mbanu wrote: ↑Wed Feb 17, 2021 6:43 pm
mbanu wrote: ↑Thu Feb 04, 2021 9:00 pm
mbanu wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 4:21 pm
Is there such a thing as counterfeit gunpowder green tea? It really does seem hard to believe, given how much gunpowder the state factories seem to produce, but then there are these odd look-a-like brands... Maybe from a less popular State factory?
mbanu wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 10:43 am
Green tea section. Interestingly there is no Sprouting brand gunpowder -- was this discontinued before 2020, or is trying to reach the gunpowder market with Fujian tea a new thing? Also, no mention of the big players like Camel or Temple of Heaven, although that two-camels-and-a-palm mark looks suspiciously like a copycat...
In one case, at least, it was indeed from a less popular State factory! The
doubletriple-camels is actually a brand of the Hunan Tea Branch for their green teas. (Monkey King being their brand for jasmine teas and some black teas, and Hundred Dragons seeming to be originally a black tea brand but now used for a few different things.) If Zhejiang developed the Camel brand in 1990, when did Hunan develop the "Safinet e' Sahraa" brand?
An update! It looks like Safinet e' Sahraa brand started in 2000. Also, a packet along with an Algerian knock-off brand, "Triple Camel".
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif)
I was tempted to post this in the West African green tea culture thread, but figured it is best to keep the State factory tea-facts together.
With all this mention of number of Camels, I realized I haven't posted a picture of straightforward Camel brand gunpowder from the former Zhejiang Tea Branch. If you are used to other gunpowder packaging, it is mostly the same.
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
However, they've been experimenting recently with new tea styles, such as making shoumei tea-cakes under that brand. (Not sure if made with Zhejiang leaves or not.)
They also seem to be having fun with the cigarette-pack sizes of chunmee.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
I'm not sure if this is a re-design, although to me it looks more modern West African than old CNNP.