Black tea leaf extract and its manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a black tea leaf extracted solution capable of being used even when producing a food composition which cannot be heated.SOLUTION: A black tea leaf extracted solution is prepared by the steps including: boiling a prescribed amount of water in a container; charging a black tea leaf composition into boiling water followed by extracting for a prescribed time in a state that the container is over a strong fire; straining a content in the container immediately after extracting to collect the black tea leaf extracted solution; and cooling the black tea leaf extracted solution to a room temperature. The tea leaf composition is mixed tea leaves of tea leaves made in (1) Assam and (2) Sri Lanka, and the black tea leaf extracted solution is obtained by mixing the (1) and (2) tea leaves followed by maturing for a prescribed period.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Disclosed herein are black tea leaf extracts, methods for preparing black tea leaf extracts, tea leaf compositions and food compositions. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing royal milk tea.

[0003] Non-Patent Document 1 describes that the quality of black tea generally improves when it is stored, with the grassy smell disappearing, the color of the tea deepening, and the astringency decreasing, etc. It also shows the results of storing Benihomare tea leaves, a Japanese black tea, for one year. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7303589 [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] Furuhata, T. et al.: Tea Industry Research Report, No. 15, pp. 63-69, June 1960 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The production process of royal milk tea described in Patent Document 1 includes a process of boiling tea leaves and milk together, which allows the flavors to blend easily. On the other hand, in some food compositions, ingredients other than the tea leaves cannot be heated during the manufacturing process. An object of the present invention is to provide a black tea leaf extract that can be used in producing such food compositions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention includes the following embodiments. Section 1. 1. A black tea leaf extract comprising: The black tea leaf extract is Boiling a predetermined amount of water in a container, adding a black tea leaf composition to the boiling water, and boiling the composition for a predetermined period of time while the container is heated over high heat; Immediately after boiling, straining the contents of the container to recover the black tea leaf extract; Cooling the black tea leaf extract to room temperature. The method is prepared by the steps of: The tea leaf composition is a mixture of tea leaves of (1) Assam and (2) Sri Lanka, and is prepared by mixing the tea leaves of (1) and (2) and ripening them for a predetermined period of time. Black tea leaf extract. Section 2. Item 2. The black tea leaf extract according to item 1, further comprising allowing the black tea leaf extract to stand for 12 hours or more after cooling. Section 3. 1. A method for preparing a black tea leaf extract comprising the steps of: The preparation method comprises the steps of: Boiling a predetermined amount of water in a container, adding a black tea leaf composition to the boiling water, and boiling the composition for a predetermined period of time while the container is heated over high heat; Immediately after boiling, straining the contents of the container to recover the black tea leaf extract; Cooling the black tea leaf extract to room temperature. Including, The tea leaf composition is a mixture of tea leaves of (1) Assam and (2) Sri Lanka, and is prepared by mixing the tea leaves of (1) and (2) and ripening them for a predetermined period of time. The preparation method. Section 4. Item 3. A black tea leaf composition used to carry out the method for preparing a black tea leaf extract according to item 3, the black tea leaf composition being a mixture of tea leaves from (1) Assam and (2) Sri Lanka, the tea leaves being mixed with the tea leaves from (1) and (2) and then aged for a predetermined period of time. Section 5. Item 1. A food composition using a creamer having a black tea flavor, comprising the black tea leaf extract according to item 1. Effect of the Invention

[0008] It is possible to provide a black tea leaf extract that can be incorporated into food compositions that contain ingredients other than the tea leaves that cannot be heated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] 1.Tea leaf composition One embodiment of the present invention relates to a black tea leaf composition (hereinafter simply referred to as "tea leaf composition") for producing black tea leaf extract. In this specification, tea leaves are intended to mean black tea leaves that have been subjected to the processes of withering, rolling, fermenting, and drying. The tea leaf composition is a mixture of tea leaves from (1) Assam and (2) Sri Lanka, which are mixed with tea leaves from (1) and (2) and then aged for a predetermined period of time.

