Container-packed tea-flavored alcoholic beverage

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of reducing stimulation due to alcohol in a tea taste alcoholic beverage packed in a container whose opening has a large area.SOLUTION: A beverage is a bottled tea taste alcoholic beverage packed in a container whose opening area is 500 mm2 or more. The beverage includes a tea leaf extract, distilled liquor, and powder tea whose mean particle diameter is 10.0 μm or less.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an alcohol beverage with a container-packed tea taste.

Background Art

[0002] Alcohol beverages (hereinafter referred to as tea-taste alcohol beverages) blended with extracts of tea leaves such as green tea, oolong tea, and black tea (i.e., tea) are firmly popular because they are not sweet, suitable for meals, low in calories and sugars, and healthy as compared with fruit-taste alcohol beverages. Among such tea-taste alcohol beverages, there are those blended with powdered tea in order to enhance the taste of tea. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an alcohol beverage in which powdered tea with an average particle diameter of 10 to 20 μm is added to a tea extract in order to impart the original tea flavor and color tone of tea.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, the container of an alcohol beverage may affect the flavor felt by the drinker. The present inventors conducted studies on alcohol beverages packed in bottle cans and found that they are more likely to feel the stimulation of alcohol than when drinking from a stay-on tab can, which is often used as a container for alcohol beverages. This is thought to be because the opening area of a bottle or can is larger than that of a stay-on tab can, and the amount that can be drunk in one sip and the momentum (flow rate) flowing into the mouth are different. This tendency was particularly prominent in tea-flavored alcoholic beverages with little sweetness. And when a tea-flavored alcoholic beverage was simply packed in a container with a large opening area, it was found that the irritation caused by alcohol was too strong.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of reducing the irritation caused by alcohol in a tea-flavored alcoholic beverage packed in a container with a large opening area.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present inventors have found that the above problems can be solved by the following means. [1] A container-packed tea-flavored alcoholic beverage sealed in a container with an opening area of 500 mm 2 or more, the beverage containing a tea leaf extract, a distilled liquor, and powdered tea with an average particle size of 10.0 μm or less. [2] The beverage according to [1], wherein the average particle size of the powdered tea is 5.0 μm or more. [3] The beverage according to [1] or [2], wherein the container is a bottle or can. [4] The beverage according to any one of [1] to [3], having a sweetness degree of 3.0 / 100 ml or less. [5] The beverage according to any one of [1] to [4], containing no saccharides. [6] The beverage according to any one of [1] to [5], containing no sweeteners. [7] The beverage according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the content of the powdered tea is 0.01 to 0.1 wt%. [8] The beverage according to any one of [1] to [7], having an ethanol concentration of 3 vol% or more.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, there is provided a technique capable of reducing the irritation caused by alcohol in a tea - flavored alcoholic beverage packed in a container having a large drinking opening area.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. The tea - flavored alcoholic beverage according to this embodiment is a container - packed tea - flavored alcoholic beverage packed in a container having a drinking opening area of 500 mm 2 or more. This alcoholic beverage contains a tea leaf extract, a distilled liquor, and powdered tea having an average particle diameter of 10.0 μm or less. By adopting such a configuration, a tea - flavored alcoholic beverage with an appropriately suppressed alcohol irritation feeling can be obtained.

[0009] In this embodiment, the container in which the beverage is filled may be any container as long as the area of the drinking opening is 500 mm 2 or more, and is not particularly limited. A container having a drinking opening of such a size has a larger drinking opening compared to a stay - on tab can or the like, which is often used as a container for alcoholic beverages. A container having a drinking opening of such a size has a larger liquid volume and flow rate taken in one mouthful, providing a different feeling from a stay - on tab can or the like, and there is a certain need for it. On the other hand, as described above, the irritation caused by alcohol tends to be strong. Therefore, in order to obtain an appropriate alcohol irritation feeling, it is required to suppress the alcohol irritation feeling. The area of the drinking opening is, for example, 600 mm 2 or more, 700 mm 2 or more, or 750 mm 2 or more, and is, for example, 1000 mm 2 or less, 900 mm 2 or less, or 800 mm 2 or less. In a preferred aspect, the container is a bottle can.

