West Lake Longjing Labels: Origin and QR Checks

A West Lake Longjing label is worth reading before you judge the leaves. Flat shape, a familiar aroma or an attractive Dragonwell tea box cannot, on its own, tell you where a particular batch was grown. The useful question is whether the origin claim connects to an identifiable grower or enterprise and a traceable record.

There is an important date distinction. Hangzhou’s 2020 origin-certification-label measures introduced the system described in the historical briefing below. The 2023 anti-counterfeiting and traceability-label measures took effect on 15 February 2023 and expressly repealed the 2020 measures. Read the supplied 2020 label pictures as historical examples, not current packaging instructions.

What the 2020 origin-label system changed

The earlier briefing described bringing growers and authorized tea enterprises in the West Lake Longjing protected production area into one digital-management system. Its purpose was to connect an origin claim with the tea behind it, rather than leave the claim resting on packaging alone.

Local checks established the growing plots, area and production information. Each registered grower or enterprise had an electronic account. When tea moved from a grower to an approved enterprise, the corresponding tea quantity was deducted from one account and credited to the other. Numbered physical labels could then be issued against the relevant account balance.

That account-and-quantity relationship is the useful idea to take from the old report. A label is supposed to be linked to a controlled supply record; a loose sticker purchased separately would not establish where tea came from.

How to read the historical green and yellow labels

In the supplied illustration, the green background identifies a tea-farmer label and the yellow background an enterprise label. The picture shows 2020, a declared weight, a serial number, a scratch-off area and a QR field. The Chinese text 茶农用 means “for tea-farmer use”; 企业用 means “for enterprise use.” 刮开涂层 查询真伪 directs the buyer to scratch the coating and check authenticity.

The old briefing also told buyers of enterprise-packed tea to check the processing business’s name, address and SC food-production-license number on the package. This is separate from simply noticing a logo on the front of a gift box.

Do not use the old colors, the illustrated dimensions or the printed 2020 year as a universal test for a packet sold now. They explain the historical image. Ask for the current label and the record belonging to the actual tea you are buying.

What the 2023 replacement measures say

The replacement rules retain two label categories: N for growers and Q for enterprises. They specify identifying information including the user, year, quantity specification, number and anti-counterfeiting information. Growers selling their own tea use N labels; authorized enterprises use Q labels.

Issuing and transferring label entitlements remains tied to digital accounts and recorded tea quantities. The rules distinguish transfers of account data accompanying tea transactions from trading physical labels directly. This is why a label image in an advertisement should not be treated as evidence for every product a seller stocks. The tea management association’s published rules provide another route to the current framework.

Batch verification and a service QR code are different things

The original briefing placed two service-entry pictures after its advice about checking authorized sellers. The first was captioned Tea Qi Tong (茶企通), a WeChat mini program; the second was captioned as the origin-label WeChat account. Their role in the article was to direct readers to information services.

Those two archived pictures are not batch-specific labels. Opening a general account or mini program does not authenticate the contents of a packet. Likewise, a screenshot of someone else’s successful check cannot replace checking the label on your purchase. We have not verified whether these old service-code entry points remain active.

A practical way to check a packet before buying

1. Start with the actual package. Ask for a clear photograph of its label and the producer information, not just a catalogue image of a branded tin.
2. Read the stated year and quantity. Compare them with the listing and ask the seller to explain any mismatch.
3. Check the source of the lookup service. Begin from the West Lake Longjing Tea Management Association’s website when confirming current contacts or access routes. A QR symbol alone is not an endorsement.
4. Compare the returned record with the packet. Use whatever identifying fields the genuine service supplies. An unrelated producer, year or product is a reason to pause and seek clarification.
5. Keep the purchase trail. Save the listing, invoice, seller identity and the label information. They are more useful together than a photograph of leaves alone.

If a verification page does not load outside China, that is not by itself proof that the tea is counterfeit. Ask the seller for help locating the official service and showing the relevant record. Treat seller-provided screenshots as supporting material, not independent confirmation.

Which details from the original briefing should stay in the past

The supplied report gave rollout figures for tea businesses, village service points, account activation and advance label applications. It also named a particular March buying date. Those were operational details for that briefing’s period. They are not a current seller directory, a permanent harvest calendar or today’s count of authorized producers.

For the wider purchase decision, see our authentic West Lake Longjing guide. For naming and origin boundaries, read West Lake Longjing versus other Longjing teas. This article focuses on the label system rather than repeating the full buying guide.

Questions about West Lake Longjing labels

Does an old 2020 label prove a current harvest is authentic?

No. It documents the label design shown in that old example. A current purchase needs information tied to that packet and its declared year.

Can I authenticate the tea from aroma or leaf shape?

The original briefing warned that ordinary consumers find origin identification from color, aroma and taste difficult. These observations help you assess drinking quality, but do not establish a protected geographical origin.

Does this article certify a seller or a packet?

No. It explains how the historical system developed and what to compare when reading a label. Check current producer and authorization information through the relevant official channels.

Explore the Longjing tea collection for articles on origins, harvest terms, flavor, brewing and storage.

Sources: the supplied historical agriculture-bureau briefing, credited to the Xihu District Longjing Tea Industry Association; Hangzhou’s 2020 measures and the 2023 replacement measures linked above. Historical label and service-code illustrations follow their original sequence. Official Chinese marks and code patterns remain intact; English explanations are provided separately. Edited 23 October 2026.