Classic Recipe: 7532

A good 7532 shows a clear gold liquor, a noticeably floral and slightly sweet aroma from the finer leaf, and a bitterness that is present but quicker to convert than in coarser-grade cakes. The tippier material means more aromatic top notes but, often, a slightly lighter body than a grade-4 or grade-8 blend. As with any famous Menghai recipe, the wrapper proves nothing on its own and relabeled or counterfeit cakes circulate, so judge it in the cup. First-batch productions use better material than later runs of the same year. Look for fragrance and clean conversion rather than brute strength, which is not what this recipe is built to deliver.

Like its siblings, 7532 is a Menghai (Dayi) blend of Yunnan large-leaf assamica material rather than a single-garden tea, assembled to a target profile each year. The defining variable in the code is the 3: a finer, more tip-heavy leaf grade than the 4 of 7542 or the 8 of 8582, which is what gives this recipe its more floral, earlier-drinking character. The recipe formula dates to the mid-1970s and the cake has been produced more or less continuously since, making it another fixed reference point alongside 7542.

Gongfu: 6-8 g per 100 ml in a porcelain gaiwan, 95-100°C, one brief rinse, then flash steeps of 5-10 seconds early, extending gradually; the finer leaf gives up fragrance quickly, so short early steeps protect the top notes. Expect 8-12 infusions. Western: about 3 g per 200 ml, 90-95°C, 2-3 minutes for the first steep, re-steeping two or three times.

Recent-year Dayi 7532 sits in a similar band to 7542, roughly €10-22 (about $11-24) per 100 g for standard batches, with first batches and notable years priced higher. Aged 7532 climbs into collector pricing.

Prices reviewed June 2026

7532 ages well under stable dry storage; the finer leaf can mean it shows attractive aged character a little sooner than the coarsest blends, though the ceiling for ultimate aged depth is often credited to burlier material. Keep it in moderate humidity, away from strong odors.

Certain 1980s 7532 productions are storied aged cakes, with the cakes collectors call the Snow Mark (Xue Yin) among them; as with all famous aged Menghai recipes, authentication is the central difficulty and provenance matters more than taste alone. Recent-year cakes bought to age yourself are the practical entry.