Abstract
This study investigated the effect of direct covering with the effective aluminum-metallized cheesecloth method on the yield of freshly plucked shoot and Tencha quality during the second season of tea production, with an aim to produce high quality Tencha. Aluminum-metallized cheesecloth maintained the back side temperature of leaves below 45℃ and minimized the burning of leaves. In addition, the intensity of leaf color of the refined Tencha planted under aluminum-metallized cheesecloth was higher than that of black cheesecloth, which suggested that aluminum-metallized cheesecloth could cause high sensory scores for appearance, aroma, and taste. Direct covering with aluminum-metallized cheesecloth also maintained yield better than the black cheesecloth. Leaf direct covering time of 1.5–2.5 leaf for 12–16 days revealed that a 1.5–2.0 leaf covering time or a 2.0 leaf covering for a period of 14 days were the most suitable conditions for obtaining high quality Tencha in the second season of tea production.
