>
>"Hamilcar Barca" > wrote in message
. ..
>>
>> Hey, thanks. Are the EX-### codes also invoice numbers? As Blair
>> Houghton points out, some of the Darjeelings have DJ- numbers, some have
>> EX- numbers, and don't have either.
>
>I'm not sure, I wonder if it has something to do at which auction it is
>sold? Anyway, I'm going to visit Darjeeling and some tea gardens in a weeks
>time, so I will find out! Those without numbers might be blends, or just
>that the vendor (or broker) didn't bother to inform the customer about it.
>

Well, I did ask about about the invoice numbers. It seems that gardens
can choose whatever numbering system they want, but it is usual to
precede the number with DJ and a a number. The numbering is usually
serial, so DJ-1 is the first tea produced and sold that year, DJ-4 the
fourth batch etc. DJ-1 fetches fantastic prices in Japan, but is
usually notamong the best first flush invoices. They usually comes a
few weeks later.

Some special productions get differenttypes of invoice numbers, EX-..
probably means a production espescially meant for export. Some
importers pre-order teas, and this may be one such tea.

Sometimes they do funny things with the classification too, at the
moment I am drinking a Sungma YMTGFOP1! YM means it comes from a
special section of the Sungma estate, called Yamadabari (bari =
garden).

Lars
(Bergen, Norway)