Dear all,

First I would like to thank rec.food.drink.tea members, especially pu
erh related, for posting here since this group was one of the
inspirations for my interest in pu erh! And now it's a great source of
new pu erh related knowledge.

I would appreciate your help in indentifing two cooked pu erhs I have.
I was looking for some info about them for quite a long time but to no
effect.

First one is 100g Beeng Cha, so called "plum emdossed cake"

http://ph.icmp.lviv.ua/~vorobyov/BeengCha.jpg

which seems to be the same as the one at ITC website

http://www.imperialtea.com/AB1002000...Category_ID=23

However ITC dosen't indicate the factory and year of production One
can read 高å*�普洱梅花饼茶 on the wrapper which again just
almost useless, just "good quality pu erh cake with plum flower" I
was told that my cake is 8 years old which I tend to believe but can't
be sure. My cake dosen't have any wrapper.

The same for the second one which is 50g Fang Cha

http://ph.icmp.lviv.ua/~vorobyov/FangCha.jpg

Again I was told that it is one year old, but no factory information.
Goes in polyethlene wrapper

Thank you so much though I understand that there might be not enough
information to tell anything.

Here is a Chinese discussion link found with Google:

http://translate.google.com/translat...as_ qdr%3Dall

You'll have to read between the lines (CNNP 2003) or if you can read
Chinese click the View Original Web Page. The 2003 5 x 100g bundle on
TaoBao was 138y or /8 for dollars.

Jim

Oleg wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> First I would like to thank rec.food.drink.tea members, especially pu
> erh related, for posting here since this group was one of the
> inspirations for my interest in pu erh! And now it's a great source of
> new pu erh related knowledge.
>
> I would appreciate your help in indentifing two cooked pu erhs I have.
> I was looking for some info about them for quite a long time but to no
> effect.
>
> First one is 100g Beeng Cha, so called "plum emdossed cake"
>
> http://ph.icmp.lviv.ua/~vorobyov/BeengCha.jpg
>
> which seems to be the same as the one at ITC website
>
> http://www.imperialtea.com/AB1002000...Category_ID=23
>
> However ITC dosen't indicate the factory and year of production One
> can read 高å*�普洱梅花饼茶 on the wrapper which again just
> almost useless, just "good quality pu erh cake with plum flower" I
> was told that my cake is 8 years old which I tend to believe but can't
> be sure. My cake dosen't have any wrapper.
>
> The same for the second one which is 50g Fang Cha
>
> http://ph.icmp.lviv.ua/~vorobyov/FangCha.jpg
>
> Again I was told that it is one year old, but no factory information.
> Goes in polyethlene wrapper
>
> Thank you so much though I understand that there might be not enough
> information to tell anything.

Hi Oleg,

The factory that produced the plum flower cakes is the probably same as the
one that produced the pumpkin pu'er that Jim has, the Ji Xing factory, or
lucky brand factory.

The one that you showed would be either the recent one, or it might be done
by another factory - the tablet usually has the plum flower imprint but not
the 'tea' character on the other side - that being said I'm familiar with
the tablet pre-2001, having tasted some, but not after, so your picture may
be one in the recent years or from another factory.

As for the squares, it is made almost by every other factory in Kunming -
figuratively.

Danny

"Oleg" > wrote in message
oups.com...
Dear all,

First I would like to thank rec.food.drink.tea members, especially pu
erh related, for posting here since this group was one of the
inspirations for my interest in pu erh! And now it's a great source of
new pu erh related knowledge.

I would appreciate your help in indentifing two cooked pu erhs I have.
I was looking for some info about them for quite a long time but to no
effect.

First one is 100g Beeng Cha, so called "plum emdossed cake"

http://ph.icmp.lviv.ua/~vorobyov/BeengCha.jpg

which seems to be the same as the one at ITC website

http://www.imperialtea.com/AB1002000...Category_ID=23

However ITC dosen't indicate the factory and year of production One
can read ???????? on the wrapper which again just
almost useless, just "good quality pu erh cake with plum flower" I
was told that my cake is 8 years old which I tend to believe but can't
be sure. My cake dosen't have any wrapper.

