Abstract:Rose black tea was a substitute tea made from rose petals via the processing techniques of black tea. During the production of rose black tea，microorganisms play a crucial role in its quality，functional properties，flavor，and biosafety. The distribution patterns of dominant microorganisms during the processing of rose black tea and their potential impacts on tea quality and safety were studied. Bacteria and fungi were cultured，isolated，and initially identified based on colony morphology during five key processing stages （flower，withering，rolling，fermentation，and drying stages） of rose black tea. Molecular identification was subsequently performed based on bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal internal transcribed spacer （ITS） sequences. A total of 12 bacterial strains and 12 fungal strains were isolated and identified from the five processing stages. The potential roles of these dominant microorganisms in the quality formation of rose black tea were discussed. Bacillus （especially B. licheniformis and B. subtilis），Pantoea agglomerans，and Staphylococcus epidermidis among bacteria，as well as Meyerozyma guilliermondii，Candida tropicalis，Aspergillus tubingensis，Aspergillus niger，and Chaetomium globosum among fungi，contributed positively to the product quality. The unique quality and flavor of rose black tea were formed through the synergistic action of multiple microorganisms. Moreover，management recommendations for rose black tea production considering the potential biosafety hazards in traditional processing methods were proposed.