Distinguishing between fake and real 2008 Menghai 7572 801

[nicolas]

If you look at the fake Dayi logo, the left stroke is curved.
If you look at the real Dayi logo, the left stroke is straight.


This is a fake Dayi 7572 801. The paper is stiffer and smoother.


This is a real Dayi 7572 801. The paper is softer and crumples easily.


It is difficult to distinguish them from the photographs. This is a real Dayi 7572 801.

Without examining the sticker on the wrapper, it would be almost impossible to distinguish the fake based on the wrapper alone.

This is a fake Dayi 7572 801.

Again, without examining the paper label, it would be difficult for the untrained eye to distinguish the two based on photographs alone. However, one can see that in the fake cake, the tea leaves are a muddy brown and there is less variation in colour.

This is a real Dayi 7572 801.

Note the contrast in colour between the tea leaves. The cake is also shinier and smoother.

This is a real Dayi 7572 801.


This is a fake Dayi 7572 801.

You will note that the counterfeiters have copied the colour and format of the date stamp (and even used the same production date) so we cannot rely on the date stamp as a distinguishing feature.

This is a real Dayi 7572 801.

The surface of the cake is clean, bright and smooth.

This is a fake Dayi 7572 801.

You will note that some of the areas are not smooth and are pitted. Upon closer examination, the surface contains white spots which are caused by water droplets that have evaporated. The surface of a real Dayi cake would be smooth, not rough.

LABELS

This is a real Dayi 7572 801 label.

- If you expose the label to ultraviolet light, the white colour in the center of the label will turn green.
- The gold thread that runs over and under the label runs deeply through the label so it completely disappears when it is supposed to.
- The lines embossed around the logo protrude from the label so you can feel them when you rub your fingers over them.

This is a fake Dayi 7572 801 label.

- If you expose the label to ultraviolet light, the white colour in the center of the label stays white.
- The gold tape that runs over and under the label does not run deeply through the label so it does not completely disappear when it is supposed to.
- The contrast of colours on the label are not as vivid as on the real Dayi label.
- The surface of the label feels smooth as the lines do not protrude from the label.

Real label on the left. Fake label on the right.

- The real label has numbers on both left and right margins. The fake label does not have any numbers on the margins.
- The real label is made of thicker paper. The fake label is made of thinner paper.
- The patterns on the real label are still visible. The patterns on the fake label have faded away due to excessive humidity.

http://nicolastang.com/tea/articles/fake7572801/

[brose]

This is a fantastic resource. Before reading I hadn't the slightest idea how to tell fake cake of any sort from its real counterpart. Thanks for posting this comparison.

[nonc_ron]

Thanks Nicolas,
Luckily I've never bought any 7572.
Let us know if you hear of more counterfeit Pu-erhs.
1+

[Seeker]

A HUGE thank you Nicolas!!!!
This kind of sharing is so helpful.
Amazing, really.

[sp1key]

just to add a bit.

please note that in the first pic, in general not all dayi with a slightly curved left stroke are fake. There are many style of prints and depends on the year, type or even batch of tea made. (Maybe it only applies to 7572 801).

[Maitre_Tea]

IIRC, aren't there a bunch of these tell-tale marks of distinguishing between fake and authentic cakes in Cloud's books (forgot which one)? Maybe I should pick one up some time, though I wonder if I would actually use it that much.

[sp1key]

most books so far are on older vintages =)

[Maitre_Tea]

most books so far are on older vintages =)

eh, that's probably because you have the most to lose with older vintages. Yunnan Sourcing started carrying Menghai "yearbooks" for 05/06, and I wonder if these can be used as a tool of authentication, and if other factories have similar yearbooks.

I get the feeling that even though you can judge a cake's authenticity via the wrapper, what's inside can still be bad, if there was bad storage. However, I wouldn't buy a cake that had a bad wrapper so maybe it's a way to eliminate the "obviously" fake ones. But Chinese counterfeiting is getting better and better these days, so it's even riskier.

Sometimes I wonder which one has more trouble with authenticity, pu-erh or yixing

[sp1key]

ya you're right about the yrbooks but I'm not sure if they cover all the batches although nowadays productions seem to be more organised as compared to a decade ago.

wrapper is the first hurdle, it helps if the wrapper is intact and previously unopened. For older pu, trying it would be the best way if possible.

[gingkoseto]

Sometimes I wonder which one has more trouble with authenticity, pu-erh or yixing

Haha I would still say yixing. For puerh, when you buy <$10 worth new tea of the current year, almost 100% of the chance it's authentic. But as for yixing, they could be fake when new, old, cheap or expensive

And yeah good point that you said even if an old tea is authentic, it doesn't necessarily mean it's good, taking storage conditions in consideration. I heard some bad taobao sellers gave generous discounts on some old tea when the real reason was the warehouse got humid at one year.

[Drax]

Very interesting information all around. I definitely have been at the whim of the vendors in regards to fakes, but I suppose that's why I try to stick mostly with reputable vendors, especially for big/$$ purchases.

Of course, I happened to have a 2008 Menghai 7572 801, so I checked anyway! I was happy to see that it appears (according to the info here) to be legit. I think I could tell that by the taste, though, as the tea is spectacular....

It's amazing that it's even remotely profitable for counterfeiters to go through such lengths. I guess it opens them up to a deeper purchasing market. . .

[tony shlongini]

This is great stuff. I inderstand that pu'er gets expensive with age, but I can't fathom faking a new release the sells for maybe two bucks in China. That's like counterfeiting a nickel.

[apache]

This is great stuff. I inderstand that pu'er gets expensive with age, but I can't fathom faking a new release the sells for maybe two bucks in China. That's like counterfeiting a nickel.

This doesn't surprise me, as long as there is profit can be made, there will be fake.

[zhi zheng]

As sp1key said, the left falling stroke(pie) on the 'yi' is not necessarily an indicator. On older teas the logo had a curved piebut it seems that a square typeface has been used mostly on later wrappers.

A key factor in distinguishing genuine Dayi is the method of wrapping the tea and particularly the way the wrapper is folded over the indentation on the back.

[xogget]

A key factor in distinguishing genuine Dayi is the method of wrapping the tea and particularly the way the wrapper is folded over the indentation on the back.

What does the wrapping look like on genuine vs fake?