Tea Knowledge for Better Sourcing
Practical insight into tea quality, production, certification and export readiness.
Chun Mee (Zhen Mei) 9369 vs 9371 Detailed Differences
These are traditional commercial tea grades for Chinese export eyebrow tea (long-fried green refined Chun Mee tea), following the national standard GB/T14456.5-2016:
9371: Special Chun Mee Grade 1 (Extra Special appearance)
9369: Chun Mee Grade 1 (Chun Mee appearance)
Grade ranking (from high to low): 41022 (Extra Special) > 9371 (Special Grade 1) > 9370 (Special Grade 2) > 9369 (Grade 1) > 9368 (Grade 2). Overall, 9371 has higher quality than 9369.
1. Raw Material and Tenderness
9371 (Special Grade 1)
The raw material uses high-grade spring long-fried green Maocha, with a higher proportion of buds and better tenderness, containing more fine buds and small tender leaves, and a low proportion of old leaves. A small amount of tips (tea shoots) is allowed.
9369 (Chun Mee Grade 1)
The raw material is one grade lower than 9371, mainly mature leaves, with a significantly lower proportion of buds, relatively coarser leaves, sometimes blended with summer and autumn tea, and weaker tenderness than 9371.
2. Dry Tea Appearance (shape, color, purity)
9371: Special Grade 1
Shape: fine and tight, heavy and firm, evenly curled, heavy body, tips visible, overall thin strips.
Color: green with a frosty look, uniform, little grayish-yellow or dull areas.
Purity: few stems or broken leaves, strict control of impurities.
9369: Chun Mee Grade 1
Shape: tight but not as fine as 9371, slightly thicker strips, few tips, slightly lighter body than 9371, some strips slightly flat and loose.
Color: moderately green, weak frosty feel, slight yellowish patches.
Purity: small amounts of stems or broken leaves may appear, overall purity slightly lower than 9371.
Summary: 9371 "fine, tight, heavy, with tips"; 9369 "tight, slightly thick, few tips".
3. Aroma, Taste, Liquor Color, Leaf Base
9371 (Special Grade 1)
Aroma: noticeable chestnut aroma, fresh and pure, strong fragrance.
Taste: rich and mellow, balanced astringency, good aftertaste, higher brewing resistance.
Liquor Color: bright yellow-green, clear.
Leaf Base: yellow-green and tender, good leaf integrity, fairly even mix of old and tender leaves.
9369 (Chun Mee Grade 1)
Aroma: fairly pure, chestnut aroma weaker, some batches have cooked chestnut aroma, less fresh than 9371.
Taste: mellow, lower intensity, weaker astringency, some batches slightly coarse, lower brewing resistance.
Liquor Color: yellow-green, slightly more yellow than 9371.
Leaf Base: yellow-green, leaves larger, higher proportion of old leaves, less even blend of old and tender leaves than 9371.
4. Trade Positioning and Usage
9371 (Special Chun Mee Grade 1 - SP.Chun Mee 1)
Positioning: Mid-to-high-end export Chun Mee, between 41022 (Special Top Grade) and 9370.
Usage: Bulk retail in North Africa and the Middle East, mid-to-high-end blends; can be sold loose directly or used in bagged blends; the market has strict sample requirements, and the price is higher.
9369 (Chun Mee Grade 1 - Chun Mee 1)
Positioning: Mid-range bulk export Chun Mee, a mass-market tea.
Usage: Bulk sales in the Middle East and Central Asia, catering, and blending; cheaper than 9371, suitable for high-volume orders, mostly used as a base for blends.
5. Additional Trade Notes
Factories do blending in practice. The same tea code from different factories or different years may vary; the actual sample (trade sample) is the final standard, and text descriptions only reflect the national standard characteristics.
You might see 9371 AAA or 9371 AA in the market. These are internal factory subdivisions, not original national standard tea codes.
9371 ≠ 9369. Many newcomers in foreign trade easily confuse them. One belongs to the “Special” series, the other to the regular “Chun Mee” series—they are two separate grading systems.