A round cake of Pu Er tea wrapped in an orange paper sleeve featuring a black horse illustration and Chinese characters, displayed on a wooden table with a teapot and ceramic vessel in a dark, traditional setting.

2026 Yunnan Sourcing "Bing Dao Lao Zhai" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

Name: 2026 Yunnan Sourcing "Bing Dao Lao Zhai" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake
Brand: Yunnan Sourcing Brand Pu-erh
Price: 165.0 USD
Availability: InStock

by Yunnan Sourcing Brand Pu-erh

$9.00 - $165.00

$9.00

$9.00 - $165.00

$9.00

Quantity

Picked this spring from old-arbor trees (100–300 years) in Bing Dao Lao Zhai, the "old village" south of Bingdao Lake in Mengku. High elevation, clean air, cool growing conditions. Pressed into small 200g cakes, only 20kg made. This is our most expensive Lincang tea yet, and honestly one of the most exciting.

This is true Bing Dao Lao Zhai leaf, not the more common Xin Zhai material, and it shows that classic cool, crystalline character the area is known for. The cha qi is sneaky: it creeps up quietly, then blooms. First-flush picking keeps everything pure and clean, with just enough bitterness to give the tea backbone. Traditional processing means this one's built to age beautifully.

Aroma is alpine flowers, rock sugar, fresh bamboo, a whisper of citrus peel. The liquor pours pale gold and crystal clear, thick and elegant in the mouth. Flavor-wise, it's classic Bing Dao balance: a cooling, minty lift with sugarcane sweetness, a touch of measured bitterness and light astringency for structure, and hints of white peach and sweet grain showing up in the middle steeps. The finish lingers, your mouth waters long after swallowing, and the cha qi builds steadily as the session goes on.

Origin & processing

Area: Bing Dao Lao Zhai, Mengku County, Lincang
Elevation: high mountain zone near Bingdao Lake
Trees: ~100–300 years old, wild-growing
Harvest: April 2026, first flush
Craft: hand-picked, sun-withered, hand-rolled, sun-dried, stone-pressed
Cake size: 250 grams
Total production: 20kg
Wrapper design: Dominic Beinvogl

Brewing guide

Good water makes a difference here. Keep the first steeps short to let the cool sweetness come through.

Gongfu (recommended)

6g per 100ml
98–100°C
Quick rinse, then 5s, 8s, 10s, 12s, 15s, adding time gradually (good for 10+ infusions)
Want less bite? Drop to 95–96°C or shave a couple seconds off your first two pours.

Western

3–4g per 300ml
95–98°C, steep 2:00–2:30
2–3 infusions, add 20–30s each round

Grandpa style

1–1.2g per 100ml
90–95°C, top up as you sip
A cool, sugarcane-sweet cup with a clean green snap

Aging notes

Young, this tea is restrained: cooling and crystalline. Give it 3–10 years of clean storage and expect deeper honeyed sweetness, a silkier texture, and an even longer finish. Store at 50–65% RH, 70–90°F, somewhere odor-free with minimal airflow.

Origin: Bing Dao Lao Zhai in Mengku, Lincang Prefecture.
Harvested: April 2026 (first flush).
Each cake weighs 250 grams
Total production is just 20kg, only 80 cakes
Wrapper design by Dominic Beinvogl

A refined, cooling Bing Dao Lao Zhai sheng with real quiet power, and the structure to age gracefully for years to come.

Below are the previous releases of this tea under the Yunnan Sourcing Brand

This tea has been tested in a certified laboratory and has passed the MRL limits for 404 pesticide residues as established by the EU Food and Safety commission. For more information about MRL testing and the EU Food and Safety commission click on this link.

Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 2 reviews.

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Reviews

"Putting away for awhile. Ill repost a review in lets say 15-30 yrs. Lol. Hope its good. May take a morsel and brew."

— David (5/5)

Stunning quality, pure rock-sugar sweetness.

"This is an absolute gem from the Lincang region. The 2025 Bing Dao Lao Zhai showcases everything a premium raw Pu-erh should be. The mouthfeel is remarkably soft and thick, yet the flavor profile is wonderfully clean and transparent. It delivers an immediate rush of sweetness followed by a distinct minty, cooling effect in the throat. The endurance of this tea is impressive—I easily got over 10+ steeps, and the sweet aftertaste lasted long after the session. The energy (Cha Qi) is deeply relaxing. Yunnan Sourcing nailed the sourcing on this one. Worth every penny!"

— OAK K. (5/5)