Abstract:In order to explore the volatile components in four kinds of black tea from China, including Dianhong, Qihong, Zhengshanxiaozhong and Jinjunmei, their volatile components were extracted by fully automated headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that total 90 volatile constituents were identified from four kinds of black tea. The major volatile components in Dianhong tea were linalool, geraniol, linalool oxides, methyl salicylate, 2-pentylfuran, and nerolidol; which in Qihong tea were hexadecanoic acid, phytone, geraniol, linalool oxides, β-ionone, phytol, and anthracene; phytone, geraniol, β-ionone, dihydroactinidiolide, caffeine, and linalool oxides in Zhengshanxiaozhong black tea; and geraniol, caffeine, linalool oxides, β-ionone, phenethyl alcohol, nerolidol, and phytol in Jinjunmei black tea. The common volatiles included benzaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, linalool oxides, linalool, geraniol, α-ionone, β-ionone, phytol, etc. The volatile compositions and contents had great differences among four kinds of black tea, only 32 compounds were common. The relative content of alcohol compounds in four black teas was high, counting for 69.08% in Dianhong tea, while that of ketone compounds was high in Qihong, Zhengshanxiaozhong, and Jinjunmei. The differences in volatile compound proportion and threshold value formed the unique aroma characteristics of these black teas.