Effects of the Type of Sencha Green Tea Leaves and the Number of Infusions on Infusion Components and Taste Preferences

Abstract

In this study, we used four types of Sencha green tea leaves to extract the infusion liquid up to the third infusion. We analysed the taste components of the extracts after conducting a taste preference survey among female college students. The taste components (e.g., tannin, caffeine, and glutamic acid) differed significantly between the types of Sencha green tea leaves and the number of infusions. Regardless of the type of leaves, the second Sencha infusions received the highest taste preference among the students. In the second infusions, the average ratio of tannin and caffeine (imparting bitter taste) to glutamic acid (imparting umami taste) was approximately 4:1. Furthermore, we found that the students who consumed green tea daily and whose family members too preferred having it, had a higher inclination for bitter and umami flavours, which are the essential characteristics of green tea. This suggests that the habit of drinking green tea as well as taste preference can be passed on to younger generations by creating an environment where people drink tea brewed with green tea leaves.