On May 8, 1:43Â*am, MarshalN > wrote:
> On May 7, 10:23 pm, Mydnight > wrote:
>
>
>
>
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> > On May 6, 9:53 pm, juliantai > wrote:
>
> > > Guys
>
> > > I have been looking into this wonderful and impernetrable subject of
> > > tea chemistry and got struck in the terminology. I wonder if you could
> > > help.
>
> > > Apparently there are 6 tea tastes:
>
> > > astringent
> > > bitter
> > > fresh
> > > sweet
> > > sour
> > > salty
>
> > > Now, I have chosen the word fresh to correspond to the Chinese word
> > > Xian, or 鲜。It is what theanine tastes like. Can anyone think of a
> > > better word? If I say fresh tasting, would anyone know what it means?
>
> > >
>
> > > Julianhttp://www.amazing-green-tea.com
>
> > You mean like 新鲜 (xin xian)? Â*I'm not exactly sure at what you are
> > getting at when you describe a tea as "fresh". Â*You mean like when the
> > first spring teas are released it has the xian flavor?
>
> > That's not one of the flavors of tea that I've heard referred to. Â*If
> > anything they usually call it 香(xiang).
>
> é®® is often used in conjunction with the word æ´», which together, when
> describing tea, means that the tea is "lively". Â*é®® can also be used in
> conjunction with 甜, meaning "lively and sweet". Â*These are usually
> associated with green tea, although nowadays you also hear it being
> used for dry stored puerh. Â*It's rare to hear somebody say é®® on its
> own to describe a tea though, because é®® is really a taste on its own
> -- it's what MSG in food will make the food taste like. Â*It's what a
> good chicken stock tastes like. Â*é®® as an adjective for tea is, IMO,
> more a description of its feeling than its taste. Â*A cooked puerh is
> never going to be 鮮活. Â*The same is true for a roasted tieguanyin. Â*A
> pre-ming Longjing or a well stored 10 year old puerh though can
> definitely be that. Â*I think to translate into English, "light and
> lively" might be better, if slightly cumbersome.

The only time I have ever heard xian is in reference with xin xian
which just means fresh. Yes, it's usually with green tea that has
just been released or picked or something. Actually describing any
flavor or part of the tea, I have not heard before. Kinda strange.