Effects of five different drying methods on sensory quality of upper flue-cured tobacco leaves were investigated. The flavor notes, aroma characteristics, smoke characteristics and taste characteristics (containing 21 subindices) of cigarette were measured. The positive and negative indicators were also analyzed to evaluate the sensory quality of upper flue-cured tobacco leaves with different drying methods. The results indicated that (1) casing proeess could significantly improve the sensory quality of upper flue-cured tobacco leaves; (2) The sensory quality subindices of upper flue-cured tobacco leaves significantly affected by drying method, partially relating to the pretreatment intensity and process complexity. The drum drying process (B1) is the optimal process to improve the sensory quality of upper flue-cured tobacco leaves, followed by Burley tobacco cured + drum drying process (B3).