(2) Charm
Simply put, charm refers to elegance and serenity in a harmonious atmosphere. To create charm in tea, one must first be equipped several natural conditions: 1) favorable ecological conditions where the tea is grown, 2) excellent processing technology, 3) excellent processing environment, 4) elegant tea-drinking environment, 5) scientific brewing techniques, 6) rich aroma of tea leaves and synthesized flavors. The charm of tea refers to uniqueness or style of various tea products. It’s a special feel the tea drinker has while appreciating the soup. It stands for the quality and character of the tea being enjoyed, the highest standard of the same type of products. It’s both a feeling and a superior realm. Charm, which is often associated with atmosphere, can also mean a charming atmosphere. The tea soup is often judged by its four features of color, aroma, taste and charm and the four is also collectively known as the charm of tea. Beautiful and outstanding but not haughty or gaudy is the true essence of the charm of tea. Nevertheless, different tea products will give us different feels about them, and different teas have different charms. For example, Tieguanyin (Iron Goddess) is known for its “sound charm,” Yancha (Rock Tea) for its “rocky charm,” Xihu Longjing (Dragon Well Tea of West Lake) for its “charm of elegance,” Huangshan Maofeng Tea for its “cold charm,” Dongding (Taiwan) Tea for its “throat charm,” Lingtou Dancong Tea for its “nectar charm,” Wuzi Green Tea for its “dark charm,” and Shiguping Wulong Tea for its “mountain charm….” By contrast, Pu’er tea is best known for its “old charm” which is the epitome of time and age.
In sum, Pu’er tea can taste sweet, sour, bitter, astringent and fresh, can feel mellow, thick, smooth, thin and rough in the mouth, and create a sweet aftertaste, lubricate the throat and generate saliva in the mouth. Salivation takes place in different ways. Saliva can gush out like a rough and precipitous flood from inside the cheeks; it can trickle out like a gurgling little stream that flows persistently like a soft, slender thread; it can emerge like sweet dew from the upper surface of the tongue, producing a lubricating, tender and delicate feeling; and it can also emerge from under the tongue to give a constant feel of fine bubbles that resemble a spurting fountain. The essence of tea appreciation is taste, its purport enjoyment, and its glamor fun. The process of appreciation is the process of enjoyment. Its best taste is found by whoever has a good command of quality, quantity, limit and time.
Refer to Figure 138
滋味类型 具体表现
Type of taste Features
味感甜、苦、涩、酸、鲜
Sense of taste Sweet, bitter, astringency, sour, fresh
口感滑、化、活、爽、厚、薄、水、利
Mouthfeel Smooth, changing, dynamic, refreshing, thick, thin, watery, rough
汤感软度、黏稠度、厚度、滑度
Soupiness Softness, viscosity, thickness, smoothness
回感回甘、回苦、喉润、生津
Sense of recurrenceSweet aftertaste, bitter aftertaste, throat lubricating, saliva inducing
The taste of tea is closely associated with the aroma of tea. During the evaluation process, the reviewer can smell a multitude of aromas, such as the aromas of flowers and nectar or honey. In general, tea that smells good tastes good as well.Aroma and taste can corroborate each other.
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