Sunlight withering treatment was conducted on different tea varieties including black tea， green tea and red green mixed varieties， and different tenderness of fresh leaf including one bud with one leaf， one bud with two leaves to study the effects of sunlight withering on the quality of processed black tea with different fresh leaf tenderness and tea plant varieties. The results showed that the effects of sunlight withering on the quality of processed black tea of different fresh leaf tenderness and tea plant cultivars were different. There was less damage to the leaves and the content of tea polyphenols and amino acids respectively decreased by 1%, 6%, 8% and 11%, 19%, 14% during the withering process of the tenderness of fresh leaf including one bud with two or three leaves and below. The content of soluble sugar increased more， increasing by 15%， 13% and 11%， respectively. The content of theaflavins was relatively high， with a significant increase of 32% in black tea with one bud with three leaves and 10% with one bud with four or five leaves. It is indicated that sunlight withering has a significant effect on treating the tenderness of fresh leaf including one bud with two or three leaves and below， and is suitable for tea tree varieties with weaker floral and fruity aromas. It is not necessary to perform sunlight withering on varieties of processed black tea with strong floral and fruity aromas. Albino and purple varieties are not suitable for sunlight withering.