Abstract:In order to understand the quality characteristic of Taiping Houkui tea and clonal breeding of ‘Shida tea’, the aromatics, catechins and free amino acids in three strains of ‘Shida tea’ (No. 6, No. 7, No. 23) were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography and amino acid analyzer. The results showed that (Z)-3-Hexen-1-ol, myrcene, limonene, cis-β-ocimene, linalool, linalool oxide, methyl salicylate, cis-hexanoic acid-3-hexenyl ester and cis-jasmone are main aroma components of ‘Shida tea’, accounting for 74.70%, 83.65%, 87.73% of total aroma in No. 6, No. 7 and No. 23, respectively. Contents of catechins, caffeine and amino acids had significant differences among three strains, the ratio of polyphenols to amino acids were 7.75, 16.49, 7.69, respectively. According to the sensory evaluation, green tea processed from No. 6 and No. 23 in fresh smell and mellow taste were better than that from No. 7. Therefore, the strains No. 6 and No. 23 are suitable to be used as materials for clonal breeding.