Black Tea
EN
Chunmee 4011: Defined by International and National Grade Standards
ISO 19781 and GB/T 14456.1 compliance: Physical, chemical, and sensory benchmarks for grade 4011
The Chunmee 4011 green tea meets requirements set out in ISO 19781 as well as China's national standard GB/T 14456.1-2017. These are pretty important guidelines that cover everything from how the tea looks to its chemical makeup and how it smells and tastes. When we look at the physical characteristics, the leaves need to have consistent coloring throughout and their moisture level has to stay under 6.5%. This helps keep them stable on store shelves without going bad too quickly. On the chemistry side, there are certain minimum levels they have to hit - at least 18% total polyphenols and no less than 2.5% amino acids. Those numbers matter because they directly affect how deep the flavor is and contribute to that rich umami taste many people love in good green teas. For sensory testing, experts check for several things: first, the aroma should be clean and distinctly vegetal, not earthy or musty. The brewed liquid needs to feel smooth in the mouth without any harsh astringency, and when poured into a cup, it should display that beautiful golden coloration. What really sets Grade 4011 apart from other grades though is the fact that it passes 12 different lab tests. This makes it stand out as the gold standard among industrial grade Chunmee products in the market today.
Distinctive morphological criteria: Tight, wiry, uniform leaf curls with silvery tips and minimum 92% whole-leaf integrity
Real 4011 tea leaves stand out because they have these tight curls and wiry texture that comes from special rolling techniques which actually keep the cells intact for better taste. The silver tips, those young buds, need to make up around 8% of any given batch. These tips add that nice touch of sweetness and depth to the aroma. Most of the leaves stay whole, about 92% or so, since too much breaking apart affects how the tea brews and looks when presented. Tea inspectors rely on these physical characteristics first when checking shipments abroad. They use detailed pictures to spot fake batches and send them back if they don't meet standards.
Rigorous Laboratory Testing for Food Safety and Purity
Pesticide residue screening (227 compounds) and heavy metal limits (Pb < 2.0 mg/kg, Cd < 0.2 mg/kg)
We test every single batch thoroughly for contaminants using those fancy LC-MS/MS and ICP-MS techniques. The screening covers no fewer than 227 different pesticide residues, including stuff like organophosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroids. Our detection limits sit well under 0.01 mg/kg for all these chemicals. When it comes to heavy metals, our standards go way beyond what most places require. We keep lead content under 2.0 mg/kg and cadmium even lower at just 0.2 mg/kg. That's actually half as strict as what Codex Alimentarius recommends. These numbers match up nicely with both EU Maximum Residue Levels and what the FDA expects from imported goods. Independent labs have checked our work too, finding that on average we stay comfortably below 0.15 mg/kg for lead content. This means our tea meets all the necessary criteria for being considered safe enough for actual consumption according to recent research published in the Journal of Food Safety back in 2023.
Microbiological safety: Absence of E. coli, Salmonella, and total plate count ≤ 10⁴ CFU/g
The safety from microbes is maintained using PCR tests for pathogens along with ELISA methods, which show no traces of Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7 across every batch produced. We keep total aerobic plate counts below 10,000 CFU per gram thanks to low dose gamma irradiation treatment. This technique cuts down on microbes by about 99.7 percent while still preserving those important aroma components that give our products their distinctive character. Our results beat the requirements set out in ISO 4833-1:2022 standards by quite a margin actually, which means we can offer products without any preservatives added. The whole operation stays clean because membrane filters catch impurities and statistical controls help us keep defects really low, under half a percent according to last year's Global Tea Safety Report findings.
Origin Integrity and Batch-Level Traceability for 4011
GIS-verified cultivation in Jiangxi/Anhui terroirs + varietal confirmation (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis)
Chunmee 4011 comes exclusively from carefully mapped plantations located in the mountainous regions of Jiangxi and Anhui provinces. The combination of elevation between 600 and 1,200 meters, acidic volcanic soils with pH levels ranging from 4.5 to 5.5, plus constant mist creates perfect growing conditions for Camellia sinensis var. sinensis tea plants. These specific environmental factors result in leaves that contain higher than average polyphenol levels, typically around 18 to 22 percent, which contributes to the distinctive chestnut flavor profile characteristic of grade 4011. To ensure quality control, genetic testing using chloroplast DNA markers verifies that only this particular cultivar is used. This process prevents mixing with lower quality assamica-type leaves and maintains consistent taste characteristics throughout different harvest seasons.
Blockchain-enabled traceability: From plucking date to export-ready 4011 lot ID (QR-scannable audit trail)
Every batch gets its own special ID registered on the blockchain, tracking no fewer than 17 fixed points along the way. These include when the leaves were picked, how long they sat to wither (usually around 120 minutes give or take 15), the pressure applied during rolling (no more than 2.5 kg per square centimeter), and finally getting stamped approved by the lab. When products head out for export, each shipment comes with QR codes linked to those same lot IDs. Scanning them gives immediate access to detailed fermentation notes, what happened during packaging, even temperature readings inside the cargo hold throughout transport. The whole digital journey cuts down compliance issues by roughly two thirds compared to old fashioned paper trails. And if something goes wrong, problems can be isolated almost instantly during product recalls. For customers wanting proof, they can check ISO 22000 standards compliance step by step. What was once just another box to tick for regulations now becomes actual evidence of quality control throughout production.