Welcoming Spring (迎春, Yíng Chūn, "Welcoming Spring") - Mabian-based tea farmer and tea master Heng Yi developed this style of green tea using the wild plants of Mabian, Sichuan. The process developed out of a very informal vernacular Western style he originally learned from his mother, which he made into a tea called Mǎbiān Máojiān. He’s refined his process over the last 20 years, culminating in a sweeter, more fragrant green tea than his original technique. He’s also begun using an earlier pluck with more buds as his green tea base. Heng Yi is so pleased with the results that he’s completely discontinued Mǎbiān Máojiān because he’s convinced the new process is superior. He calls it Yíng Chūn, which means “Welcoming Spring”, because it is picked at the very beginning of spring greening.
