"7581" ZHUAN CHA
KUNMING TEA FACTORY
SHU (RIPE) PU'ER
★ PESTICIDE-FREE
Pu'Er, Yunnan, China
7581 is a classic Shu Pu’Er produced according to the legendary 7581 recipe developed by Kunming Tea Factory. Carefully fermented and naturally matured over many years, this tea reflects traditional factory craftsmanship and the balanced, mature character that made 7581 one of the benchmarks of classic Shu Pu’Er. The infusion is smooth, dense, and deeply comforting, with woody and mineral nuances, dried fruit, sweet grain, and refined earthy notes. A long, warming aftertaste reveals elegant maturity and the distinctive character of well-aged Shu Pu’Er. MORE
250 g brick
AROMA
Wood, tobacco
TASTE
Woody, nutty
HARVEST: Spring, 2010
SHU (RIPE) PU'ER
★ PESTICIDE-FREE
Pu'Er, Yunnan, China
7581 is a classic Shu Pu’Er produced according to the legendary 7581 recipe developed by Kunming Tea Factory. Carefully fermented and naturally matured over many years, this tea reflects traditional factory craftsmanship and the balanced, mature character that made 7581 one of the benchmarks of classic Shu Pu’Er. The infusion is smooth, dense, and deeply comforting, with woody and mineral nuances, dried fruit, sweet grain, and refined earthy notes. A long, warming aftertaste reveals elegant maturity and the distinctive character of well-aged Shu Pu’Er. MORE
250 g brick
AROMA
Wood, tobacco
TASTE
Woody, nutty
HARVEST: Spring, 2010
SHU PU'ER is a post-fermented tea produced through a controlled microbial fermentation process that transforms sun-dried tea leaves into a rich, smooth, and deeply complex beverage. As a result of this unique production method, Shu Pu'Er develops a distinctive composition of polyphenols, amino acids, minerals, beneficial microbial metabolites, and other bioactive compounds that contribute to both its characteristic flavor and traditionally valued properties.
The fermentation process significantly alters the chemical composition of the tea, creating a mellow infusion with reduced bitterness and astringency, a smooth texture, and earthy, woody, and sweet aromatic notes. It is believed that regular consumption of Shu Pu'Er may support digestive health, contribute to healthy cholesterol metabolism, promote the balance of beneficial intestinal microflora, and assist the body's natural antioxidant defenses. Traditionally, Shu Pu'Er has also been appreciated for its warming and grounding nature, its ability to aid digestion after meals, reduce feelings of heaviness and fatigue, and create a calm, stable, and balanced state of physical and mental well-being.
The fermentation process significantly alters the chemical composition of the tea, creating a mellow infusion with reduced bitterness and astringency, a smooth texture, and earthy, woody, and sweet aromatic notes. It is believed that regular consumption of Shu Pu'Er may support digestive health, contribute to healthy cholesterol metabolism, promote the balance of beneficial intestinal microflora, and assist the body's natural antioxidant defenses. Traditionally, Shu Pu'Er has also been appreciated for its warming and grounding nature, its ability to aid digestion after meals, reduce feelings of heaviness and fatigue, and create a calm, stable, and balanced state of physical and mental well-being.
Learn more about the BIOCHEMISTRY OF A TEA LEAF
PESTICIDE-FREE GARDENING
Learn more about Pesticide-Free Gardening
Pesticide-free gardening refers to a cultivation method in which no synthetic chemical pesticides are used at any stage of plant growth. Instead, this approach relies on biodiversity, ecological balance, and cultural practices to manage pests and diseases. Unlike conventional farming, which often depends on chemical intervention to control infestations, pesticide-free gardening emphasizes prevention through healthy soil, companion planting, and natural predators. This method fosters a more resilient and adaptive garden ecosystem. Without chemical inputs, beneficial insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, and native bees thrive, contributing to pollination and pest control. Untouched by harsh agents, the soil remains alive with microbial activity, supporting deeper root systems and more vigorous plant development. Over time, this results in produce with purer, more expressive flavors, reflecting the health of the environment and the grower's intention.
Learn more about Pesticide-Free Gardening
EASTERN (PIN CHA) ★
Temperature: 100 °C
Amount: 3-5 grams per 120 ml of water
Steeping: 10-30 sec x 7+
WESTERN (INFUSION)
Temperature: 100 °C
Amount: 2-3 grams per 250 ml of water
Steeping: 1-2 min x 3
Learn more about TEA BREWING METHODS
Tea absorbs surrounding aromas and moisture. This type of tea oxidizes when it comes into contact with oxygen and loses its properties, including taste and aroma. Store it in a dry and cool place in airtight packaging. Avoid direct exposure to the sun and high temperatures.