[0010] Assam tea leaves refer to tea leaves harvested and processed in the Assam region of India. Although Assam tea plants are cultivated in other regions of India, it is preferable in the present invention to use tea leaves harvested and processed in the Assam region of India as Assam tea leaves. There are no particular limitations on Assam tea leaves, and examples of Assam tea leaves include tea leaves provided by Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd. (e.g., Assam CTC SA, etc.).

[0011] Tea leaves from Sri Lanka are so-called Ceylon tea. Tea leaves from Sri Lanka are broadly classified into high-grown, medium-grown, and low-grown depending on the altitude where the tea leaf processing factory is located and the place of origin. Black tea from Uva, one of the three most famous teas in the world, is classified as high-grown tea. In the present invention, it is preferable to use high-grown tea or medium-grown tea for the tea leaf composition. More preferably, it is medium-grown tea. It is particularly preferable to use tea leaves from Dimbula. Tea leaves from Dimbula are intended to mean tea leaves harvested and processed in the Dimbula region of Sri Lanka. Tea leaves from Dimbula include tea leaves from Dickoya. In addition, the Dimbula region may include high-grown and medium-grown, so both are included in this specification.

[0012] Examples of tea leaves from Dimbula include Dimbula SH-2 (product code 23397) from Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd., NO R#2 (product code 23014) from Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd., and Dimbula LBF (London Tea Rooms Co., Ltd.). Examples of tea leaves from Dickoya include 5 o'clock (London Tea Rooms Co., Ltd.) and Medium Grown (London Tea Rooms Co., Ltd.).

[0013] In the present invention, it is preferable to use tea leaves that have been blended by a blender to have the same flavor and taste all year round, rather than seasonal tea leaves whose flavor changes depending on the season of harvest.

[0014] The sizes (grades) of tea leaves include CTC (Crush / Tear / Curl), whole leaf, broken, fannings, dust, etc. The grade of tea leaves is not particularly limited, but CTC, broken, etc. are preferred.

[0015] The blending ratio of the tea leaf composition is such that, per 1 part by weight of Assam tea leaves, the tea leaves from Sri Lanka are 0.3 to 1 part by weight, preferably about 0.45 to 0.8 parts by weight, and more preferably 0.5 to 0.7 parts by weight.

[0016] The term "after-ripening" refers to storing black tea leaves that have been withered, rolled, fermented, and dried for a predetermined period of time. The predetermined period is six months or more, preferably eleven months or more, and more preferably one year or more. The predetermined period is, for example, three years or less, preferably two years or less, and more preferably one and a half years or less. The storage temperature is preferably about room temperature, for example, about 10°C to 30°C.

[0017] The tea leaves during storage do not need to be sealed in a container or bag, but are preferably stored in a container or bag with a lid rather than in an open container. Preferably, the tea leaves during storage are protected from light.

[0018] By post-ripening the tea leaves, the food composition produced will have a stronger black tea flavor (black tea taste) and black tea umami taste, compared to tea leaves that have not been post-ripened. It is preferable to post-ripen the tea leaves after mixing tea leaves from (1) Assam and (2) Sri Lanka. In this way, it is expected that the flavors of the tea leaves from (1) and (2) will blend well while taking advantage of the characteristics of each tea leaf.

[0019] 2. Method for preparing black tea leaf extract and black tea leaf extract One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for preparing a black tea leaf extract (hereinafter simply referred to as the "preparation method"), and a black tea leaf extract prepared by said method, which comprises boiling a predetermined amount of water in a vessel, adding a black tea leaf composition to the boiling water and simmering for a predetermined period of time with the vessel over high heat, immediately after simmering, straining the contents of the vessel to recover the black tea leaf extract, and cooling the black tea leaf extract to room temperature.

[0020] Here, the tea leaf composition is as explained in 1 above. In the process of brewing black tea leaf composition, a predetermined amount of water is first boiled in a vessel. The predetermined amount is determined by the ratio of the tea leaf composition to be added. For example, the amount of water is 15 to 30 parts by weight, preferably 18 to 23 parts by weight, per part by weight of the tea leaf composition to be added.

