Abstract:Ripened Pu-erh tea is a post-fermented tea characterized by distinctive quality attributes and geographical specificity. To investigate the influence of raw material origin on the quality and chemical composition of ripened pu-erh tea, sun-dried green tea leaves from two core production areas of Yunnan Province, Menghai and Shuangjiang, were used as raw materials and fermented under a unified pile-fermentation process. A comprehensive comparative analysis was conducted using sensory evaluation, physicochemical assays, and untargeted metabolomics. Menghai group was characterized by a pure and intense aged aroma, a thick and mellow taste with lingering sweet aftertaste, and a relatively bright brownish-red liquor. In contrast, Shuangjiang group exhibited a pure aged aroma, a sweet and mellow taste with sweet aftertaste, and a bright reddish-brown liquor. Physicochemical analysis indicated that the Menghai group contained significantly higher levels of tea polyphenols (P < 0.05), while the Shuangjiang group had significantly higher theabrownin content (P < 0.05). A total of 159 non-volatile metabolites were identified, from which 49 key differential metabolites were screened. The Menghai group was generally enriched in catechins, dimeric catechins, N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidinone-substituted flavan-3-ols, flavonoid glycosides, phenolic acids and organic acids, whereas the Shuangjiang group showed marked accumulation of 1-methylxanthine, paraxanthine and pyridoxal. These findings indicate that, even under identical fermentation conditions, the geographic origin of the raw material still significantly shapes the sensory style and non-volatile metabolic profile of ripened pu-erh tea, and the differential metabolites identified herein provide candidate markers for origin discrimination and targeted fermentation.