Flavor constituents of pouchong tea and a comparison of the aroma pattern with jasmine tea.

The aroma constituents of the highest quality pouchong tea were characterized by GC-MS .Forty-eight components, including five newly identified compounds were characterized.GC peak area percentages of the main components in pouchong tea were compared with those of jasmine tea to differentiate compounds contributing to the aroma characteristics of pouchong tea with superior floral elegant flavor.Nerolidol, jasmine lactone, methyl jasmonate, indole, benzyl cyanide and linalool oxides were found in much higher concentration in pouchong tea than in jasmine tea.These compounds seemed to contribute to the aroma characteristics of the highest quality pouchong tea.Pouchong tea is a kind of partially fermented Chinese tea and is known for its characteristic floral aroma.The degree of fermentation of