How you decide whether it is real or fake?

[just mǐ]

Great post - fun and informative. Kinda like forensic tea analysis.

2. The sticker on the back, the silver vein does not completely disappear, it is too close to the surface.

Shogun - any chance you can indulge a noob and explain more about what you mean by this? Do you (or anyone else) have a pic of what it should look like?

Oh, and the E. coli - I agree - just eww.

[just mǐ]

Argh - never mind! I followed the first link nickE posted, then this one:
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=12141
and saw what you meant. On a real sticker, the silver strip would phase to a dashed line, with the inbetween bits disappearing completely. This one doesn't do that.
Thanks again all for the info.

[gingkoseto]

Kunming authorities seize more than 50,000 fake tea cakes


It is understood that most of the counterfeit tea in the factory were Menghai and Zhongcha branded tea. Authorities said the tea was fermented directly on the floor, and this resulted in excessive E. coli which is harmful to health.

Source: 26/08 东方日报

Wow. And eww. Lots of eww.

A lot of people have told me that the nature of shu procedure makes it impossible to keep the pile sanitary. Therefore even in the big reputable factories, no visitors are allowed in their shu fermentation house. They say, even if the president of China asks, he will not be allowed to visit the shu fermentation house This is just anecdotal, and I hope in the future I have the luck to visit a fermentation site.

Not that I care much about the E. coli situation. I always have a little bit of the eww in my mind about all shu but that's not why I don't love shu.

[MadeForTeaVea]

I had always heard rumors about people faking puerh cakes but I didn't realize it was that bad.

Seems like everything on eBay that comes from China is a knockoff nowadays, even tea

Thanks for the info about spotting fakes. Now I at least have an idea what to look for. But I could be duped pretty easily. I should probably bone up before I make anymore puerh purchases.

[Drax]

Hmmm, I suppose in the case of a "controlled rot," there's a fine line between unsanitary and tasty?

I imagine the same line exists for spoiling a good blue cheese or gorgonzola.

[zeusmta]

Interesting that the apparently fake 7542 is 902 and not 901.

Some more disturbing facts:

Same vendor, cbring630, has an ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/cbring630

2007 7562 also looks suspect. Didn't bother to look at any others.

Vendor has 429 positive feedback and not a single negative one. 100% positive.

Wow.

[argus]

This one looks completely fake to me... The neifei is oddly placed with only a couple of leaves on top of it. I'd expect a neifei on a 2003 cake to be more dirty and soaked with tea oils and whatnot...