Tea Quality: An Overview of the Analytical Methods and Sensory Analyses Used in the Most Recent Studies

Abstract

Tea, one of the world’s most consumed beverages, has a rich variety of sensory qualities such as appearance, aroma, mouthfeel and flavor. This review paper summarizes the chemical and volatile compositions and sensory qualities of different tea infusions including black, green, oolong, dark, yellow, and white teas based on published data over the past 4 years (between 2021 and 2024), largely focusing on the methodologies. This review highlights the relationships among the different processing methods of tea and their resulting chemical and sensory profiles. Environmental and handling factors during processing, such as fermentation, roasting, and drying are known to play pivotal roles in shaping the unique flavors and aromas of different types of tea, each containing a wide variety of compounds enhancing specific sensory characteristics like umami, astringency, sweetness, and fruity or floral notes, which may correlate with certain groups of chemical compositions. The integration of advanced analytical methods, such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), with traditional sensory analysis techniques was found to be essential in the evaluation of the chemical composition and sensory attributes of teas. Additionally, emerging approaches like near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and electronic sensory methods show potential in modern tea evaluation. The complexity of tea sensory characteristics necessitates the development of combined approaches using both analytical methods and human sensory analysis for a comprehensive and better understanding of tea quality.