The relationship between the free amino acids and the sensory properties of flue-cured tobacco leaves was studied by partial correlation analysis and canonical correlation analysis in this paper. The correlation was significant. Arginine, methionine and tyrosine were found to positively impact, and valine negatively impact the sensory properties based on partial correlation analysis. Arginine, methionine, tyrosine, glycine were revealed to contribute to the canonical correlation between free amino acids and sensory properties including concentration, aroma volume, smoke strength, abundance, sweetness, offensive taste and irritation. Increasing the content of arginine, methionine, tyrosine, glycine, isoleucine within a moderate range could improve the sensory properties but with negative impact when beyond this range.