Abstract:CTC broken black teas with four specifications were analyzed in terms of sensory score, physicochemical components and aroma components. The results showed that all the dried broken black teas had a brown color, and their tea infusions were mainly bright red, with a mellow, strong and fresh taste and a sweet aroma. The No. 3 broken black tea had the highest sensory quality score. The contents of the various physicochemical components in the broken black teas with different specifications varied significantly. The total amounts of water extract, theophylline and catechin decreased with the decrease of particles. The No. 3 broken black tea had the highest contents of tea polyphenols (25.68 mg/g), caffeine (43.67 mg/g) and total catechins (96.93 mg/g), whilst the No. 5 broken black tea had the highest content of total flavonoids of (20.30 mg/g). GC-MS analyses of the broken black teas with four specifications revealed nine categories and 100 kinds of aroma substances such as alcohols (44.11%~51.84%), esters (15.31%~18.96%) and aldehydes (5.99%~11.56%). There were 21 kinds of aroma components. The aroma of the No. 3 broken black tea differed the most from those of other teas with different specifications, and had the most abundant types of aroma substances. The aroma of the No. 2 broken tea resembled the most to that of the powdered tea, with the No. 5 broken tea having the least types of aroma substances. The analyses revealed that CTC broken black teas with different specifications showed differences in sensory score, chemical composition and aroma components, which preliminarily clarifys the quality differences among the CTC broken black teas with different specifications.
