A Herbal Tea Brand Just Dropped a ¥18.28 Million “Diamond Can”
For most people, Wanglaoji still means a red can, cold from the fridge, bought without thinking.
This week, it briefly means something else.
In collaboration with jewelry brand iMOKJT, Wanglaoji has released a limited-edition collectible set often referred to as “Diamond Wanglaoji.”
Price as signal: ¥18.28 million RMB per set.
Scarcity as posture: three sets worldwide.
Each set includes five full-scale “cans” made not of aluminium, but 18K gold, set with over 18,000 natural gemstones.
Function is deliberately removed.
They are not meant to be opened, poured, or drunk. They are meant to be displayed.
This is not a premium extension of a mass product.
It is a halo object, placed far above the everyday range.
For years, mass brands have borrowed from luxury through packaging upgrades, collaborations, or limited lines.
This skips the ladder entirely.
Wanglaoji jumps straight to the extreme end, using jewelry language to restate brand age, symbolism, and numerology, not performance.
Nothing here changes how the drink tastes.
Taste is not the subject.
Nothing here needs to scale.
Scale is not the intention.
In trend terms, this functions as a short-term brand signal rather than a product direction.
It does not introduce a new category, alter the core offer, or suggest a shift in everyday consumption.
The release sits outside the commercial system.
The primary impact is perceptual.
Reference: Wanglaoji
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