Preliminary Report on New Tea Variety ‘Zhilong’

Oolong tea, Huangdan, was used as control（CK）to compare with the new variety, Zhilong, on their morphological characteristics, growth period, fresh leaves yield, brewed tea quality, disease/stress resistance and chemical composition. The results showed that Zhilong belonged to a clonal, bush-type, small leaf and early sprouting variety of teas. Its sprouting time were 4-5 days later than that of CK, with a yield equivalent to CK. The brewed Zhilong tea was characterized by its clean aroma, highly fragrant floral scent, as well as refreshing and mellow taste. The sensory evaluation rated Zhilong tea higher than CK. The contents of water extracts, polyphenols and total dissociative amino acids, total catechins and caffeine were 51.4%, 20.95%, 4.05%, 13.37% and 4.95%, respectively, in the ground samples of one bud and two leaves plucked from the Zhilong tea bushes in the spring. Moreover, Zhilong was highly adaptable, strongly resistant to cold weather, and equally resistant to drought, diseases and insects as CK.