[0010] In this specification, the "tea leaf extract" is a liquid obtained by extracting the components of tea leaves with water (hot water), that is, so - called "tea". As the tea extract, those using Camellia sinensis are preferably used, but it is not limited thereto. As the tea leaves used in the tea extract, any tea leaves can be used regardless of the treatment method (presence or absence of heat treatment, presence or absence of fermentation, etc.). Preferred tea extracts include green tea (matcha, sencha, roasted green tea, etc.), oolong tea, black tea, etc., and green tea is preferred. The temperature of water during extraction is not particularly limited, but for example, it is 50 to 90 °C, preferably 50 to 80 °C. The amount of tea leaves used during extraction is, for example, 0.5 to 5 g, preferably 1.0 to 4.0 g, per 100 ml of water. The content of the tea extract in the tea-flavored alcoholic beverage can be, for example, 500 ml / L or more, 600 ml / L or more, 700 ml / L or more, or 750 ml / L or more, or alternatively, 950 ml / L or less, 930 ml / L or less, 910 ml / L or less, or 900 ml / L or less. Also, the amount of tannin derived from the tea extract in the tea-flavored alcoholic beverage is, for example, 10 mg / 100 ml or more, 20 mg / 100 ml or more, or 40 mg / 100 ml or more, and for example, 100 mg / 100 ml or less, 90 mg / 100 ml or less, or 80 mg / 100 ml or less.

[0011] The beverage according to this embodiment is an alcoholic beverage containing alcohol (ethanol). The ethanol concentration of the beverage is not particularly limited, but for example, it is 3 vol% or more, preferably 3 to 10 vol%, more preferably 3 to 6 vol%.

[0012] The "distilled liquor" contained in the beverage according to this embodiment is not particularly limited. Preferably, the distilled liquor is at least one liquor selected from the group consisting of continuous-distillation shochu, spirits, and alcohol for raw materials. Such liquors can be said to be liquors with a suppressed flavor, and are preferable because they are less likely to impair the flavor of the tea leaf extract. In the present specification, the definitions of "continuous-distillation shochu", "spirits", and "alcohol for raw materials" follow the provisions of the Liquor Tax Law of Japan and related laws effective on the filing date of this application.

[0013] Among the total ethanol concentration (vol%) of the tea-taste alcoholic beverage, the proportion of the ethanol concentration (vol%) derived from "distilled liquor" is, for example, 70% or more, preferably 80% or more, more preferably 90% or more, and still more preferably 95% or more.

[0014] Powdered tea is used to enhance the taste of tea. Here, in this embodiment, powdered tea having an average particle size of 10.0 μm or less is used. By using such powdered tea having such an average particle size, the alcohol pungency is moderately reduced. In the present specification, the particle size of the powdered tea means the arithmetic mean diameter on a volume basis, and is determined using a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution measuring device. The raw material of the powdered tea is not particularly limited, similar to the tea leaves used in the tea leaf extract. For example, green tea (matcha, sencha, gyokuro, houjicha, etc.), oolong tea, black tea, etc. can be mentioned, and green tea is preferable. The average particle size of the powdered tea is preferably 9.5 μm or less, more preferably 9.0 μm or less. Also, the average particle size of the powdered tea is, for example, 5.0 μm or more, preferably 5.5 μm or more, more preferably 6.0 μm or more, and still more preferably 7.0 μm or more.

[0015] The content of the powdered tea in the beverage is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of obtaining the taste of tea and an appropriate bitterness, it is, for example, 0.01 to 0.1 wt%, preferably 0.01 to 0.05 wt%, more preferably 0.02 to 0.05 wt%. When the content of the powdered tea is large, the taste of tea increases, and at the same time, the astringency and bitterness also increase. The drinking mouth of the container is 500 mm2 When it is as described above, astringency is likely to be felt. Within the above-mentioned range, an appropriate tea flavor and an appropriate strength of astringency can be obtained.

