Sensory Perception of Jinjunmei Tea Affected by Brewing Conditions

Objective Method and conditions of brewing significantly affect the flavor and taste of Jinjunmei tea which were studied to maximize the drinking pleasure.

Method The Jinjunmei tea produced in 2022 and brewed with a Gaiwan with the tea water ratio 1∶20, was used in single factor experiments with varied sources of water to determine the effect of water quality on the brewed tea. Subsequently, orthogonal experiments applying different water temperatures to seep or soak leaves with varied lengths of holding times were conducted to optimize the brewing.

Result The more soluble solids (TDS) in the steep water, the duller and less clean the resulting brewed tea smelt and tasted. By using hotter water for a shorter time, the brewed tea tended to be more aromatic and refreshing. Otherwise, the taste became raw with astringency and flavor with an over-cooked connotation. The significance of various steeping conditions that affected the sensory quality of a brewed tea ranked as steeping/holding time>seeping or soaking>water temperature; and those impacted the concentration of tea ranked as seeping or soaking>steeping/holding time>water temperature.

Conclusion It was recommended that using boiling water that contains little soluble solids (e.g., TDS≤40 mg·L⁻¹) to steep Jinjunmei tea at not lower than 95℃ by seeping and less than 30 s soaking time to maximize the exquisite quality of the famed black tea.