Quantitation of Flavor Characteristics in Well-Known Green Tea Using Static and Dynamic Sensory Methods

In this study, a trained panel of assessors was utilized to evaluate four well-known types of roasted green tea from the Huangshan and Dabie Mountain ranges by quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA), temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA), and temporal dominance of sensation (TDS). Meanwhile, a consumer panel was selected to apply the temporal dominance of emotion (TDE) method for tea quality assessment. The results indicated that QDA effectively characterized the flavor profiles of the four types of green tea. TCATA, allowing real-time recording of flavor attributes, revealed that the dynamic flavor perception of Huangshan green tea followed the decreasing order of “mellow” > “fresh” > “retronasal aroma” > “sweet aftertaste”, while that of Dabie green tea followed the decreasing order of “rich” > “bitter” > “astringent” > “thick”. The combination of TDS and TDE further revealed the correlation between specific dominant sensory attributes and consumer emotions during tea tasting. The positive correlation between bitterness and consumer emotions increased in the order of “rich” < “impressive” < “unexpected” < “unpleasant”, while the positive correlation of “retronasal aroma” and “sweet aftertaste” with consumer emotions increased in the order of “mild” < “pleasant” < “interesting”. This study provides a theoretical foundation for tea enterprises to accurately grasp the dynamic characteristics of tea products and to guide consumers in experiencing real-time changes in tea flavor.