[0021] In the process of boiling the black tea leaf composition, the container is, for example, a pot, preferably a stockpot that does not spill even when boiled. A stockpot has less water evaporation than a small pot such as a milk pan, resulting in a better yield of black tea leaf extract. Here, the volume of the container is preferably about 1.2 to 2 times, preferably about 1.25 to 1.5 times, the volume of the water to prevent water evaporation.

[0022] The water is not particularly limited, but tap water is preferable. In particular, in Japan, tap water is soft, so tap water may be used.

[0023] In the boiling step, the tea leaf composition is boiled in boiling water over high heat. More specifically, the boiling step is heated over high heat from start to finish. High heat is a heat strength such that the flame of a gas stove hits the bottom of the pot and bends back, but preferably does not spread beyond the bottom of the pot. When the heat source is an induction heater, heat rays, or far infrared rays, the heat strength is adjusted to the same level as that of a gas flame. The boiling is carried out for, for example, about 13 to 20 minutes, preferably about 14 to 17 minutes.

[0024] After the boiling is finished, the contents in the pot are immediately strained to remove the tea leaves and the black tea leaf extract is collected. The contents are preferably strained at least twice using a sieve, tea strainer, etc. Preferably, the contents are strained through a sieve to separate the tea leaves from the extract, and then the extract is further strained through a fine mesh tea strainer, etc. to collect the black tea leaf extract. The recovered black tea leaf extract is cooled to room temperature, for example by leaving it at room temperature (10°C to 30°C).

[0025] The cooled black tea leaf extract is preferably allowed to stand for an additional 12 hours or more, which stabilizes the flavor. This standing is preferably within a maximum of 72 hours.

[0026] 3. Food Composition The present invention relates to a food composition using a cream having a black tea flavor. The food composition is produced by adding the black tea leaf extract prepared by the preparation method described in 2. above to the cream production process and using the cream.

[0027] The food composition is not particularly limited as long as it uses cream. The cream may include cream made from dairy products, vegetable or animal fat, cream made by emulsifying vegetable or animal fat, and mixtures thereof. The food composition may include soft serve ice cream, ice cream, gelato, and sorbet. The food composition may also include confectionery that uses cream, such as Western confectionery and Japanese confectionery. The amount of black tea leaf extract added to the cream is 10% by weight to 50% by weight, and preferably 20% by weight to 40% by weight, when the total amount of the cream is taken as 100% by weight.

[0028] For example, soft serve ice cream can be produced by mixing the black tea leaf extract prepared in 2 above with a soft serve ice cream mix at room temperature and pouring the mixture into a soft serve ice cream maker. EXAMPLES

[0029] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention should not be construed as being limited to these examples.

[0030] I. Manufacturing example Two types of black tea leaf extracts, a comparative example and an example, were prepared, and soft serve ice cream was made using each of the black tea leaf extracts. 1. Blended tea leaves (1) Comparative Example Two types of black tea leaves, Assam CTC SA (Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd.) and Ceylon Dimbula SH-2 (Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd.), were mixed in a 60:40 ratio to produce a blended tea leaf. (2) Examples Blended tea leaves were prepared in the same manner as in the Comparative Example, and then stored for one year at room temperature (working atmosphere temperature 10°C to 30°C, the same applies below) for post-ripening.

[0031] 2. Preparation of black tea leaf extract 3800 mL of water was placed in a 5000 mL stockpot and brought to a boil. After boiling, 180 g of blended tea leaves were added and boiled for 15 minutes to extract the black tea extract. After 15 minutes, the stockpot was removed from the heat and the extract was strained twice using a strainer to obtain the black tea leaf extract. The black tea leaf extract was allowed to cool to room temperature. The cooled black tea leaf extract was then left to stand overnight in the refrigerator. Black tea leaf extracts were prepared for each of the blended tea leaves of the Comparative Example and the blended tea leaves of the Example.

[0032] 3. Preparation of Soft Serve Ice Cream 150 mL of each black tea leaf extract was mixed with 500 mL of Hokkaido soft serve ice cream (NISSEI) at room temperature and poured into a soft serve (NISSEI CI-9724AT) to make soft serve ice cream. Each soft serve ice cream using black tea leaf extract was divided into 9 equal parts.

