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Distinguishing between fake and real 2008 Menghai Dayi 7572 801 Ripe Tea

December 2009

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 hologram sticker on the outside, it would be almost impossible to distinguish the fake based on the wrapper alone.

This is a fake Dayi 7572 801.

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 cake would be smooth, not rough.

LABELS

Now let us turn to the 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.