Journal of Food Science and Engineering 4 (2014) 107-114 Comparison of Sensory Characteristics of Green Tea Produced in Thai Nguyen and Phu Tho Province, Vietnam Dang Thi Minh Luyen 1, 2 , Ha Duyen Tu 1 , Philippe Lebailly 2 , Nguyen Duy Thinh 1 and Tu Viet Phu 1 1. Department of Quality Management, School of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi 10000, Vietnam 2. Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Liege, Gembloux 5030, Belgium Received: November 6, 2013 / Published: February 20, 2014. Abstract: Green tea is a popular product with a high consumption in Vietnam. Moreover, green tea produced in Tan Cuong commune, Thai Nguyen province, has long been recognized for its superior quality to those coming from other regions of the country. This study aims at comparing the tea from Thai Nguyen and Phu Tho and finding out if the difference can be identified through sensory analysis. Two products picked from Tan Cuong, Thai Nguyen province, and two others from Phu Ho district, Phu Tho province were evaluated by a trained panel of 12 judges (11 women and 1 man). The sensory evaluation of the dry tea (11 descriptors) was carried out separately from the brewed tea (21 descriptors) and brewed leaf (five descriptors) using an unstructured intensity scale (10 cm). Statistic analyses have shown differences between regions in all three groups of attributes: dry leaf, liquor and brewed leaf. Key words: Green tea, sensory analysis. 1. Introduction Green tea is one of the most important sectors in Vietnam’s beverage market, both in production and in consumption. The green tea production of Vietnam in 2010 reached 50,000 tonnes (FAO), only behind of China and Japan. Half of the green tea produced in Vietnam is destined to be consumed nationally (FAO); and, 89% of tea produced in Thai Nguyen, the main region in our research, is consumed inside Vietnam (statistics of province Thai Nguyen, 2012). Green tea has been cultivated and processed in Thai Nguyen province for hundreds of years and products of this region are recognized for their superior quality [1-3]. Tan Cuong, a commune in Thai Nguyen province, was granted the Geographical Indication in Corresponding author: Dang Thi Minh Luyen, M.Sc., researcher, research field: food quality management. E-mail: dangluyentpp@yahoo.com. 2008 for its differentiated quality. However, in reality, the products of Thai Nguyen, especially of Tan Cuong, have been counterfeited within the market, which reduces the confidence of the consumers in the products. Research to distinguish the Thai Nguyen products from other products is deemed necessary to protect the pre-existing image of Thai Nguyen products. Other sensory researchers of Thai Nguyen green tea in Vietnam had recognized variations in quality; however, the research is based only on the general notes given by the experts on tea in Vietnam, who did not describe in detail the characteristics of the products. Our method of research will be a sensory analysis of the taste profile of different teas, based on the opinion of judges evaluating a list of descriptor attributes. These days the development of productivity and quality in the Thai Nguyen tea region is derived from the local tea variety (Trung Du) and acclimatized tea D DAVID PUBLISHING