To explore the characteristics of dark teas from different origins, their bacterial diversity, mineral elements, quality properties and the contents of major taste substances were determined by high-throughput sequencing technology, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and sensory evaluation, etc. The results were as follows: Zinc and caffeine tended to accumulate abundantly in high-tenderness dark teas like An tea and Pu''er ripe tea, etc, while manganese, selenium, and other elements accumulated more in low-tenderness dark teas like Fu zhuang tea, Qingzhuang tea, and Tibetan dark tea. The infused leaves of Pu''er ripe tea were tender and brittle. Liubao tea had highest theabrownins content at 10.32% and infused leaves were intact and tender. Fuzhuang tea was richest in soluble sugars,whose content was 54.44mg.g-1 and the infused leaves remained intact with relatively firm texture.Tibetan dark tea exhibited the lowest water extract content at 25.36% and its infused leaves contained a large amount of lignified tea stalks. Qingzhuan tea had the lowest flavonoid content at 9.54mg.g-1 and its infused leaves contained numerous stalks mixed with broken leaf fragments. An tea has the lowest moisture content at 7.73% and tender yellow infused leaves. Bacillota and Actinobacteriota, etc.were the dominant bacterial phyla across all six kinds of dark teas. Principal component analysis of microbial abundance data showed that the bacterial community of An tea was significantly different from those of the other five dark teas. Correlation analysis indicated that Bacillus and Actinobacteria promote the formation of theabrownins via the metabolism of polyphenols and carbohydrates. Moisture content significantly regulated the growth of functional microflora, thereby modulating the flavor and aging quality of dark tea.The study would offer valuable references for the comprehension of quality traits of dark teas from various origins.