BEST BEFORE: 2 years since production date!
*Suitable for long-term aging. Under proper storage conditions, the tea may gradually develop increased depth, smoothness, and complexity.
BEST BEFORE: 2 years since production date!
*Suitable for long-term aging. Under proper storage conditions, the tea may gradually develop increased depth, smoothness, and complexity.
Learn more ABOUT TEA STORAGE
ABOUT
7581 Zhuan Cha is a classic Shu Pu'Er produced according to one of the most historically important recipes created by the legendary Kunming Tea Factory back in a 1970s. Carefully fermented, traditionally compressed into brick form, and naturally matured for years, this tea reflects the combination of classic factory craftsmanship, stable aging potential, and the balanced mature character that made the 7581 recipe one of the defining productions in Shu Pu'Er category. Years of maturation gradually softened and integrated the tea while preserving its dense texture, woody depth, mineral warmth, and comforting mature profile.
The Kunming Tea Factory played a central role in the historical development of modern Shu Pu'Er tea technology during the 1970s. Together with other major Yunnan factory (Menghai Tea Factory), Kunming participated in the refinement and standardization of the wet-piling fermentation process that later became the foundation of modern Shu Pu'Er production. Before this technological development, dark and mellow tea character was achieved primarily through decades of natural aging and humid storage. The introduction of controlled post-fermentation methods allowed producers to recreate aspects of aged tea character within a significantly shorter period of time and fundamentally changed the future of Pu'Er tea production.
The “7581” recipe itself became one of the iconic Shu Pu'Er productions first developed in 1975. The numerical designation follows traditional factory recipe coding systems, where the first two digits refer to the year the recipe was created, while the remaining numbers identify the grade profile and factory origin. Over time, 7581 became famous for its reliable quality, balanced fermentation, smooth texture, and strong aging capacity.
7581 means, that this recipe was created in 1975, made from the 8th grade (large) tea leaves in factory #1 (indicating the factory, in this case, Kunming).
TERROIR
The tea material used for “7581” Zhuan Cha originates from the mountain tea-growing regions of Yunnan, the historical birthplace of Pu'Er tea and one of the most important tea-producing environments in the world. Tea gardens in this region develop under warm subtropical mountain conditions shaped by abundant rainfall, humid air, mineral-rich soils, and dense forest biodiversity. These environmental conditions contribute directly to the tea’s dense texture, mineral warmth, layered complexity, and long-term maturation potential.
Unlike many modern single-origin productions, classic factory Shu Pu'Er recipes such as 7581 traditionally rely on blending technology developed by large Yunnan tea factories. This production philosophy combines tea materials from different regions, mountain elevations, leaf grades, and harvest characteristics to achieve a stable and recognizable flavor profile across years of production. Rather than emphasizing a single terroir expression, blending allows producers to balance structure, sweetness, fermentation depth, aroma, texture, and aging potential within one recipe. This approach became one of the defining characteristics of classic factory-style Pu'Er tea production during the second half of the twentieth century.
The Kunming Tea Factory became especially respected for its refined approach to balancing fermentation, compression, and blending techniques. Different tea materials contribute different characteristics to the final tea, including mineral depth, sweetness, body, aromatic complexity, or structural strength. Through careful blending and controlled fermentation, recipes such as 7581 developed a stable identity recognized by generations of Pu'Er tea drinkers. This consistency and balance remain one of the reasons why classic factory recipes continue to hold historical importance within Pu'Er tea culture.
Years of maturation further integrated the blended tea material after production, allowing the woody, mineral, sweet grain, earthy, and dried fruit characteristics to become increasingly smooth and harmonious. The interaction between Yunnan mountain material, traditional fermentation, classic factory blending methods, and long-term aging created a mature Shu Pu'Er with balanced depth, comforting texture, and recognizable classic factory character.
ORGANOLEPTICS
The dry leaves are tightly compressed in the traditional brick format and display deep brown, dark copper, and golden tones characteristic of mature factory-style Shu Pu'Er tea. Their appearance reflects careful fermentation, traditional compression, and years of gradual maturation while preserving the dense structure of the blended material. The aroma of the dry leaf is deep, warm, and comforting, combining notes of aged wood, sweet grains, dried fruits, warm minerals, cocoa, resin, and soft earthy nuances. In a preheated gaiwan or teapot, the aroma becomes smoother and increasingly expressive, revealing additional layers of roasted nuts, humid forest tones, medicinal herbs, dark honey, tree bark, creamy cocoa, and subtle incense-like woodiness. After the rinse, the leaves fully awaken and the aromatic profile becomes highly integrated, balancing woody maturity, creamy softness, mineral warmth, and refined sweetness.
