I suspect it was more of a crack regarding the my statement where
wrappers that look identical to the untrained eye really do have
minuscule differences. This is how the pros can help to authenticate
the difference between an authentic 30 year old cake and a modern
forgery. These labels all originated from what was once Governement
owned factories and the basic design has remained unchanged for
decades. However, things like font size, justification, color hue, etc
all changed over the years, even though the bulk of the design
remained the same, and one can get a good indication from these
details as to the pedigree and vintage of the cake if they know what
to look for. These nuances are well documented in Chinese literature
but the average American is not aware of them.

The moral of the story is that just because 2 wrappers look identical
does NOT mean that the tea inside will be the same. I can prove this
beyond doubt regardless of what the naysayers may allege.

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



On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 11:15:17 GMT, Michael Plant >
wrote:

>Space 4/12/05

>
>> No rush. It will look the same. The insert says to ignore all wrapper
>> blemishes interpreted as special marks by flimflam artists to demand
>> higher prices.
>>
>> Jim
>
>
>
>Jim,
>
>I'm not sure what you mean by "blemishes" here, but those imperfections in
>the actual paper can be very telling. If there are little holes in the paper
>made by insects, those holes near the center (where the paper is bunched
>onto the cake) will go through several layers of paper. This is a good way
>to know that the cake had not been unwrapped and rewrapped. That begins to
>suggest some level of authenticity. Perhaps you meant something else by
>blemishes though. Just thoughts.
>
>Michael