Abstract: To propose a sensory evaluation method suitable for Qingzhuan tea, a representative Qingzhuan tea produced in Hubei was soak or spray boiled in order to analyze the effects of different boiling conditions on the sensory quality and the leaching rate of major chemical components of Qingzhuan tea. The sensory quality and chemical components of the tea infusions were compared with those of tea infusion obtained by the brewing method specified in the Chinese national standard. The results showed that the sensory quality of the boiled tea infusion was significantly better than that of the brewed tea infusion; the leaching rates of major quality components such as water extract, tea polyphenols, amino acids, soluble sugars and tea pigments were much higher in the former than in the latter. From the perspectives of sensory quality and the leaching rate of major quality components, tea infusion prepared by boiling for 2 min with a tea/water ratio of 1:80 and then standing for 2–4 min tasted moderate and had good internal quality. Further correlation analysis showed high correlation coefficients between the leaching rates of soluble sugars, theabrownine and water extract and taste quality. The results of this study provide a reference for the objective evaluation of the sensory quality of Qingzhuan tea and other types of compressed tea.

Key words: Qingzhuan tea; sensory evaluation; compressed tea; water extract