Top-tier pan-fried bud tea from the pickings of wild heirloom variety bushes growing in the forests of Mabian. Creamy umami to sweet decadence.
Many bud Green teas are being produced in Sichuan, often collectively called Zhu Ye Qing or Que She. These are traditionally pan-fried from start to finish but as output has increased and marketeers have been pushing the more 'bright green' styles, most of the tea is either machine or semi-handmade.
This has been a cause of frustration in my tea sourcing journey for many years.
So, off I went to Sichuan this year to search for some properly handmade bud greens.
I tried many Greens in Emei and Mengding, and every time I found a handmade tea which I could swoon over, the price was way out of our collective budgets.
Eventually, I asked my Sichuan scouts to travel to Mabian - less famed than Emei and Mengding (with these names automatically bumping up the price tag).
After just a couple of days of searching, we found this beauty.
Wild Mabian is a Bud and one leaf Green from wild-growing bushes, which has been pan-fried by hand over woks.
The skill of pan-firing is clear with the requisite level of nutty and baked warmth without overwhelming the fresh aromatics and brothy richness of the tea.
In the mouth, the tea is thick and comforting with umami notes of vegetable soup and steamed rice. These then transform to an orchid and rock sugar sweetness with nutty notes of pecan, baked new potato and soya milkiness.
The empty cup brings out strawberries and cream, and the lingering rock sugar finish is juicy and refreshing.
Wild Mabian is an example of a top-tier Green - rich and bold yet refined, soft and elegant. It takes great pickings handled by masters to achieve this balance.
