Sheng Pu-er from the Bingdao area of Mengku, Lincang; labels should distinguish Bingdao Laozhai from the broader village grouping.
Rock-sugar-like sweetness and cooling impressions are common trade descriptions. They vary with the lot and brewing, and are not evidence that a tea comes from Bingdao Laozhai.
'Bingdao' can mean only Bingdao Laozhai (the old Dai village and the price benchmark), or the whole Bingdao administrative village. That also includes Nuowu, Dijie, Nanpo and Bawai, together called the 冰岛五寨. Vendors sell the other four at much lower prices, sometimes as 'Bingdao' without qualification. Some vendors also mention a 'Bingdao Xinzhai'.
冰岛 is also the Chinese name of Iceland, hence the English 'Ice Island'. The Lincang village name, however, transcribes a Dai word. One Chinese account glosses it as a damp, moss-rich place, another as a home with a bamboo-fence gate. The ice imagery used in marketing has no basis in the name.
The distinction between Laozhai and the wider five-village grouping matters when comparing teas sold as Bingdao. The regional profile explains how those place names differ.
CNIPA announcement 625, issued on 1 April 2025 and published on 14 April, granted geographical-indication product recognition to Bingdao Laozhai Tea (Bingdao Zhengshan Tea). Its listed area is Bingdao natural village within Bingdao administrative village, Mengku, Shuangjiang County. This is narrower than the five-village grouping. The final recognition follows preliminary announcement 616; neither document authenticates an individual retail tea.
Bingdao explains the broader grouping; Mengku large-leaf identifies plant material. Neither a familiar sweetness description nor the cultivar alone establishes the narrow origin. A claimed village, harvest and supporting provenance describe a particular tea more precisely.
Price ranks compare recorded retail offers for the same tea, including offers outside the current delivery filter. Shipping and import charges are excluded.
| Product | Vendor | Price | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moss Island Bingdao 2018 Shengcha Pu'er Maocha (40 g)
Leaf harvest year: 2018 Claimed origin: Bingdao, Mengku, Shuangjiang, Lincang, Yunnan, China Details and price notesCompare 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.
Shop base currency USD (Store API uses currency_minor_unit=1: 213 = USD 21.30). The seller's pages do not state whether this price includes tax. Excludes shipping. |
Tea HongSelected destinations |
$21.30 / 40 g | $53.25 ≈ $3.73 a session |
| Bing Dao Sheng Pu'er Mengku 2023 | Flying Bird TeaSelected destinations |
€24.00 / 50 g | $53.83 €48.00 / 100 g ≈ $3.77 a session |
Yunnan Sourcing Bing Dao Lao Zhai 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 |
$132.00 / 200 g | $66.00 ≈ $4.62 a session |
Yunnan Sourcing Bing Dao Lao Zhai 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 |
$165.00 / 250 g | $66.00 ≈ $4.62 a session |
Yunnan Sourcing Bing Dao Lao Zhai 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 |
$156.25 / 200 g | $78.13 ≈ $5.47 a session |
Bingdao Lao Zhai Ancient Tree Pu'er
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 Essence of TeaWorldwide |
$1,458 / 500 g | $291.60 ≈ $20.41 a session |
Bing Dao Di Jie Single Tree Gushu Green Pu'er
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 HabitatWorldwide |
$86.00 / 28.35 g | $303.35 ≈ $21.23 a session |
Bing Dao Lao Zhai 500 Years Old Green Pu'er
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 HabitatWorldwide |
$169.00 / 28.35 g | $596.12 ≈ $41.73 a session |
Bing Dao Lao Zhai 800 Years Old Gushu Green Pu'er
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 HabitatWorldwide |
$562.00 / 28.35 g | $1,982 ≈ $138.77 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 雨林档案·冰岛 Brand suggested price
checked: 2026-10-18
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.
|
Yulin Gucha Fang suggested price | CN¥2,800 / 84 g | $499.15 CN¥3,333 / 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.
China reference prices centre on about $499.15 per 100 g. 5 international listing(s) cost less than half of that, so their origin claims deserve a closer look.
| Product | Vendor | Channel | per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moss Island Bingdao 2018 Shengcha Pu'er Maocha (40 g) | Tea Hong | International retail | $53.25 |
| Bing Dao Sheng Pu'er Mengku 2023 | Flying Bird Tea | International retail | $53.83 |
| Yunnan Sourcing Bing Dao Lao Zhai Raw Pu'er Tea Cake | Yunnan Sourcing | International retail | $66.00 |
| Yunnan Sourcing Bing Dao Lao Zhai Raw Pu'er Tea Cake | Yunnan Sourcing | International retail | $66.00 |
| Yunnan Sourcing Bing Dao Lao Zhai Raw Pu'er Tea Cake | Yunnan Sourcing | International retail | $78.13 |
| Bingdao Lao Zhai Ancient Tree Pu'er | The Essence of Tea | International retail | $291.60 |
| Bing Dao Di Jie Single Tree Gushu Green Pu'er | Tea Habitat | International retail | $303.35 |
| 雨林档案·冰岛 | Yulin Gucha Fang suggested price | Brand suggested price | $499.15 |
| Bing Dao Lao Zhai 500 Years Old Green Pu'er | Tea Habitat | International retail | $596.12 |
| Bing Dao Lao Zhai 800 Years Old Gushu Green Pu'er | Tea Habitat | International retail | $1,982 |
