Objective   Diversity and distribution of the microbial communities in the specialty teas produced in Fujian were studied.

  Method   Fifteen groups of well-known local teas in the province were collected for an analysis based on the high-throughput sequencing targeting 16S rRNA gene.

  Result   A total of 11 472 OTUs encompassing 37 phyla, 95 classes, 150 orders, 207 families, and 277 genera were isolated from the specimens. In the 3 categories, Dahongpao had the greatest richness on species; the Huacha was the most diversified; and, as oolong teas, Dahongpao and Tieguanyin had a similar microbial structure. In 10 groups of Dahongpao samples, the dominant genera were Lactococcus, Bifidobacterium, and Bacteroides; that in 2 groups of Huacha, Bacteroides; and those in 3 groups of Tieguanyin, Lactococcus and Bifidobacterium. Five of the top 10 dominant genera in the teas were lactic acid bacteria. According to the co-occurrence analysis on network, the lactic acid bacteria exhibited a synergistic growth relationship with most of the other significantly associated species.

  Conclusion  Bacilli and Actinobacteria were the predominant bacteria found in Dahongpao and Tieguanyin, while Clostridia and Bacteroidia in Huacha. A bacterial taxonomy analysis indicated that tea category differentiated the structure of their bacterial communities. Overall, lactic acid bacteria dominantly existed in these teas produced in Fujian.