Bingdao Lao Zhai 2024 Sheng
🇨🇳 China

Bingdao Lao Zhai 2024 Sheng

Bīng Dǎo Lǎo Zhài 2024 Shēng · 冰岛老寨 2024 生 (冰島老寨 2024 生)

puerh-sheng · bing · ancient-tree

Bingdao Lao Zhai is the Old Village of Bingdao ("Ice Island") in Mengku Township, Shuangjiang County, Lincang Prefecture. Tea is plucked from ancient Gushu trees (100–300+ years old) at 1,640 m elevation, in untouched high-altitude forest. The cup is the canonical Lincang style: thick mineral-rich liquor, cooling sweetness, and pronounced cha qi. The hype only really took off around 2005 when Mengku Rongshi released cakes from this village; today authentic Bingdao Lao Zhai is among the most expensive raw pu-erh per gram on earth.

Quick facts

Origin
China
Region
Bingdao (Ice Island)
Harvest year
2024
Harvest season
spring
Elevation
1640 m
Shape
bing
Cultivation
ancient tree
Cultivars
Da Ye Zhong (Large-Leaf Varietal)

Brewing

Leaf
6.0 g / 100 ml
Water
100°C
Rinse
yes
Gongfu steeps (s)
5, 5, 8, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90

Treat like Lao Banzhang — short flash steeps to reveal the mineral structure, then lengthen as the leaves give. Younger Bingdao is bitter-sweet rather than aged-mellow; the cooling huigan is the marker of the real thing.

Calculate leaf weight for this tea

Tasting notes

Aroma
forest, fresh sugarcane, mineral, faint orchid
Flavor
thick, mineral sweet, cooling huigan
Mouthfeel
thick, oily
Finish
very long, cooling

Aging potential

With proper storage (~70% RH, stable temperature) Bingdao Lao Zhai gushu rewards 15–25 years of aging into a deep mineral-honey body.

Sources and review

Last reviewed:

External references used to review this entry.

Related teas

Vendors

Tea shop board

Current offers

Live shop offers from tea vendors with price, stock, and size details.

Compare all offers for this tea