The liquor is clear and bright, with a deep ruby-brown tone reflecting careful fermentation and years of natural maturation. The aroma of the infusion is dense, smooth, and highly persistent, combining warm wood, sweet grains, dried fruits, creamy chocolate-like notes, warm minerals, resinous nuances, and subtle herbal complexity. The texture is exceptionally smooth, dense, and coating, filling the palate with deep warmth and remarkable softness while maintaining the balanced structure characteristic of classic factory-style Shu Pu'Er. The taste is mellow and highly refined, with almost no roughness, gradually developing into pronounced mineral sweetness and long-lasting warming sensations throughout the mouth and throat. Layers of aged wood, cocoa, dried fruits, roasted nuts, sweet grains, minerals, resin, dark honey, and soft earthy nuances continue evolving throughout the session while maintaining remarkable harmony between maturity, smoothness, depth, and classic recipe character.
The aftertaste is long, warm, and deeply comforting, with sweet mineral and creamy sensations remaining in the throat and mouth long after drinking. As the tea continues to open, the structure becomes increasingly rounded and integrated while preserving the recognizable mature character associated with the classic 7581 recipe. In the empty cup, the aroma remains warm and expressive, revealing lingering notes of aged wood, cocoa, dark honey, sweet grains, dried fruits, humid forest tones, medicinal herbs, and subtle resinous undertones.
7581 Zhuan Cha is a classic Shu Pu'Er produced according to one of the most historically important recipes created by the legendary Kunming Tea Factory back in a 1970s. Carefully fermented, traditionally compressed into brick form, and naturally matured for years, this tea reflects the combination of classic factory craftsmanship, stable aging potential, and the balanced mature character that made the 7581 recipe one of the defining productions in Shu Pu'Er category. Years of maturation gradually softened and integrated the tea while preserving its dense texture, woody depth, mineral warmth, and comforting mature profile.
The Kunming Tea Factory played a central role in the historical development of modern Shu Pu'Er tea technology during the 1970s. Together with other major Yunnan factory (Menghai Tea Factory), Kunming participated in the refinement and standardization of the wet-piling fermentation process that later became the foundation of modern Shu Pu'Er production. Before this technological development, dark and mellow tea character was achieved primarily through decades of natural aging and humid storage. The introduction of controlled post-fermentation methods allowed producers to recreate aspects of aged tea character within a significantly shorter period of time and fundamentally changed the future of Pu'Er tea production.
The “7581” recipe itself became one of the iconic Shu Pu'Er productions first developed in 1975. The numerical designation follows traditional factory recipe coding systems, where the first two digits refer to the year the recipe was created, while the remaining numbers identify the grade profile and factory origin. Over time, 7581 became famous for its reliable quality, balanced fermentation, smooth texture, and strong aging capacity.
7581 means, that this recipe was created in 1975, made from the 8th grade (large) tea leaves in factory #1 (indicating the factory, in this case, Kunming).
TERROIR
The tea material used for “7581” Zhuan Cha originates from the mountain tea-growing regions of Yunnan, the historical birthplace of Pu'Er tea and one of the most important tea-producing environments in the world. Tea gardens in this region develop under warm subtropical mountain conditions shaped by abundant rainfall, humid air, mineral-rich soils, and dense forest biodiversity. These environmental conditions contribute directly to the tea’s dense texture, mineral warmth, layered complexity, and long-term maturation potential.
Unlike many modern single-origin productions, classic factory Shu Pu'Er recipes such as 7581 traditionally rely on blending technology developed by large Yunnan tea factories. This production philosophy combines tea materials from different regions, mountain elevations, leaf grades, and harvest characteristics to achieve a stable and recognizable flavor profile across years of production. Rather than emphasizing a single terroir expression, blending allows producers to balance structure, sweetness, fermentation depth, aroma, texture, and aging potential within one recipe. This approach became one of the defining characteristics of classic factory-style Pu'Er tea production during the second half of the twentieth century.
The Kunming Tea Factory became especially respected for its refined approach to balancing fermentation, compression, and blending techniques. Different tea materials contribute different characteristics to the final tea, including mineral depth, sweetness, body, aromatic complexity, or structural strength. Through careful blending and controlled fermentation, recipes such as 7581 developed a stable identity recognized by generations of Pu'Er tea drinkers. This consistency and balance remain one of the reasons why classic factory recipes continue to hold historical importance within Pu'Er tea culture.
