Effects of Raw Materials from Different Tea Cultivars of Leaf Colour on Sichuan Dark Tea Quality

To explore the influence of raw materials from different cultivars on the quality of Sichuan dark tea, the raw materials of 4 tea cultivars were used in this study. The main chemicals and aroma components were analyzed by sensory evaluation, chemical analysis and gas chromato graphy-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) . The main components of Sichuan dark teas made from different tea cultivars were significantly different. The contents of water extract, tea polyphenols, catechins and caffeine of Sichuan dark teas from 'Zijuan' were the highest, which were 49.45%, 18.54%, 4.77%, and 4.21%, respectively, followed by Sichuan dark tea processed with 'Huangjinya' cultivar, all of them were significantly (P