2026 Wilderness - ManZhuan Puerh

FatBat Private Pressing Wild Raw Puerh

蛮砖 曼林 荒野

This is a tea that we have never produced before, from a remote slope on Man Zhuan mountain, far away from the gushu groves of Man Lin village (where we pressed our 2023 Man Zhuan Man Lin tea). This “new-to-us”8 wild grove was introduced to us by Brother Zhang, who explained that the trees here were cultivated a long time ago by the Man Lin villagers, but for the past 10-20 years, have not been regularly picked due to the remoteness of the grove. Hence the name we chose -- "Wilderness".

Having been left to grow wild in the deep jungle, these trees have grown impressively tall for their age (such groves are described as 放高, or “left to grow tall” in Chinese). The lack of human traffic has endowed this material with a superb purity. The uniqueness of the terroir here is also fascinating – while the core Man Zhuan character of honeyed fruit is still present, it is a much brighter, zestier expression, showing enough tannin substance to mature well. Excellent value and a wonderful way to indulge in the wild character of this Greater Yiwu / 6 Mountains terroir.

TASTING NOTES

First brews yield a glowing light-gold soup. Dried pineapple, cherry tomato puree and the woody sweetness of the first bite of a sugarcane. Intense aroma of tropical fruit in the back of the nasal passages. The bottom of the cup presents a surprisingly rich spiced caramel fragrance, at odds with the lightness of the tea itself. Lighter bodied, but a ginger-flower tang and a pleasant trail of tannin activity continues to play on the tongue long after the swallow. Later steeps bring forward bright tannins and citrusy mouthfeel, which will smoothen and thicken with age. Energizing qi localizing in the chest and upper throat.

TERROIR

Man Lin village sits on Man Zhuan mountain (one of the 6 ancient tea mountains) – you may have heard of other neighboring villages on the same mountain like Wa Long and Peach Village. This particular grove, however, grows completely wild and untended a good distance away from Man Lin village, outside the borders of the ancient gardens that are typically picked for Man Lin productions. The tree varietals here appear to be a different mix as well, with what seems to be proportionally more medium and larger-leaved cultivars. This makes for a very interesting opportunity to sample a unique expression of the Man Zhuan terroir, that is not often offered for tasting.