A Must-Try Classic from China Tea: China Tea Yunnan Pu-erh Tea Brick – 7581

One brick, thick and grounded; half a cup, warm and mellow. In tthe vast world of puerh tea, if one name has bridged past and present, witnessing the rise and fall of China's modern puerh tea industry, it is China Tea "7581. It is not only a tangible vessel of the Kunming Tea Factory's craftsmanship, but also a badge of honor for the pioneers of ripe puerh fermentation. Since its debut in 1975, it has traveled through half a century - enshrined in tea museums, yet equally at home in the everyday cups of street-side tea drinkers.

       

Net Weight: 250g

Yunnan Pu-erh Tea

Compressed Ripe Pu-erh Tea

Yunnan Zhongcha Tea Industry Co., Ltd.

Chapter 1: Tracing the Source - Craftsmanship Settled in Time

 

Every classic brand is born with a story that changes the industry.

 

The Cradle of Ripe Puerh Fermentation

 

The clock turns back to October 1939, when the "Fuxing Experimental Tea Factory" quietly took root amid wartime. It initially processed "Fuxing" tuo tea from Mengku and Fengshan tealdeaves, undergoing several renames and restructurings before officially becoming the "Kunming Tea Factory" in the 1960s.

 

What truly made the Kunming Tea Factory the defining force in Chinesee puerh history was a "technical revolution" in 1973. That year, to meet international demand for puerh's distinctivetaste, China Tea's tea masters - drawing on over four decades of experience - pioneered the concept of "artificial wo-dui (pile) fermentation."

 

A seven member team from the Kunming, Menghai, and Xiaguan Tea Factories traveled to Guangzhou to study cold-water pile fermentation. Upon return, the Kunming Tea Factory establishhed a research group and, after extensive trials successfully finalized the process in 1975, promoting it across Yunnan province.

 

     

(formerly Kunming Tea Factory)

 

The Code Behind the Name

In 1975, as the fermentation technique matured, the Kunming Tea Factory began production of a puerh tea brick to meet quality-grade requirements. That same year, the iconic nurmber "7581" was established:

 

The encoding rules for this number are the product of rigorous industry standards and the wisdom of archival management practices:

 

"75"-theyeartherecipe wascreated, 1975.

 

"8" - the grade-8 tea leaves at its core, chosen for their exceptional mellowness and aging potential.

 

"1" - the Kunming Tea Factory (Factory Code 1; Menghai = 2, Xiaguarn=3).

Thus "7581" is not merely a product name-it is a footnote tohalf the history of Yunnan ripe puerh. It marked the first artificially fermented ripe puerh tea brick in Chinese tea history, roduced to the nation and the world.

 

The First "People's Ripe Brick"

Since the Qing Dynasty, Yunnan puerh brick tea had been a badckbone of border trade, supplying Tibet and beyond. The arrival of 7581 expanded puerh's reach from the highland frontier to everyday tea tables. Its "reddish-brown liquor, high and lasting aged aroma, and mellow-sweet taste" quickly captured the market. In an era of limited material abundance, many people's entire understanding of ripe puerh Ibegan with a single sip of 7581 - earning it the title of "Founder of Ripe Puerh Fermentation."

(Packaging from various editions)

 

Chapter 2: A Tea for All - Beloved North, South, East, and West

 

North: The Gateway Tea

 

Among northern tea enthusiasts, China Tea 7581 is widely regarded as "the star product that led countless newcomers into the world of puerh tea." For beginners wary of harshness cor pile-fermentation off-notes, 7581' approachability and affordable price serve as a gentle bridge.

 

At jusst ¥0.35/g retail - roughly 1/17th the price of popular puerh teas at ¥6.2/g - it delivers a thick, sweet cup that eearned the reputation of "the first lesson for northern tea drinkers."

Lingnan: The Cantonese Tea-House Staple 

 

In Guangzhou's Fangcu - China's largest tea wholesale market - Cantonese tea drinkers prize bold, full-bodied flavor. Since discovering ripe puerh at the 1973 Canton Fair, Guangdong has been a heartland of ripe tea enthusiasm.

 

With its "heavy fermentation, pure and thick, smooth aand mellow" profile at an unbeatable price, 7581 became the backbone of countless tea houses.

 

As one veteran driniker reflected: "When the older generation of Guangdong people spoke of puerh, they meant 7581."