[0016] In the tea-flavored alcoholic beverage according to the present embodiment, in addition to the above components, other components may be blended as necessary. For example, as other components, flavors, acidulants, sweeteners, and pigments can be mentioned. However, preferably, the tea-flavored alcoholic beverage is preferably a beverage with suppressed sweetness. If it is a beverage with suppressed sweetness, the flavor of the tea is less likely to be impaired. Specifically, even when a sweetener is used, the sweetness degree is preferably 3.0 / 100 ml or less. The sweetness degree is more preferably 1.0 ml / 100 ml or less, still more preferably 0.5 / 100 ml or less, still more preferably 0.1 / 100 ml, and most preferably zero (no sweetener is used). Note that the "sweetness degree" of the tea-flavored alcoholic beverage is obtained as a value obtained by multiplying the "content of each sweetener (g / 100 ml)" contained in the beverage by the "sweetness degree of each sweetener when sugar is 1.00". The "sweetness degree of each sweetener when sugar is 1.00" is the strength of the sweetness of the sweetener evaluated by sensory inspection with the sweetness of sugar as 1.00. As the sweetness degree of the sweetener, values described in "General List of Sweeteners" published by the Japan Sugar Refiners Association (published in May 1990) and "All About High-Sweetness Sweetener Sucralose" published by Koryu Co., Ltd. (published in May 2003) can be used.

[0017] Also, in order not to impair the flavor of the tea, the tea-flavored alcoholic beverage preferably does not contain saccharides.

[0018] The tea-flavored alcoholic beverage may be a carbonated beverage or a non-carbonated beverage. Preferably, the tea-flavored alcoholic beverage is a non-carbonated beverage.

[0019] The manufacturing method of the tea - flavored alcoholic beverage according to this embodiment is not particularly limited. For example, the above - mentioned raw materials are mixed and sealed in a container. Thereby, a tea - flavored alcoholic beverage can be manufactured.

Examples

[0020] Hereinafter, in order to more specifically explain the present invention, examples conducted by the present inventors will be described. However, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the following examples.

[0021] According to the following method, a tea leaf extract, a continuous - distillation shochu, and powdered tea were prepared.

[0022] (Preparation of tea leaf extract) Commercially available tea leaves (sencha) were extracted with hot water at 80°C (2.5 g of tea leaves per 100 ml of hot water), and the cooled product to room temperature was prepared as a tea leaf extract.

[0023] (Preparation of continuous - distillation shochu) Alcohol for raw materials (ethanol concentration: 95%) was diluted with water to prepare a continuous - distillation shochu with an ethanol concentration of 35.0 vol%.

[0024] (Powdered tea) A plurality of powdered teas with different average particle diameters were prepared. Specifically, powdered tea was obtained by pulverizing sencha tea leaves. In addition, by changing the processing time of the pulverization process, powdered teas with different average particle diameters were prepared. For each powdered tea, using a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution measuring device LA - 960 (manufactured by Horiba, Ltd.), the arithmetic mean diameter on a volume basis was measured, and the measurement result was taken as the average particle diameter.

[0025] (Experimental Example 1) According to the composition shown in Table 1, a tea leaf extract, a continuous - distillation shochu, and powdered tea were mixed to obtain tea - flavored alcoholic beverages according to Examples 1 to 5. The amount of tannin derived from the tea leaf extract was approximately 60 mg / 100 ml. Each of the obtained beverages had a drinking - mouth area of 743 mm 2It was filled into a bottle can. After filling the bottle can, sensory evaluation was conducted by 5 panelists to evaluate the alcohol irritation and the tea-like flavor, and the average value was taken as the result. Regarding the evaluation criteria, based on Example 5, it was as follows. (Alcohol irritation) 5: Feels very strongly (equivalent to Example 5) 4: Feels strongly 3: Feels 2: Feels weakly 1: Does not feel (Tea-like flavor) 5: Feels very strongly (equivalent to Example 5) 4: Feels strongly 3: Feels 2: Feels weakly 1: Does not feel

