> Sorry, I'm confused. Are you saying that significant numbers of
> Chinese tea lovers use the term Xiang Cha to mean post-fermented teas,
> even though there are lots of well-known Hunan green teas?

Xiang just means Hunan (simply stated). It could mean any tea produced
in Hunan - as in Xiang Hei ÏæºÚ (Hunan black), Xiang Lv ÏæÂÌ (Hunan
green), etc. It's not generally used in China to mean post-fermented
teas, though it could; as in Xiang Hei. But, just like Puer is a
place, and applied to the name of a tea, perhaps Xiang could work in
the West to be associated with Hunan black tea. Puer and Hunan black
are the same tea type: post-fermented tea (known as black tea [hei
cha] in China).

Both Puer and Hunan black tea are compressed teas (in bricks, cakes,
etc.). So not all compressed tea can be called Puer. Moreover, Hunan
black tea, just like Puer, is also aged tea; and the longer it stores,
the better it gets. However, puer and Xiang hei have distinctly
different taste characteristics.

I think Xiang Cha or Xiang Hei works as a better name to emphasize its
distinctness from Puer, which everyone is so familiar with.