When buying a pu-erh tea cake in its original packaging, you may notice 4 numbers located on the front of the wrapper. In this article, we will clarify what these numbers mean and why they were initially used.
These numbered recipes were introduced in the mid-1970s, during the decades-long era when a handful of state-run factories dominated the pu-erh industry.
What Is A Pu-erh Recipe?
The recipe always follows a specific pattern. For example, let’s take a look at a tea cake with the recipe 7542.
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The first two numbers:
These refer to the year that the tea recipe was first produced. In this case, it’s 1975.
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The third number:
This one indicates the size of the raw tea leaves, or maocha. 0 being the smallest leaf and 9 being the largest.
Note: Xiaguan Tea Factory is an exception – it uses the third digit to indicate the tea's type or style (e.g., 8653 for raw/sheng vs. 8663 for ripe/shou) rather than leaf grade
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The fourth number:
The last number indicates the tea factory where the pu-erh was produced. 2 denotes the Menghai Tea Factory in Xishuangbanna, one of China's most famous pu-erh producers.
Numbers Indicating The Most Famous Pu-erh Factories In China:
1: Kunming tea factory.
2: Menghai Tea Factory in Xishuangbanna.
3: Xiaguan Tea Factory in Dali.
4: Pu-erh Tea Factory, Pu-erh.
5: Lincang Tea Factory, Lincang.
Do Tea Factories Today Stick To These Recipes?
Tea factories today still produce pu-erh cakes based on recipes developed 50 to 70 years ago.
For example, if 7581 was an exceptionally favored recipe, pu-erh producers will still make pu-erh based on that recipe today. Of course, many things come into play here. A 7581 pu-erh produced in recent years might taste good or might be entirely off. Nowadays, we do not recommend investing in cakes solely based on the recipe number. Many factories use the fame these recipes once had to convince consumers that the tea is worth the money.
Is All Pu-erh Made Using Recipes?
No, a pu-erh tea cake doesn’t have to be produced using a recipe, nor does it need to have its own recipe.
The Additional Three Digits
Sometimes there is also a three-digit number following the original 4-digit recipe. The first digit represents the year it was produced, while the other two represent the production number within that year.
For example, 7581- 602 would indicate the second production in 2006 of pu-erh recipe 7581. Sometimes these numbers can say a lot about the cake since certain batches are made with higher-quality maocha. The best way to know is by looking at the price — try not to buy the cheapest cake of a presumably good recipe, because it might be made with low-quality raw leaves. The next best way to know is to see what other people say about this cake on tea forums and in reviews.
