Jul 2004 14:02:29 -0700, (Cameron Lewis) cast
caution to the wind and posted:

>Could you write a little more about these "process recipes"? I've got
>a 7542 Meng Hai beeng and I'm wondering whether a high value 3rd digit
>implies better or worse quality. I've posted a review of this cake on
>Teamail if you're interested.

75 means the "first" time they made tea with this process was in 1975.
4 means grade 4 tea leaf.
2 means it was from Factory #2 which is Meng Hai Tea Factory

The third digit represents the leaf grade on a scale of 1-10 with 1
being the highest, thus a 4 is a higher grade than say an 8. However,
it does not necessarily mean that the grade 4 is "better" than the
grade 8. What this numbering system does not tell you is the source of
the leaf. For example many people might prefer a grade 8 leaf from
ancient wild trees on Yi Wu mountain over a grade 4 leaf from Nannao
Mountain.


>> What is your reference here? I am curious as this is another concept
>> that is new to me. I am familiar with many different "process recipes"
>> that were used in the olden days, when all factories were run by the
>> Government, and the "processes" were referenced by 4 digit numbers
>> like 7592 or 7263 where the first 2 digits represent the year, the
>> third digit represents the leaf grade, and the last digit represents
>> the factory. These recipes were well documented and are often
>> duplicated today, Hence a 7592 cake can be made in 2004 according to
>> the original 1975 process, a little confusing but accurate.


Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net
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