Differential characterization of volatile components and aroma sensory properties of different types of Hehong tea (Congou black tea)

To explore the flavour characteristics and their different molecular mechanisms of different types of Hehong tea (Gongya, GY; Congou, CG and Laocong, LC) from the perspective of dry tea, we investigated their volatile compounds and sensory aroma sub-attribute characteristics by headspace–solid phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC–MS), quantitative description analysis (QDA), and chemometrics. A total of 42 volatile compounds were identified in Hehong tea, of which alcohol content was the highest, the number of esters was the largest and pyrrole showed the largest differences. The volatile components of GY and LC differed, whereas those of CG and LC were more similar. There were 34 volatile components with a significant difference in the three types of Hehong tea. We established the aroma quantitative system of Hehong tea by using QDA. We found that sweety was probably the symbolic aroma sub-attribute of Hehong tea, and woody was the characteristic sub-attribute of LC, and there was a certain correlation among the aroma sub-attributes. A total of 21 volatile components importantly contributed to the aroma sub-attributes of Hehong tea. Furthermore, we screened out 18 marker volatile compounds that may be used as important indicators for distinguishing the three types of Hehong tea. Our findings add to our understanding of the flavour characteristics and aromas of the three types of Hehong tea and provide new strategies and thoughts for the evaluation of tea flavour using dry tea.