1 THE SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS AND ACCEPTABILITY OF MINT- FLAVORED SAMBONG (Blumea balsamifera) TEA Julie Ann Abeo, Reggien Mae Badidlesm, Rosela Aquinde, Angelyn Macariola, &Venus Otida, Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Food and Service Management Eastern Visayas State University Rannie Condes Agustin, Consultant, rcagustin@alum.up.edu.ph CHAPTER l This chapter presents the background of the study that is aimed at determining the sensory characteristics of teas and acceptability by the consumers. Background of the Study Since approximately 2700 BCE, tea has been known China. Originally made by boiling fresh leaves in water for medicinal purposes, tea was consumed daily starting in the third century CE. This is when tea cultivation and processing got their start. The first account of methods of planting, processing, and drinking published in 350 CE. The first seeds were introduced to Japan around 800, and by the 13th century, cultivation had spread throughout the country. In 1810, Chinese immigrants from Amoy introduced tea cultivation to the island of Formosa (Taiwan). Tea cultivation in Java began under the Dutch, who brought seeds from Japan in 1826 and seeds, workers, and implements from China in 1833 (Sivasubramaniam, 2023). Nowadays, according to the FAO Intergovernmental Group (IGG) (2018), the consumption of tea has increased particularly quickly in China, India, and other emerging economies due to a combination of rising incomes and efforts to diversify production to include specialty products like herbal teas, fruit fusions, and flavored gourmet tea. These