Years of maturation further integrated the blended tea material after production, allowing the woody, mineral, sweet grain, earthy, and dried fruit characteristics to become increasingly smooth and harmonious. The interaction between Yunnan mountain material, traditional fermentation, classic factory blending methods, and long-term aging created a mature Shu Pu'Er with balanced depth, comforting texture, and recognizable classic factory character.
ORGANOLEPTICS
The dry leaves are tightly compressed in the traditional brick format and display deep brown, dark copper, and golden tones characteristic of mature factory-style Shu Pu'Er tea. Their appearance reflects careful fermentation, traditional compression, and years of gradual maturation while preserving the dense structure of the blended material. The aroma of the dry leaf is deep, warm, and comforting, combining notes of aged wood, sweet grains, dried fruits, warm minerals, cocoa, resin, and soft earthy nuances. In a preheated gaiwan or teapot, the aroma becomes smoother and increasingly expressive, revealing additional layers of roasted nuts, humid forest tones, medicinal herbs, dark honey, tree bark, creamy cocoa, and subtle incense-like woodiness. After the rinse, the leaves fully awaken and the aromatic profile becomes highly integrated, balancing woody maturity, creamy softness, mineral warmth, and refined sweetness.
The liquor is clear and bright, with a deep ruby-brown tone reflecting careful fermentation and years of natural maturation. The aroma of the infusion is dense, smooth, and highly persistent, combining warm wood, sweet grains, dried fruits, creamy chocolate-like notes, warm minerals, resinous nuances, and subtle herbal complexity. The texture is exceptionally smooth, dense, and coating, filling the palate with deep warmth and remarkable softness while maintaining the balanced structure characteristic of classic factory-style Shu Pu'Er. The taste is mellow and highly refined, with almost no roughness, gradually developing into pronounced mineral sweetness and long-lasting warming sensations throughout the mouth and throat. Layers of aged wood, cocoa, dried fruits, roasted nuts, sweet grains, minerals, resin, dark honey, and soft earthy nuances continue evolving throughout the session while maintaining remarkable harmony between maturity, smoothness, depth, and classic recipe character.
The aftertaste is long, warm, and deeply comforting, with sweet mineral and creamy sensations remaining in the throat and mouth long after drinking. As the tea continues to open, the structure becomes increasingly rounded and integrated while preserving the recognizable mature character associated with the classic 7581 recipe. In the empty cup, the aroma remains warm and expressive, revealing lingering notes of aged wood, cocoa, dark honey, sweet grains, dried fruits, humid forest tones, medicinal herbs, and subtle resinous undertones.
"If you are looking for a perfect example of Shu Pu’Er, this is it. This tea represents everything I value in this category, and during my more than ten-year relationship with 7581, it has impressed almost everyone I have brewed it for. From the moment I started sourcing it, it became one of the most beloved Shu Pu’Ers among my students and clients, and I am very glad that I am still able to find batches of this quality today.
Since the early 2010s, Shu Pu’Er production has gradually shifted toward deeper and more complete fermentation. This has influenced not only the flavour profile of many modern teas, but also the way they develop during long-term aging. This 7581 represents an older, beautifully balanced approach: mature and smooth enough to enjoy now, yet with enough depth and structure to continue evolving with time.
Above all, this tea has its own unmistakable character. The flavour is distinctive, harmonious, and increasingly difficult to find in modern Shu Pu’Er. For me, it is one of those teas that shows exactly why the classics became classics."
— Andrei Ivanovs, Founder of AN SHIM TEA
Since the early 2010s, Shu Pu’Er production has gradually shifted toward deeper and more complete fermentation. This has influenced not only the flavour profile of many modern teas, but also the way they develop during long-term aging. This 7581 represents an older, beautifully balanced approach: mature and smooth enough to enjoy now, yet with enough depth and structure to continue evolving with time.
Above all, this tea has its own unmistakable character. The flavour is distinctive, harmonious, and increasingly difficult to find in modern Shu Pu’Er. For me, it is one of those teas that shows exactly why the classics became classics."
— Andrei Ivanovs, Founder of AN SHIM TEA
AN SHIM TEA 'SHU PU'ER' COLLECTION
Check out SHU PU'ER COLLECTION for more authentic pu'er tea!
CHINA CLASSICS
Try one of the best Chinese classics from AN SHIM TEA COLLECTION