[0033] II. Comparison results There were nine panelists, and each panelist tasted two types of soft serve ice cream and evaluated them on a five-point scale for black tea flavor, umami, sweetness, astringency, sourness, and milkiness. The panelists did not know which of the two types of soft serve ice cream was the example. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0034] [Table 1]

[0035] All nine panelists gave a higher score to the Example than to the Comparative Example for the black tea flavor (strength of black tea flavor) felt when eating the soft serve ice cream. Most of the eight panelists also gave a higher score to the Example than to the Comparative Example for umami. The average score of the Example was lower than that of the Comparative Example for sweetness, but the average score of the Example was higher than that of the Comparative Example for astringency. Black tea is originally more or less astringent. From this, it can be said that the Example, which has a suppressed sweetness and astringency, maintains the original flavor of black tea in terms of black tea-likeness. The same is true for the milky flavor. Although the Comparative Example had a higher milky flavor score than the Examples, the Examples, which had a lower milky flavor score, were considered to show that the flavor of black tea was not overpowered by the flavor of the raw milk and cream contained in the soft serve ice cream.

[0036] Judging overall, the Examples retained more of the black tea flavor than the Comparative Examples, and it was believed that a black tea leaf extract that retained the black tea flavor could be produced not only by simply blending the tea leaves, but also by post-ripening the blended tea leaves after blending.

[0037] In addition, the black tea leaf extract in this study was boiled for 15 minutes. It is not expected that regular black tea will be boiled for 15 minutes. In addition, in Patent Document 1, the tea leaves are boiled for about 10 minutes. This comparative experiment showed that by post-ripening the blended tea leaves, the black tea flavor is improved even when the tea leaves are boiled for 15 minutes. Furthermore, Non-Patent Document 1 states that storing black tea reduces its astringency, but the experiment this time produced the opposite result. Astringency is one of the important tastes of black tea, and a stronger astringency means that the umami of the black tea has increased. Also, a stronger astringency gives the black tea a black tea flavor that is not overpowered by the flavor of the cream. Therefore, the results of the comparative experiment this time are contradictory to Non-Patent Document 1.

Claims

1. 1. A black tea leaf extract comprising: The black tea leaf extract is Boiling a predetermined amount of water in a container, adding a black tea leaf composition to the boiling water, and boiling the composition for a predetermined period of time while the container is heated over high heat; Immediately after boiling, straining the contents of the container to recover the black tea leaf extract; Cooling the black tea leaf extract to room temperature. The method is prepared by the steps of: The tea leaf composition is a mixture of tea leaves of (1) Assam and (2) Sri Lanka, and is prepared by mixing the tea leaves of (1) and (2) and ripening them for a predetermined period of time. A black tea leaf extract (provided that the black tea leaf extract does not contain milk).

2. The black tea leaf extract according to claim 1 , further comprising leaving the extract to stand for 12 hours or more after cooling.

3. 1. A method for preparing a black tea leaf extract comprising the steps of: The preparation method comprises the steps of: Boiling a predetermined amount of water in a container, adding a black tea leaf composition to the boiling water, and boiling the composition for a predetermined period of time while the container is heated over high heat; Immediately after boiling, straining the contents of the container to recover the black tea leaf extract; Cooling the black tea leaf extract to room temperature. Including, The tea leaf composition is a mixture of tea leaves of (1) Assam and (2) Sri Lanka, and is prepared by mixing the tea leaves of (1) and (2) and ripening them for a predetermined period of time. The above-mentioned method, provided that the black tea leaf extract does not contain milk.

4. A black tea leaf composition used to carry out the method for preparing black tea leaf extract described in claim 3, the black tea leaf composition being a mixed tea leaf of (1) Assam-grown tea leaves and (2) Sri Lanka-grown tea leaves, the tea leaves (1) and (2) being mixed and then aged for a predetermined period of time.

5. A food composition using a creamer having a black tea flavor, comprising the black tea leaf extract according to claim 1.

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