[0026] The results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1

[0027] As shown in Table 1, compared with Example 5, Examples 1 to 4 had less alcohol irritation. From this, it can be seen that by using powdered tea with an average particle size of 10.0 μm or less, the alcohol irritation can be reduced. Also, when the average particle size of the powdered tea decreased, the tea-like flavor tended to decrease. In the beverages of Examples 2 to 4 where the average particle size of the powdered tea was 5.0 μm or more, the tea-like flavor was sufficiently maintained.

[0028] (Experimental Example 2) As a container, except that an SOT (Stay-on Tab) can was used instead of a bottle can, in the same manner as Experimental Example 1, beverages according to Examples 6 to 10 were obtained. As the SOT can, one with a drinking mouth area of 367 mm 2 was used. The compositions of the beverages according to Examples 6 to 10 are shown in Table 2. Regarding the beverages according to Examples 6 to 10, in the same manner as Experimental Example 1, sensory evaluation was conducted to evaluate the alcohol irritation.

[0029] The results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2

[0030] Please refer to Table 1 and Table 2. Comparing Example 5 and Example 10, the alcohol stimulation in Example 5 was stronger. Therefore, it was found that when the average particle size of the powdered tea exceeded 10.0 μm, the alcohol stimulation was more likely to be felt in the bottle can than in the SOT can. On the other hand, comparing Example 1 to Example 4 and Example 6 to Example 9, there was no significant difference in the alcohol stimulation feeling, or if there was a difference, it was only slight. That is, by using powdered tea with an average particle size of 10.0 μm or less, the alcohol stimulation can be reduced even in a bottle can, and the difference between the SOT can and the bottle can can be minimized.

[0031] (Experimental Example 3) According to the compositions shown in Table 3, beverages according to Examples 11 to 15 with different amounts of powdered tea were prepared. The prepared beverages according to Examples 11 to 15 were filled into bottle cans. In addition, as the beverage according to Example 16, a beverage having the composition described in Table 3 was prepared and filled into an SOT can. For the obtained beverages according to Examples 11 to 16, the astringency was evaluated by sensory evaluation by 5 panelists. Regarding the evaluation criteria, taking Example 15 as the standard, it was as follows. (Astringency) 5: Felt very strongly (equivalent to Example 15) 4: Felt strongly 3: Felt 2: Felt weakly 1: Not felt

[0032] The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3

[0033] From the results of Examples 11 to 15, it was found that increasing the amount of powdered tea increased the astringency. Here, comparing Example 12 and Example 16, Example 12 had a greater astringency. Therefore, it was found that a container with a wider drinking mouth was more likely to feel astringency. Examples 11 to 15 were all within the range of moderate astringency, but in Examples 11 to 13 where the amount of powdered tea was in the range of 0.02 to 0.05 wt%, the astringency was more moderate compared to Examples 14 and 15.

Claims

1. The area of the drinking opening is 500 mm 2 or more, which is a container-packed tea-flavored alcoholic beverage enclosed in a container A tea extract, a distilled liquor, powdered tea with an average particle diameter of 9.5 μm or less, and the raw material of the powdered tea is green tea, the content of the powdered tea is 0.01 to 0.1 wt%, and the ethanol concentration is 3 to 10 vol%, a beverage.

2. The beverage according to claim 1, wherein the average particle diameter of the powdered tea is 5.0 μm or more.

3. The beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container is a bottle can.

4. The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sweetness degree is 3.0 / 100 ml or less.

5. The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which does not contain saccharides.

6. The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which does not contain a sweetener.

7. The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ethanol concentration is 3 to 6 vol%.

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