The Aroma Profiles of Thai Green Teas Derived from Two Varieties, Chinese and Assam

Abstract

Camellia sinensis cultivated for tea has two varieties: Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (Chinese variety) and Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Assam variety). Japanese green teas are mainly produced from the Chinese variety, whereas Thai green teas are made from both varieties. The odors of Thai green teas made from each variety differ from each other and are also distinct from that of Japanese green tea. Here, we investigated the characteristics of the aroma of Thai green teas (Chinese and Assam varieties) and Japanese green tea (Chinese variety) following fractional distillation of their hexane extracts. Each fraction was analyzed by gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We found that the rich aroma characteristics of Thai green tea depend on whether the Chinese or the Assam variety is used.