Taste tests at tea time
Study researches link between green tea color, flavor
A research group for the Kansas State University Sensory Analysis Center shared their findings on the various interpretations of the taste of green tea. The group plans to develop a system for accurately and universally identifying tea flavors.
Friday, May 4th, 2007
A specific lexicon that can be used for describing the flavoring of green teas was developed by research assistants for the Kansas State University Sensory Analysis Center and will be published next month.
The assistants shared the science and analysis of their study with the KU community Thursday in the Kansas Union.
For the study, the researchers collected 138 green tea samples from nine different countries. From those samples, a trained panel created 31 different attributes, including four appearance terms, 25 flavor terms and two mouth-feel terms.
Jee Hyun Lee, the principal investigator of the study, said the growing popularity of green tea had given people different interpretations of the taste of green tea.
“We wanted to develop a lexicon for describing green tea, including a definition and reference for each attribute,” Lee said. “If I say green, we will all agree to the definition, and the reference.”
For the study, the researchers collected 138 green tea samples from nine different countries. From those samples, a trained panel created 31 different attributes, including four appearance terms, 25 flavor terms and two mouth-feel terms.
The taste testing used descriptive sensory analysis, which involved the detection and description of a product. The audience was given two samples of teas to taste, and then described them based on the attributes. The first sample was yellow, and the audience described it as having a seaweed and green flavor.
A tea with a seaweed label would contain aromatics associated with shellfish, fresh fish and ocean vegetation. Lee said most people had a hard time differentiating a seaweed or fishy taste because they grew up away from the smell of the sea.
“Many people, even the trained panelists, are from Kansas and aren’t used to eating seaweed or anything with a fish taste in it,” Lee said. “They would say ‘this just takes fishy.’ ”
Another researcher, Alicia Jenkins, Kansas State graduate student, said many things affected perception of flavor, which was comprised of all of the senses and other factors such as personal experience, age, abuse, health and genetics.
To test the audience’s flavor sensitivity, Jenkins gave the audience three different “taste tests” depending on smell, color and genetic taste-bud makeup.
One of the tests involved three gumdrops: purple, red and yellow. Jenkins said most people expected the colors to taste a certain way: grape, cherry and lemon, respectively. When the audience members tasted each gumdrop, there were looks of surprise on their faces.
Green tea also has different colors that can change the expectations of the flavor. Lauren McCoy, Overland Park junior, said she didn’t know green tea had such an array of colors.
“I have never been a fan of tea, because I prefer to drink coffee,” McCoy said. “I didn’t realize the tasting of the tea could be differentiated by so many colors.”
Kansan staff writer Danae DeShazer can be contacted at ddeshazer@kansan.com.
— Edited by Kelly Lanigan
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I am interested to find out of the result! i love green tea especially www.teacuppa.com dragonwell and bi luo chun! yummy!
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