Menghai's benchmark sheng recipe, produced almost every year since the 1970s and widely treated as the yardstick for factory sheng.
The name was given by Vesper Chan (Chen Guoyi) of Hong Kong's Best Tea House. '88' commemorates his shop's 1988 founding and is also a Cantonese lucky number. It does not mark a 1988 pressing. The cakes are Menghai 7542 from roughly 1989–1991/92, and collectors also require dry Hong Kong storage. 'Qingbing' just means raw cake. Many '1988' attributions are therefore wrong.
The four-digit mark-number system (唛号) was standardised by the Yunnan Tea Company around 1976: first two digits = recipe year, third = average leaf grade (lower = finer), fourth = factory (1 Kunming, 2 Menghai, 3 Xiaguan). Codes 4 and 5 are reported inconsistently (Pu'er / Lancang / Lincang) between sources. A recipe is not a production: batch codes give the year digit(s) and a run number (e.g. 701 = 2007, first run; 2201 = 2022, first run). Quality varies between batches; TeaDB notes the first batch of a year often sells for well above later ones.
Listed productions of 7542, by production year. Prices reflect different batches, sellers, storage histories and sales channels; this comparison does not isolate the effect of ageing or storage.
price per 100 g, USD, log scale
| Year | Product | Channel | per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Spring Menghai '7542' qizi bing | International retail | $167.79 |
| 2005 | Dayi 7542 Batch 504 Taiwan vs Malaysian Storage | International retail | $63.03 |
| 2007 | 7542 (701批) 行情价 | China market quote | $10.49 |
| 2010 | Dayi 7542 Malaysian Storage | International retail | $21.01 |
| 2012 | 7542 (201批) 行情价 | China market quote | $6.69 |
| 2012 | 7542 (205批) 行情价 | China market quote | $6.74 |
| 2012 | Dayi 7542 Raw Pu'er Cake | International retail | $24.65 |
| 2012 | Menghai Tea Factory 7542 Recipe Raw Pu'er Tea Cake | International retail | $30.53 |
| 2022 | 7542 (2201批) 行情价 | China market quote | $3.80 |
| 2022 | 7542 Raw Pu'er Tea | Factory B2B | $8.69 |
| 2022 | Dayi 7542 Raw Pu'er Tea Cake | International retail | $18.65 |
| 2023 | 7542 (2301批) 行情价 | China market quote | $6.09 |
| 2025 | 大益 7542 (2501批) 参考价 | China market quote | $8.69 |
Type a recipe code, optionally with a batch: 7542, 7542-2201, 7572 0704, 8653.
| Product | Vendor | Price | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dayi 7542 Raw Pu'er Tea Cake | Teasenz EUWorldwide |
€24.95 / 150 g | $18.65 €16.63 / 100 g ≈ $1.31 a session |
Dayi 7542 Malaysian Storage
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Teas We LikeSelected destinations |
$75.00 / 357 g | $21.01 ≈ $1.47 a session |
Dayi 7542 Raw Pu'er Cake
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
The Steeping RoomSelected destinations |
$88.00 / 357 g | $24.65 ≈ $1.73 a session |
Menghai Tea Factory 7542 Recipe Raw Pu'er Tea Cake
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Yunnan SourcingSelected destinations |
$109.00 / 357 g | $30.53 ≈ $2.14 a session |
Dayi 7542 Batch 504 Taiwan vs Malaysian Storage
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Teas We LikeSelected destinations |
$225.00 / 357 g | $63.03 ≈ $4.41 a session |
Spring Menghai '7542' qizi bing
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Tea MastersSelected destinations |
$599.00 / 357 g | $167.79 ≈ $11.75 a session |
For comparison only. These are not retail offers or confirmation of delivery to your selected destination. Compare the same batch, date and pack size; shipping and taxes may differ.
| Product | Vendor | Price | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7542 (2201批) 行情价 China market quote
quote of 2026-09-19 · checked: 2026-10-18
|
Dayi Hangqing | CN¥3,800 / 14994 g | $3.80 CN¥25.34 / 100 g |
| 7542 (2301批) 行情价 China market quote
quote of 2026-09-04 · checked: 2026-10-18
|
Dayi Hangqing | CN¥6,100 / 14994 g | $6.09 CN¥40.68 / 100 g |
| 7542 (201批) 行情价 China market quote
quote of 2026-01-30 · checked: 2026-10-18
|
Dayi Hangqing | CN¥6,700 / 14994 g | $6.69 CN¥44.68 / 100 g |
| 7542 (205批) 行情价 China market quote
quote of 2025-04-19 · checked: 2026-10-18
|
Dayi Hangqing | CN¥13,500 / 29988 g | $6.74 CN¥45.02 / 100 g |
| 7542 Raw Pu'er Tea Factory B2B
checked: 2026-10-18
|
TAETEA HKTDC | $13.03 / 150 g | $8.69 |
| 大益 7542 (2501批) 参考价 China market quote
quote of 2026-03-17 · checked: 2026-10-18
|
ZZCTea | CN¥8,700 / 14994 g | $8.69 CN¥58.02 / 100 g |
| 7542 (701批) 行情价 China market quote
quote of 2026-08-23 · checked: 2026-10-18
|
Dayi Hangqing | CN¥21,000 / 29988 g | $10.49 CN¥70.03 / 100 g |
Prices recorded on the dates checked. Conversions use ECB rates dated 2026-10-20; original prices appear alongside. Origin, age and cultivar are stated by the vendor.
