Abstract:The applicability of a machine for the fermentation of black tea was evaluated. Fresh tea samples with one bud and three leaves were plucked from four cultivars（′Yunkang 10′，′Xueya 100′，′Aifeng′，and′Chang-yebaihao′）of Camellia sinenesis（Linn.）var. assamica（Masters）Kitamura，and black tea samples were produced by mechanical fermentation and conventional fermentation，respectively. The biochemical components and sensory quality of black tea produced by the two fermentation methods were compared. The results showed that the black tea produced by mechanical fermentation had similar quality and lower coefficients of variation of quality indicators（i.e.，more stable quality）than that produced by conventional fermentation.Compared with traditional fermented black tea，machine - fermented black tea had slightly higher quality,shorter fermentation time，stable leaf temperature，and was more suitable for mass production.