Foods 2013, 2, 554-571; doi:10.3390/foods2040554 OPEN ACCESS foods ISSN 2304-8158 www.mdpi.com/journal/foods Article Sensory and Instrumental Flavor Changes in Green Tea Brewed Multiple Times Jeehyun Lee 1, Delores Chambers 2,* and Edgar Chambers IV 2 1 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Pusan National University, 30 Jangjeon-Dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan 609 735, Korea; E-Mail:
[email protected] 2 Sensory Analysis Center, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-1407, USA; E-Mail:
[email protected] * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +1-785-532-0162. Received: 16 August 2013; in revised form: 31 October 2013 / Accepted: 18 November 2013 / Published: 29 November 2013 Abstract: Green teas in leaf form are brewed multiple times, a common selling point. However, the flavor changes, both sensory and volatile compounds, of green teas that have been brewed multiple times are unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine how the aroma and flavor of green teas change as they are brewed multiple times, to determine if a relationship exists between green tea flavors and green tea volatile compounds, and to suggest the number of times that green tea leaves can be brewed. The first and second brews of the green tea samples provided similar flavor intensities. The third and fourth brews provided milder flavors and lower bitterness and astringency when measured using descriptive sensory analysis. In the brewed liquor of green tea mostly linalool, nonanal, geraniol, jasmone, and β-ionone volatile compounds were present at low levels (using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry).