Preliminary exploration of acceptance and emotional responses to the key floral volatile compounds of Pu'er crude tea

Pu'er crude tea (PCT), the initial raw material for making Pu'er tea, is favored because of unique flavor and health effects. Emotional response is helpful to explain consumers’ choice of different flavors of tea. This study aims to clarify the key floral volatiles of PCT and their emotional impact on people. Twenty-nine compounds were identified as the key volatiles from 237 volatiles, which formed the flowery aroma of PCT. Linalool, geraniol, nonanal, and methyl salicylate were more abundant in the PCT, they evoked the top five emotions (mild, wild, aggressive, tame, bored). Methyl salicylate contributed most to the wild emotion in the two mixed samples (B10 and B14), and it may contribute positively to the health effects of tea, such as refreshing and anti-inflammatory. This study provided a preliminary research idea for exploring the relationship between tea aroma and human emotions and its potential role in human health.