This article constructs a flavor wheel for Pu'er Tea and Fu brick tea from the dimensions of aroma and taste, establishing a sensory quantitative descriptive vocabulary list for both teas. The aim is to determine sensory descriptive terms that can be used to describe Pu'er tea and Fu brick tea, providing application value for distinguishing, evaluating their sensory characteristics, and developing products related to these teas.
In this study, 35 representative samples of Pu'er tea and 35 of Fu brick tea from different years and origins were selected (Table 1). Referring to the black tea sensory evaluation method in GB/T 23776—2018 “Sensory Evaluation Method for Tea,” the aroma and taste of the teas were evaluated. This led to a comprehensive understanding of the sensory flavor characteristics of both types of black tea and the further construction of a flavor wheel.
The Pu'er tea flavor wheel, as shown in Figure 1, includes two categories: aroma and taste. The outermost layer contains specific descriptors, totaling 40. Aroma descriptors include aged fragrance, camphor aroma, ginseng-like aroma, herbal medicine aroma, Soybean aroma, hay aroma, jujube aroma, lactic acid scent, fresh aroma, floral Honey aroma, mushroom aroma, smoky charred scent, and 31 others. Taste descriptors include sweetness, bitterness, astringency, sourness, full-bodied, umami, full-bodied, mellow, rich, and full-flavored, with a total of 9 descriptors.
The Fu brick tea flavor wheel, as shown in Figure 2, is summarized based on aroma and taste. There are 39 specific descriptors on the outer layers, including aroma descriptors such as fungus Flower aroma, aged fragrance, herbal medicine aroma, lactic acid scent, grassy scent, caramel aroma, mushroom aroma, earthy scent, oily rancid smell, pine smoke aroma, and 32 others. Taste descriptors include sweetness, bitterness, astringency, sourness, full-bodied, umami, full-bodied, and mellow, with a total of 7 descriptors.
After discussion by the evaluation panel, 23 sensory attribute descriptors with significant influence on the sensory flavors of Pu'er tea and Fu brick tea were selected. Samples for evaluation (Table 2) were chosen, and a sensory quantitative descriptive vocabulary list was constructed for both teas. Definitions, reference samples, and standards were added for the selected sensory attribute descriptors (Table 3).
Based on this, 12 representative Pu'er tea samples and 12 Fu brick tea samples from different years were selected. Referring to the ISO 11035—1994 standard, the trained evaluation panel applied the QDA method to evaluate them. Based on the panel's scoring, M values and variances were further calculated. Using multivariate statistical analysis methods, Pu'er tea was found to have 7 aroma descriptors (woody aroma, sweet aroma, medicinal aroma, fermenting scent, glutinous rice aroma, jujube aroma, aged fragrance) and 5 taste descriptors (sweetness, bitterness, astringency, sourness, full-bodied), while Fu brick tea had 5 aroma descriptors (woody aroma, sweet aroma, medicinal aroma, aged fragrance, fungus flower aroma) and 5 taste descriptors (sweetness, bitterness, astringency, sourness, full-bodied).
Based on the main descriptors obtained for Pu'er tea and Fu brick tea, the evaluation panel scored the sensory attributes of three Pu'er tea samples (PE-1, PE-2, and PE-3) and three Fu brick tea samples (FZ-1, FZ-2, and FZ-3), and plotted radar charts, as shown in Figure 11. Upon application validation, it was found that these main descriptors could well describe the sensory characteristics of Pu'er tea and Fu brick tea, further confirming the scientific nature of the flavor wheel construction.
This study initially established flavor wheels for Pu'er tea and Fu brick tea from different years and origins, providing theoretical basis for distinguishing the sensory flavor characteristics of these two types of black tea. It is noteworthy that the flavor wheels in this study do not yet cover all the sensory attribute characteristics of the two types of black tea and require continuous exploration, improvement, and supplementation in practice to make the flavor wheels of both teas more complete.
