Abstract:
Reliable and quantifiable green leaf parameters for predicting black tea quality potential of
tea bushes at the single bush stage are necessary to shorten tea breeding and clonal
selection programmes. Green leaf flavan-3-ols (catechins) and plain black tea quality of 11
popular Kenyan clones were determined. The individual green leaf flavan-3-ols, and all the
black tea quality parameters and sensory evaluations, except total flavan-3-ols were
significantly different. The green leaf epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) levels significantly
correlated with black tea total theaflavin (r= 0.749, P⩽ 0.007), liquor brightness (r= 0.898, P⩽
0.0001) levels and Taster B (r= 0.595, P⩽ 0.051) sensory evaluations, and negatively with
thearubigins (r=− 0.652, P⩽ 0.027), while green leaf epicatechin (EC) levels correlated
positively with thearubigins (r= 0.694, P⩽ 0.016) and negatively with theaflavin digallate …