Abstract
Rougui Wuyi Rock Tea (WRT) is characterized by a distinctive cinnamon-like aroma, however, its odorant basis and perceptual modulation remain unclear. Using cinnamon bark as a sensory reference, a sensomics strategy combining HS-SPME-GC-MS, GC-O, aroma recombination and addition tests was applied to Rougui tea infusions. Seven aroma-active candidates were selected, among which benzenepropanal (BP) and α-terpineol (AT) were made major contributions to the cinnamon-like profile. Linalool (Lin) reduced cinnamon-like intensity from 5.83 to 2.00 in the reconstructed BP + AT system and from 6.67 to 4.33 in CinRG infusion, indicating floral masking (p Rougui WRT.