 

Yangtze Delta: Aged Aroma in a Green-Tea World

The Yangtze Delta - homeland of Longjing, Biluochun, and Anji White - is a "clear-fragrance" world. Yet 7581 carved out its own niche.

 

Kunming's natural dry-warehouse conditions (1,900 m elevation) give 7581 a "clean, no off-notes, pure and delicate" character that discerning Shanghai tea lovers cherish.

 

Chapter 3: A Living Classic - Commemorative Editions Acrossthe Years

 

As China Tea marked its anniversaries, 7581 evolved into a flowing chropnicle of ripe puerh.

 

2013 - Premium Edition:

 

Selected from old-tree sun-dried leavesat 1,450+ m elevation in Menghai, aged 3 years in pure dry storage. 500 g/brick - ideal for tasting, gifting,and collecting.

 
     

（CNNP Premium 7581 Tea Brick)

 

2014- Classic Reissue:

 

250 g single-box and four-brick formats; large-leaf sun-dried Maocha from Menghai, inheriting the Kunming Tea Factory's classic fermentation craft. At¥88/box, it redefined the "familiar and beloved daily tea."

 
     

(CNNP 7581 – Single-cake box and four-cake pack)

 

2019-70th Anniversary Edition:

 

Honoring both the PRC's 70Oth and China Tea's 70th year. Classic formula,

 

"regular brick shape, tight strips, reddish-brown and oily," with "red-bright liquor, rich aged aroma, mellow and sweet."

 

Gold lettering on Chinese-red packaging.

 

     

(“70th Anniversary Exclusive Commemorative” 7581)

 

2023-2024-50th Anniversary of Fermentation & 755th Anniversary of China Tea:

 

A tribute to the pioneers of 1973, followed by the "75th Anniversary Commemorattive Edition" in vermilion and gold-foil elegance.

 
     

(“75th Anniversary Commemorative Product” 7581)

 

These iterations prove 7581 is no relic frozen in time, but a bprand symbol continually refined - from traditional oil paper wrappers to today's refined gift boxes.

 

Chapter 4: Why This Cup Is Unmissable

 

Why is this cup of tea a must-drink?——Irreplaceable Taste

 

7581 is a "textbook-grade" puerh: thick, mellow, and exceptionally brew-durable.

 

The liquor is ruby-clear; the aroma - whether aged or herbal - is deep and grounded. The ssoup is "thick and silky like rice broth, smooth from the first sip."Thanks to its blend of coarser leaves, a Gaivvan session can exceed 20 infusions, with honey sweet tail water - peerless in its price range.

 

Why is this brand not to be missed?——Unreplicable Heritage

 

"Founder of Ripe Puerh Fermentation" is no marketing claim -it was earned by generations of Kunming Tea Factory artisans over half a century.

 

At 1,900 m elevation, the factory's natural dry-warehouse conditions and rigorous quality standards (electrostatic dedusting, hand-sorting, high-teperature steaming and pressing) built supply-chain "moat." To drink 7581 is to drink China Tea's brand prormise-a century-spanning sincerity.

 

Who Seeks 7581? And who should own it?

 

Puerh beginners: the ideal "guide" - high fault tolerance, no harshness.

Veteran tea drinkers: the quiet treasure in the cabinet - unflaashy, yet always needed

Gifting needs: the 75th Anniversary Edition, with elegant packaging and deep cultural meaning, makes an exceptional gift.

With China Tea's backing and five decades of continujous production, 7581 is known as "hard currency" in the aged-tea market.

 

One brick, one world. From the 1939 Fuxing Tea Factory to the 19775 finalization of the 7581 recipe, and onward to today - this China Tea classic is far more than a tea brick. It is a yardscontrons thina's modern puerh industry, an epic of craft, devotion, and heritage.

 

Noble in origin, yet devoted tothe everyday; modest in price, yet never overshadowed in brilliance.

 

If you haven't yet tasted it, open its simple wrapper and awaken a cup of red-bright liquor. As that blend of mellow woody aroma and sweet aged fragrance glides down your throat, vwhat you taste is not merely a cup of ripe puerh - it is a half-century legend of China Tea puerh.

 

Discovering Fine Tea

Bring the Aroma of Fine Tea Home

Find Quality Tea at China Tea