The same for the second one which is 50g Fang Cha

http://ph.icmp.lviv.ua/~vorobyov/FangCha.jpg

Again I was told that it is one year old, but no factory information.
Goes in polyethlene wrapper

Thank you so much though I understand that there might be not enough
information to tell anything.

Thank you, Jim and Danny!

But is Ji Xing (is it �幸?) a real name of the factory or just the
brand? For example this two products are claimed to be of "Ji Xing"
brand and produced by "Xing Hai Tea Mountain tea Co."

http://www.jingteashop.com/pd_ji.cfm#

http://www.jingteashop.com/pd_zhuan_cha_ban_zhang.cfm

Unfortunately I don't read Chinese

Thank you, Jim and Danny!

But is Ji Xing (is it �幸?) a real name of the factory or just the
brand? For example this two products are claimed to be of "Ji Xing"
brand but claimed to be produced by "Xing Hai Tea Mountain tea Co."

http://www.jingteashop.com/pd_ji.cfm#

http://www.jingteashop.com/pd_zhuan_cha_ban_zhang.cfm

Unfortunately I don't read Chinese

As for the second brick I suspected that this could be a kind of
"no-name" thing

Thanks!

I can be overruled but JiXing is the brand and Xin(g)Hai or HaiXin(g)
is the factory spelled both ways on TaoBao. Here is one picture from
TaoBao that shows the factory name but not the brand name. CNNP is
also an umbrella and only people in the know (like Danny) can identify
the particular factory. There is no reason for 50g+ sizes to be
missing wrappers. Only around 20g- is just the paper. You do see
special casings with bamboo and baskets but that is normal. Those are
the two characters for Ji Xing.

Jim

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...haiFactory.jpg

Oleg wrote:
> Thank you, Jim and Danny!
>
> But is Ji Xing (is it �幸?) a real name of the factory or just the
> brand? For example this two products are claimed to be of "Ji Xing"
> brand but claimed to be produced by "Xing Hai Tea Mountain tea Co."
>
> http://www.jingteashop.com/pd_ji.cfm#
>
> http://www.jingteashop.com/pd_zhuan_cha_ban_zhang.cfm
>
> Unfortunately I don't read Chinese
>
> As for the second brick I suspected that this could be a kind of
> "no-name" thing
>
> Thanks!

this product is from Menghai Cha Chang, here is some of the original
supplier:
http://www.bnqyw.com/ylql/mhcc/index.htm

there are only 2 genuien Puerh supplier (Puerh in its original
meaning), Xiaguan Cha Chang （下关茶厂）and Menghai Cha Chang
(�海茶厂).

tea export is restricted by the government,
ä¸*国土产畜产进出å�£å…¬å�¸ hold most of the export quota in
Yunnan, thats why it became the only "dealer". this activity was called
"找窗� （searching a window）" in import&export business.

yet, there are hundreds of so called puerh suppliers in yunnan,
especially in Kunming, mostly shu pu, I haven't find another reliable
producer could produce sheng pu in real term.

hi Oleg,

You have to take this up with Seb from Jing Teashop, haha!

Ji Xing is both a brand as well as the factory, it was created by CNNP
Yunnan branch in the 80s, along with another now defunct brand called Golden
Cockerel - Jin Ji...

I think I did mention on Jim's thread that Lucky Brand as well as the
factory has changed hands...

Danny


"Oleg" > wrote in message
oups.com...
Thank you, Jim and Danny!

But is Ji Xing (is it ???) a real name of the factory or just the
brand? For example this two products are claimed to be of "Ji Xing"
brand but claimed to be produced by "Xing Hai Tea Mountain tea Co."

http://www.jingteashop.com/pd_ji.cfm#

http://www.jingteashop.com/pd_zhuan_cha_ban_zhang.cfm

Unfortunately I don't read Chinese

As for the second brick I suspected that this could be a kind of
"no-name" thing

Thanks!

Thank you again, Jim and Danny! You've been very helpful!

Oleg -

I fully understand your attempt to know as much as you can about that tea.
However, after years of taking the wrappers seriously (I do read some
Chinese) I gave up after I saw how wrappers are sold on a teamarkets in
Yunnan. By hundreds! All types and of all factories.
So now when I buy something from my friend Roy at ITC and he tells me that
he bought that puerh himself from a factory warehouse I am almost sure that
what it is (there is a possibility that they fool Roy too). However I do not
really care anymore because I learned to like what I like and buy as much of
it as I can as soon as I figure out that I like it and not be too hang up
about the wrappers.
Here in Nevada once in a while I buy great fresh Fangcha in a teashop that
has no idea what they sell (they get this as a new product under the name
"Mongolian Tea" In reality its ???? . Nothing Mongolian about it.

Cheers,

Sasha.


"Oleg" > wrote in message
oups.com...
Dear all,

First I would like to thank rec.food.drink.tea members, especially pu
erh related, for posting here since this group was one of the
inspirations for my interest in pu erh! And now it's a great source of
new pu erh related knowledge.

I would appreciate your help in indentifing two cooked pu erhs I have.
I was looking for some info about them for quite a long time but to no
effect.

First one is 100g Beeng Cha, so called "plum emdossed cake"

http://ph.icmp.lviv.ua/~vorobyov/BeengCha.jpg

which seems to be the same as the one at ITC website

http://www.imperialtea.com/AB1002000...Category_ID=23

However ITC dosen't indicate the factory and year of production One
can read ???????? on the wrapper which again just
almost useless, just "good quality pu erh cake with plum flower" I
was told that my cake is 8 years old which I tend to believe but can't
be sure. My cake dosen't have any wrapper.

The same for the second one which is 50g Fang Cha

http://ph.icmp.lviv.ua/~vorobyov/FangCha.jpg

Again I was told that it is one year old, but no factory information.
Goes in polyethlene wrapper

Thank you so much though I understand that there might be not enough
information to tell anything.

Most of us Westerners can't read Chinese. Besides CNNP I don't think
it too much to expect factory and year from the seller or from
elsewhere along the line. Understanding what is on the wrapper adds to
the drinking ambience not the taste. Also knowing some particulars
might help you find it cheaper elsewhere. Speaking of a factory named
Nan Jian might be better than describing opposing dragons on their 100g
tuos or funny deer on their 200g mini beengs. On Ebay they're $2.50/$4
respectively on TaoBao $.50/$1. I did some homework. I buy teas blind
all the time with some educated guessing but I'm not throwing my money
away on lotto. I wished I could be overwhelmed by teamarkets with more
wrappers than I've ever seen. I'd stay at a hotel with a concierge and
make it worth while to pack and send by China Post.

Jim

Alex Chaihorsky wrote:
> Oleg -
>
> I fully understand your attempt to know as much as you can about that tea.
> However, after years of taking the wrappers seriously (I do read some
> Chinese) I gave up after I saw how wrappers are sold on a teamarkets in
> Yunnan. By hundreds! All types and of all factories.
> So now when I buy something from my friend Roy at ITC and he tells me that
> he bought that puerh himself from a factory warehouse I am almost sure that
> what it is (there is a possibility that they fool Roy too). However I do not
> really care anymore because I learned to like what I like and buy as much of
> it as I can as soon as I figure out that I like it and not be too hang up
> about the wrappers.
> Here in Nevada once in a while I buy great fresh Fangcha in a teashop that
> has no idea what they sell (they get this as a new product under the name
> "Mongolian Tea" In reality its ???? . Nothing Mongolian about it.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Sasha.

Alex Chaihorsky > wrote:
>Here in Nevada once in a while I buy great fresh Fangcha in a teashop that
>has no idea what they sell (they get this as a new product under the name
>"Mongolian Tea" In reality its ???? . Nothing Mongolian about it.

It turns out that Mongolian Barbeque and Mongolian Cluster****s aren't
really Mongolian either. At least not according to the grad student
here who is Mongolian.

Since Saigon brand hot sauce is made in California, Texas Pete is made
in Louisiana, and Louisiana Hot Sauce is made in South Carolina, I don't
know WHO you can trust.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

I am not comming here saying who is right and who is wrong, just share
with you guys the information I have.

Yellow page for so called offical puerh suppliers:
http://www.puerh.cn/yellowpage.asp

Chinese is my 1st language, but there r toooooo many things to be
translated....