Quality Difference of Oolong Tea Made from Leaves of 13 Different Tea Cultivars in Jian’ou Area#br#

Toexplore the difference of flavor characteristics among different cultivars of Oolongtea in Jian’ou area, and clarify the key biochemical components of qualitydifference, the Oolong tea made from leaves of 13 different tea tree cultivars inJian’ou area were studied. The biochemical components of 13 Oolong teacultivars in Jian’ou area were determined, and the relationship betweenbiochemical components and quality characteristics of Oolong tea in Jian’ou areawas explored by combining sensory evaluation and multivariate statisticalanalysis. The results showed that ‘Aijiao oolong’ (90 points) had the highestsensory score, which was characterized by long lasting fragrance and strongtaste of peach, followed by ‘Jin Mudan’ (89.0 points), which was characterizedby long lasting fragrance and fragrance of flowers, especially superior toother cultivars in the single score of taste. The water extract and solublesugar content of Oolong tea in Jian’ou area made by the Aijiao oolong and JinMudan are higher, showing a strong mellow and sweet taste. Partial least squarediscriminant and cluster analysis showed that theophylline, theaflavins, teapolyphenols and water extract were the key factors that caused the qualitydifference of Oolong tea in Jian’ou area, and it was speculated that they wereimportant biochemical components to identify the quality of  Oolong tea. This study would aid theselection and breeding of Oolong tea varieties for the specialty tea productionand quality improvements in the region.