A process for preparing a tea product

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a tea beverage comprising the steps or a. Adding an aqueous solution or dispersion of a substance selected from the group consisting of sugars, vegetable gums, chicory ex tract and enzymes or a mixture there of to black leaf tea to obtain a mixture, and b. Drying the mixture to a moisture content of less than 10% by weight to obtain a tea beverage, characterized in that the surface reflectance of the starting black leaf tea measured with amber tristimulus filter under D65 illuminant is greater than 12% , and wherein the tea beverage com prises 10-40% of sugars by weight when the selected substance is sugars.