TSHU028 - Dayi (7572) Shucha 2018

Product detailed description

Overview
A delicious shu puer tea from Dayi Tea Factory (Dayi Chachang 大益茶厂) in Menghai city (勐海 Menghai), which was pressed in the summer of 2018. The code "7572" refers to the tea blend recipes (Beifangcha 配方茶), a Chinese concept used since 1960s by former Menghai Tea Factory (Menghai Chachang 勐海茶厂, 1953-2004) to show year of production, tea leaf grade and responsible tea factory in Yunnan Province. This tea was generously provided by Yuan Guoxia (袁国霞), a current manager of the Dayi Tea Factory in Menghai city. We met with manager Yuan during our work trip to Xishuangbanna in early 2025, where we conducted several research interviews regarding of the Dayi Tea Factory ongoing projects and current challenges. This tea has a transparent orange-red wine color and a pleasant fruity-honey fragrance. While drinking this tea, we appreciated its balanced fruity taste and thick honey-woody aftertaste, which is one of the reasons why these blend teas from Dayi Tea Factory are so popular.

Tea profile (akt. 14-04-2025)

• Aroma: Smooth fruity fragrance with subtle woody-bakery tones
• Colour: The tea changes between transparent orange-nutty tones to dark red wine shades
• Body: Smooth, thick and balanced
• Taste: Stone fruit marmelades (dates and cherries) and sweet beverages (rum) with honey tones
• Aftertaste: Pleasant sweetness, a distinct mouthwatering effect, and a lingering honey-woody imprint in the tea cup

Note

Recipe blends teas (配方茶 Beifangcha) uses four digits. First two refer to the year of production. Third digit refers to the size, tenderness, and maturity of tea leaves used in a recipe blends. Grades range from 1 (youngest, bud-heavy) to 9 (mature, coarse leaves and stems). Shucha benefits from higher grades (6–9) for enriching body and earthiness, while lower grades (1–3) provides smoother texture and sweetness. The last digit refers to the tea factory codes and includes (1) Kunming Tea Factory (昆明茶厂), (2) Menghai Tea Factory (勐海茶厂), (3) Xiaguan Tea Factory (下关茶厂) and (4-9) others tea factories in Yunnan Province. While the concept of recipy blend teas is still used, particularly by one of the oldest tea factories in Yunnan Province, such classification presents a living Chinese tea industry history. Today, more than 2000 Dayi authorized stores can be found in China, South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia.