Crimped flavor sheet strand, flavor rod, combustion flavor inhaler and heat-not-burn flavor inhaler, and methods for producing same

Abstract

Provided is a crimped flavor sheet strand having high bulkiness. This method for producing a crimped flavor sheet strand includes a step for producing a continuous flavor sheet having a moisture content of 15-40 mass %, and a step for crimping the continuous flavor sheet.

Description

Curled fragrance sheet strand, fragrance rod, combustion-type fragrance attractor, non-combustion heating-type fragrance attractor, and methods for manufacturing them

[0001] The present invention relates to a curled fragrance sheet strand, a fragrance rod, a combustion-type fragrance attractor, a non-combustion heating-type fragrance attractor, and methods for manufacturing them.

[0002] A tobacco rod filled with tobacco in a cylindrical wrapper is known. In a combustion-type fragrance attractor (cigarette) equipped with a tobacco rod, the filling of the tobacco rod is burned to obtain a fragrance. On the other hand, in a non-combustion heating-type fragrance attractor equipped with a tobacco rod, the filling of the tobacco rod is heated to obtain a fragrance. Examples of the type of tobacco filled in the tobacco rod include tobacco leaves, tobacco sheets reconstituted in sheet form after pulverizing tobacco, and the like. When filling a fragrance sheet such as a tobacco sheet into a fragrance rod such as a tobacco rod, the filling mode of the fragrance sheet is various. For example, a fragrance sheet strand obtained by cutting a fragrance sheet into strands of a predetermined width can be filled.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-103840 <00000--09>

[0004] From the perspective of cost reduction of the fragrance rod and the like, it is required to reduce the filling amount of the fragrance sheet filled in the fragrance rod. On the other hand, tobacco rods currently in circulation on the market have substantially similar sizes (diameter: 5.5 to 8 mm, length: 15 to 70 mm) and substantially similar hardness in the diameter direction (the feel that users are accustomed to). Also, when in use or when the fragrance rod is in a pack, it is not preferable in terms of quality for the filling to spill from the tip of the fragrance rod.

[0005] One possible method to reduce the amount of flavor sheet used to fill a flavor rod while maintaining the desired size and hardness of the flavor rod and preventing the filling from spilling out of the tip of the flavor rod is to increase the bulkiness (increase the volume) of the flavor sheet strand used to fill the flavor rod. Here, bulkiness refers to the volume obtained when a predetermined mass of flavor sheet strand is compressed at a constant pressure for a certain period of time. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of increasing bulkiness by making recycled tobacco into a crimped thread. However, there is a need for the development of a technology that can further improve the bulkiness of flavor sheet strands.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a crimped flavor sheet strand with high expansion capacity, a flavor rod containing the crimped flavor sheet strand, a combustion-type flavor suction device containing the flavor rod, and a non-combustion heating-type flavor suction device.

[0007] The present invention includes the following embodiments.

[0008] [1] A method for producing a crimped flavor sheet strand, comprising the steps of: producing a continuous flavor sheet having a moisture content of 15 to 40% by mass; and crimping the continuous flavor sheet.

[0009] [2] The method according to [1], wherein the step of producing the continuous flavor sheet includes the steps of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 15 to 40% by mass, and cutting the continuous wide flavor sheet to an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm.

[0010] [3] The method according to [2], wherein the step of producing the continuous wide flavor sheet is a step of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet by a papermaking step, a casting step, or a rolling step.

[0011] [4] The method according to [1], wherein the step of producing the continuous flavor sheet is to extrude the raw material for the flavor sheet using an extruder to have an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm, thereby producing a continuous flavor sheet having an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm and a moisture content of 15 to 40% by mass.

[0012] [5] The method according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the step of crimping the continuous flavor sheet is to introduce the continuous flavor sheet into a box-shaped crimping device which is hollow inside and has an inlet hole and an outlet hole at opposing positions, to crimp the continuous flavor sheet by keeping it in the crimping device, and to discharge the crimped continuous flavor sheet from the outlet hole.

[0013] [6] The method according to any one of [1] to [5], further comprising the step of drying the continuous flavor sheets after crimping.

[0014] [7] The method according to [6], wherein the moisture content of the continuous flavor sheet after drying is 8 to 15% by mass.

[0015] [8] The method according to any one of [1] to [7], further comprising the step of cutting the continuous flavor sheet after crimping in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flavor sheet.

[0016] [9] The method according to [1], wherein the step of producing the continuous flavor sheet is a step of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 20 to 40% by mass, and the step of crimping the continuous flavor sheet is a step of cutting the continuous wide flavor sheet into rectangular flavor sheet strands having a longitudinal length of 10 to 100 mm and a width of 0.1 to 2 mm.

[0017]

[10] The method according to [9], further comprising the step of drying the flavor sheet strand.

[0018]

[11] The method according to [1], wherein the step of producing the continuous flavor sheet includes the steps of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 20 to 40% by mass, and drying the continuous wide flavor sheet so that the moisture content of the continuous wide flavor sheet is 18 to 20% by mass, and the step of crimping the continuous flavor sheet includes the steps of cutting the dried continuous wide flavor sheet into rectangular flavor sheet strands having a longitudinal length of 10 to 100 mm and a width of 0.1 to 2.0 mm, and drying the flavor sheet strands.

[0019]

[12] The method according to

[10] or

[11] , wherein the drying is cylinder drying.

[0020]

[13] The method according to any one of [9] to

[12] , wherein the step of producing the continuous wide flavor sheet is a step of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet by a papermaking step, a casting step, or a rolling step.

[0021]

[14] The method according to any one of [1] to

[13] , wherein the continuous flavor sheet contains at least one flavor component selected from the group consisting of tobacco, herbal plants, tobacco extract, nicotine, and nicotine salts.

[0022]

[15] The method according to any one of [1] to

[14] , wherein the volume of the crimped flavor sheet strand is 230 cc / 100 g or more.

[0023]

[16] The method according to any one of [1] to

[15] , wherein the number of inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction of the crimped flavor sheet strand is 20 or more.

[0024] A method for producing a flavor rod, comprising: a step of producing a crimped flavor sheet strand by any of the methods described in [1] to

[16] ; and a step of producing a flavor rod containing the crimped flavor sheet strand.

[0025]

[18] The method according to

[17] , wherein the step of manufacturing the flavor rod includes: a step of compressing an aggregate of a plurality of the crimped flavor sheet strands to manufacture a porous material; and a step of wrapping the porous material with a wrapper to manufacture a flavor rod.

[0026]

[19] The method according to

[17] , wherein the step of manufacturing the flavor rod is to manufacture a flavor rod by wrapping a bundle of the crimped flavor sheet strands with a wrapper.

[0027]

[20] The method according to any one of

[17] to

[19] , wherein the shape of the flavor rod is cylindrical or prismatic.

[0028] A method for manufacturing a combustion-type flavor inhaler, comprising the steps of: manufacturing a flavor rod by any of the methods described in

[21] ,

[17] , to

[20] ; and manufacturing a combustion-type flavor inhaler including the flavor rod.

[0029] A method for manufacturing a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler, comprising the steps of: manufacturing a flavor rod by any of the methods described in

[22] ,

[17] , to

[20] ; and manufacturing a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler including the flavor rod.

[0030] A crimped flavored sheet strand manufactured by any of the methods described in

[23] [1] to

[16] .

[0031]

[24] A crimped flavor sheet strand having a volume of 230 cc / 100 g or more and 20 or more inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction.

[0032] A flavor rod comprising the crimped flavor sheet strand described in

[25] ,

[23] , or

[24] .

[0033] A combustion-type flavor inhaler including the flavor rod described in

[26] and

[25] .

[0034] A non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler including the flavor rod described in

[27] and

[25] .

[0035] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a crimped flavor sheet strand with high expansion capacity, a flavor rod containing the crimped flavor sheet strand, a combustion-type flavor suction device containing the flavor rod, and a non-combustion heating-type flavor suction device.

[0036] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a crimping device used in the method according to this embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a combustion-type flavor suction device according to this embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a non-combustion heating-type flavor suction device according to this embodiment. This is a schematic diagram of an example of a non-combustion heating-type flavor suction system according to this embodiment, showing (a) the state before inserting the non-combustion heating-type flavor suction device into the heating device, and (b) the state after inserting the non-combustion heating-type flavor suction device into the heating device and heating.

[0037] [Method for Manufacturing Crimped Flavor Sheet Strands] The method for manufacturing crimped flavor sheet strands according to this embodiment includes a step of manufacturing a continuous flavor sheet having a moisture content of 15 to 40% by mass (hereinafter also referred to as the "continuous flavor sheet manufacturing step") and a step of crimping the continuous flavor sheet (hereinafter also referred to as the "crimping step"). In the method for manufacturing crimped flavor sheet strands according to this embodiment, by adjusting the moisture content of the continuous flavor sheet to within the range of 15 to 40% by mass, preferably 20 to 35% by mass, and more preferably 25 to 30% by mass, before crimping the continuous flavor sheet, a crimped flavor sheet strand with high bulkiness can be obtained.

[0038] The moisture content of the flavor sheet can be measured by the following method. Moisture content is measured by the loss on drying. Using a thermobalance MX-50 (manufactured by A&D Co., Ltd.), 1 g of flavor sheet is heated at 105°C and the mass lost due to evaporation is measured as the moisture content.

[0039] (First Embodiment) In the first embodiment, the continuous flavor sheet manufacturing process includes the steps of: manufacturing a continuous wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 15 to 40% by mass; and cutting the continuous wide flavor sheet to an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm.

[0040] The flavor components included in the flavor sheet include tobacco, herbal plants, tobacco extract, nicotine, and nicotine salts. These may be used individually or in combination of two or more. When the flavor component is tobacco, the tobacco raw material can be the whole tobacco plant or parts of the tobacco plant, including leaves, veins, stems, roots, flowers, and mixtures thereof. There are no particular restrictions on the variety of tobacco raw material, but examples include yellow varieties, Burley varieties, native varieties, and Oriental leaves. These may be used individually or in combination of two or more. The tobacco raw material used may be fresh leaves immediately after harvest that have not been dried, or it may be dried or aged after harvest, or a combination of these may be used. In addition, tobacco with bones, puffed tobacco, etc., obtained by processing these tobacco raw materials can also be used. These may be used individually or in combination of multiple varieties and parts. Furthermore, tobacco extracts obtained by extracting these tobacco raw materials using protic solvents, aprotic solvents, etc., can also be used as tobacco raw materials.

[0041] A tobacco sheet, which is an example of a flavor sheet, can be obtained by molding a composition containing, for example, aged tobacco leaves or tobacco extract into a sheet shape. The aged tobacco leaves used in the tobacco sheet are not particularly limited, but examples include those that have been deboned and separated into lamina and midbone. In addition to tobacco components (tobacco raw materials), the tobacco sheet may also contain pulp, binder, aerosol-generating base materials such as glycerin, etc. In this specification, "sheet" refers to a shape having a pair of substantially parallel main surfaces and side surfaces.

[0042] The step of manufacturing the continuous wide fragrance sheet is preferably a step of manufacturing a continuous wide fragrance sheet by a papermaking process, a casting process, or a rolling process. The papermaking process can include, for example, the following steps. (1) A step of crushing the aged tobacco leaves, mixing and stirring them with a solvent such as water to extract water-soluble components from the aged tobacco leaves. (2) A step of separating the water extract containing water-soluble components from the residue. (3) A step of drying and concentrating the water extract under reduced pressure. (4) A step of adding pulp to the residue, fibrillating it with a refiner to obtain a mixture. (5) A step of papermaking the mixture of the fibrillated residue and pulp. (6) A step of adding a concentrated solution of the water extract to the papermade sheet, and then drying it so that the water content becomes 15 to 40% by mass to obtain a continuous wide fragrance sheet.

[0043] The casting process can include, for example, the following steps. (1) A step of mixing water, pulp, a binder, and the crushed product of the aged tobacco to obtain a mixture. (2) A step of thinly spreading (casting) the mixture and drying it so that the water content becomes 15 to 40% by mass to obtain a continuous wide fragrance sheet.

[0044] The rolling process can include, for example, the following steps. (1) A step of mixing water, pulp, a binder, and the crushed product of the aged tobacco to obtain a mixture. (2) A step of putting the mixture into a plurality of rolling rollers and rolling it. (3) A step of peeling the rolled product on the rolling roller with a doctor knife, transferring it to a net conveyor, and drying it so that the water content becomes 15 to 40% by mass to obtain a continuous wide fragrance sheet.

[0045] The width of the obtained continuous wide fragrance sheet is not particularly limited, and can be, for example, 200 to 30000 mm. Also, the thickness of the continuous wide fragrance sheet can be, for example, 50 to 2000 μm. In this specification, the "continuous" fragrance sheet means a fragrance sheet having a length of at least 5 m.

[0046] The step of cutting the continuous wide fragrance sheet to an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm can be performed, for example, by passing the continuous wide fragrance sheet through a slitter having a plurality of blades arranged at predetermined intervals. Thereby, a continuous fragrance sheet in the form of a noodle string is obtained. The average width of the continuous fragrance sheet after cutting is preferably 0.1 to 2 mm, more preferably 0.3 to 1.7 mm, and even more preferably 0.5 to 1.5 mm. The "average width" is a value calculated by measuring an arbitrary number of points using an optical microscope and a micrometer and taking the arithmetic mean thereof.

[0047] In the first embodiment, the curling step is preferably a step of introducing the continuous fragrance sheet from the inlet hole into a box-shaped curling device having a cavity inside and inlet and outlet holes at opposite positions, retaining the continuous fragrance sheet in the curling device to curl it, and discharging the curled continuous fragrance sheet from the outlet hole. By curling the continuous fragrance sheet using the curling device, a more fluffy curled fragrance sheet strand can be efficiently produced.

[0048] An example of the curling device is shown in FIG. 1. The curling device 2 shown in FIG. 1 includes a box-shaped member 5 having a cavity inside and inlet and outlet holes in opposite positions, and a pair of pushing rollers 6 for introducing the continuous fragrance sheet 1 from the inlet hole 3 into the inside of the box-shaped member 5. Since the continuous fragrance sheet 1 is continuously introduced into the inside of the box-shaped member 5 by the pushing rollers 6, it is packed into the inside of the box-shaped member 5 and stays for a predetermined time until it is discharged from the outlet hole 4. Thereby, curling of the continuous fragrance sheet 1 occurs inside the box-shaped member 5. The box-shaped member 5 may be, for example, a box made of metal or a box formed of a polymer plate having a predetermined thickness with appropriate elasticity. The introduction speed of the continuous fragrance sheet 1 into the inside of the box-shaped member 5 can be, for example, 0.5 to 200 m / min. The diameter of the outlet hole 4 (the maximum value of the passing length of the outlet hole 4) can be, for example, 30 to 3000 mm.

[0049] The method according to the first embodiment may further include a step of drying the continuous flavor sheet after crimping. The moisture content of the continuous flavor sheet after drying is preferably 8 to 15% by mass, and more preferably 8 to 11% by mass, because drying to the equilibrium moisture content of the flavor sheet results in good flavor development. The method may further include a step of cutting the continuous flavor sheet after crimping in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flavor sheet. For example, the continuous flavor sheet after crimping can be cut so that the length in the longitudinal direction is 10 to 100 mm. This makes it possible to obtain rectangular crimped flavor sheet strands with a length in the longitudinal direction of 10 to 100 mm and a width of 0.1 to 2 mm.

[0050] (Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment, the continuous flavor sheet manufacturing process is a process of extruding the raw material for the flavor sheet using an extruder to have an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm, thereby manufacturing a continuous flavor sheet having an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm and a moisture content of 15 to 40% by mass. A conventional extruder can be used as the extruder. The extrusion nozzle is a wide nozzle having multiple slitters at equal intervals (0.1 to 2 mm), and by being extruded from the extruder nozzle, a continuous flavor sheet in the shape of noodles with an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm is obtained. The moisture content may be adjusted on the raw material for the flavor sheet before it is introduced into the extruder, or on the continuous flavor sheet in the shape of noodles after extrusion. That is, the moisture content may be adjusted at any time as long as the moisture content of the final continuous flavor sheet in the shape of noodles is 15 to 40% by mass.

[0051] In the second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the continuous flavor sheets can be crimped using the crimping device described above in the crimping step. Furthermore, the method according to the second embodiment may further include, similar to the method according to the first embodiment, a step of drying the continuous flavor sheets after crimping, and a step of cutting the continuous flavor sheets after crimping in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flavor sheets.

[0052] (Third Embodiment) In the third embodiment, the continuous flavor sheet manufacturing process is a process for manufacturing a continuous, wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 20 to 40% by mass. The crimping process is a process for cutting the continuous, wide flavor sheet into rectangular flavor sheet strands with a longitudinal length of 10 to 100 mm and a width of 0.1 to 2 mm. The continuous flavor sheet manufacturing process in the third embodiment can be carried out in the same manner as the continuous flavor sheet manufacturing process in the first embodiment.

[0053] In the third embodiment, unlike the first and second embodiments, the crimping device is not used in the crimping process, and the continuous wide flavor sheet is cut into rectangular flavor sheet strands with a longitudinal length of 10 to 100 mm and a width of 0.1 to 2 mm. By cutting the continuous wide flavor sheet, which has a moisture content of 20 to 40% by mass, into rectangular flavor sheet strands of a predetermined size, deformation occurs due to external force during cutting, and crimping occurs without the use of a crimping device. In other words, crimping can be performed simultaneously with the cutting. Cutting into rectangular flavor sheet strands can be carried out, for example, by using a shredder. The size and spacing of the shredder blades can be appropriately selected so that the resulting flavor sheet strands have a longitudinal length of 10 to 100 mm and a width of 0.1 to 2 mm.

[0054] The method according to the third embodiment may further include a step of drying the crimped flavor sheet strand, similar to the methods according to the first and second embodiments. In particular, cylinder drying of the flavor sheet strand is preferred because it causes the flavor sheet strand to crimp more and improves its bulkiness during drying. The drying temperature can be 70 to 160°C, and the drying time can be 1 to 20 minutes. The moisture content of the flavor sheet strand after drying is preferably 8 to 10% by mass.

[0055] (Fourth Embodiment) In the fourth embodiment, the continuous flavor sheet manufacturing process includes the steps of: manufacturing a continuous wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 20 to 40% by mass; and drying the continuous wide flavor sheet so that its moisture content becomes 18 to 20% by mass. The crimping process also includes the steps of: cutting the dried continuous wide flavor sheet into rectangular flavor sheet strands having a longitudinal length of 10 to 100 mm and a width of 0.1 to 2.0 mm; and drying the flavor sheet strands. The step of manufacturing a continuous wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 20 to 40% by mass in the continuous flavor sheet manufacturing process can be carried out in the same manner as the continuous flavor sheet manufacturing process in the first embodiment.

[0056] In the fourth embodiment, a continuous, wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 20 to 40% by mass is further dried to a moisture content of 18 to 20% by mass, and then cut into rectangular flavor sheet strands with a longitudinal length of 10 to 100 mm and a width of 0.1 to 2.0 mm. With such a moisture content, it is easy to cut into rectangular flavor sheet strands of a predetermined size, and sufficient moisture remains inside even after cutting. Therefore, during drying after cutting, the internal moisture vaporizes, causing crimping of the flavor sheet strands. In particular, cylinder drying of the flavor sheet strands is preferable because it causes more crimping of the flavor sheet strands during drying and further improves their bulkiness. The drying temperature can be 70 to 160°C, and the drying time can be 1 to 20 minutes. The moisture content of the flavor sheet strands after drying is preferably 8 to 10% by mass.

[0057] (Physical properties of crimped flavor sheet strands) The volume of the crimped flavor sheet strands produced by the method according to this embodiment is preferably 230 cc / 100 g or more, more preferably 300 cc / 100 g or more, and even more preferably 400 cc / 100 g or more. The upper limit of the range of volume is not particularly limited, but for example it can be 800 cc / 100 g or less. The volume of the crimped flavor sheet strands is measured by the following method.

[0058] The bulkiness can be measured using the DD60A (product name, manufactured by Borgwaldt). Specifically, a sample of a specified mass, weighed using an electronic balance, is filled into a cylindrical container with an inner diameter of 60 mm, and then the height of the engraved cylinder is measured after applying a load of 3.0 kg for 30 seconds. The bulkiness is calculated from the cross-sectional area of ​​the engraved cylinder, the height of the engraved cylinder, and the sample mass using the following formula. The cross-sectional area of ​​the engraved cylinder is calculated from the inner diameter of the cylindrical container. In addition, by using a sample mass of 100 g, the bulkiness (cc / 100 g) can be measured. Bulkiness (cc / g) = (A × H) / W A: Cross-sectional area of ​​the engraved cylinder (cm ２ ) H: Height of engraved cylinder (cm) W: Sample mass (g)

[0059] The crimped flavor sheet strand produced by the method according to this embodiment preferably has 20 or more inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction, and more preferably 50 or more. Having 20 or more inflection points improves the bulkiness. There is no particular upper limit to the range of the number of inflection points, but it can be, for example, 1000 or less. An "inflection point" is a point where the curvature changes, and the number of inflection points can be confirmed visually. Furthermore, if the longitudinal length of the crimped flavor sheet strand is less than 1 meter, the number of inflection points is calculated by converting the longitudinal length to 1 meter.

[0060] [Crimped Flavor Sheet Strand] The crimped flavor sheet strand according to this embodiment has a bulkiness of 230 cc / 100 g or more, and the number of inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction is 20 or more. Because the crimped flavor sheet strand according to this embodiment has high bulkiness, it is possible to reduce the amount of filling into the flavor rod while maintaining the predetermined size and hardness of the flavor rod, and to suppress the filling from spilling out from the tip of the flavor rod. The crimped flavor sheet strand according to this embodiment can be suitably manufactured by the manufacturing method of the crimped flavor sheet strand according to this embodiment described above.

[0061] [Flavor Rod and Method for Manufacturing the Same] The method for manufacturing a flavor rod according to this embodiment includes the steps of: manufacturing a crimped flavor sheet strand by the method according to this embodiment; and manufacturing a flavor rod containing the crimped flavor sheet strand. Since the flavor rod manufactured by this method contains a highly blobable crimped flavor sheet strand manufactured by the method according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the amount of crimped flavor sheet strand to be filled into the flavor rod while maintaining a predetermined size and hardness of the flavor rod, and to suppress the filling from spilling out from the tip of the flavor rod.

[0062] The process for manufacturing the flavor rod may include the steps of: compressing an assembly of multiple crimped flavor sheet strands to produce a porous material; and wrapping the porous material with a wrapper to produce a flavor rod. In this case, the assembly of crimped flavor sheet strands becomes unified when compressed, resulting in a bulky porous material having a predetermined shape. The compression of the assembly of crimped flavor sheet strands can be carried out, for example, by a calendering device. The shape of the porous material is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, sheet-like, cylindrical, or prismatic. The thickness of the porous material can be 0.05 to 10 mm. Cylindrical or prismatic flavor rods can be manufactured by wrapping such porous material with a wrapper. For example, cylindrical or prismatic flavor rods can be manufactured by wrapping cylindrical or prismatic porous material directly with a wrapper. Alternatively, cylindrical or prismatic flavor rods can be manufactured by folding or bundling sheet-like porous material and then wrapping it with a wrapper.

[0063] Furthermore, the process for manufacturing the flavor rod may be a process of manufacturing a flavor rod by wrapping a bundle of multiple crimped flavor sheet strands with a wrapper. In this case, a bundle of multiple crimped flavor sheet strands is formed and wrapped with a wrapper without compression to manufacture the flavor rod. In this case as well, the shape of the flavor rod may be cylindrical, prismatic, or the like.

[0064] [Combustion-type flavor inhaler and method for manufacturing the same] The method for manufacturing the combustion-type flavor inhaler according to this embodiment includes the steps of manufacturing a flavor rod by the method according to this embodiment and manufacturing a combustion-type flavor inhaler including the flavor rod. The method for manufacturing the combustion-type flavor inhaler is not particularly limited as long as the flavor rod manufactured by the method according to this embodiment is used.

[0065] An example of a combustion-type flavor inhaler according to this embodiment is shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the combustion-type flavor inhaler 11 includes a flavor rod 12 according to this embodiment and a filter 13 provided adjacent to the flavor rod 12. The flavor rod 12 and the filter 13 are connected by a chip paper member 16 wound on the flavor rod 12 and the filter 13. The chip paper member 16 may have ventilation holes in a part of its outer circumference. The number of ventilation holes may be one or more, for example, 10 to 40 may be formed. If there are multiple ventilation holes, the ventilation holes can be arranged in a ring in a single row on the outer circumference of the chip paper member 16. Multiple ventilation holes can be arranged at approximately constant intervals. By providing ventilation holes, air is drawn into the filter 13 from the ventilation holes when inhaled. By diluting the mainstream smoke with outside air from the ventilation holes, it is possible to design a product with a desired tar value. Examples of such combustion-type flavor inhalers include those represented by cigarettes.

[0066] The user can enjoy the flavor by igniting the tip of the flavor rod 12 and inhaling through the mouthpiece end of the filter 13. In particular, since the combustion-type flavor inhaler 11 is equipped with the flavor rod 12 according to this embodiment, even when the amount of crimped flavor sheet strands filled in the flavor rod 12 is small, it is possible to maintain the predetermined size and hardness of the flavor rod 12 and prevent the filling from spilling out from the tip of the flavor rod 12.

[0067] [Non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler and method for manufacturing the same] The method for manufacturing the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to this embodiment includes the steps of manufacturing a flavor rod by the method according to this embodiment and manufacturing a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler including the flavor rod. The method for manufacturing the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler is not particularly limited as long as the flavor rod manufactured by the method according to this embodiment is used.

[0068] An example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to this embodiment is shown in Figure 3. The non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler 20 shown in Figure 3 comprises a flavor rod 21 and a mouthpiece segment 22 according to this embodiment. The mouthpiece segment 22 comprises a cooling segment 23, a center hole segment 24, and a filter segment 25. During inhalation, the flavor rod 21 is heated, and each component contained in the filling vaporizes, and these are transferred to the mouthpiece segment 22 by suction. Then, suction is performed from the end of the filter segment 25.

[0069] The cooling segment 23 can be composed of a cylindrical member 26. The cylindrical member 26 can be, for example, a paper tube made by processing cardboard into a cylindrical shape. The cylindrical member 26 and the mouthpiece lining paper 31, which will be described later, are provided with perforations 27 that penetrate both. Due to the presence of the perforations 27, outside air is introduced into the cooling segment 23 when inhaled. As a result, the aerosol vaporized components generated by the heating of the flavor rod 21 come into contact with the outside air, and their temperature decreases, causing them to liquefy and form an aerosol. The diameter (length across) of the perforations 27 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 0.5 to 1.5 mm. The number of perforations 27 is not particularly limited and can be one or two or more. For example, multiple perforations 27 may be provided around the circumference of the cooling segment 23.

[0070] The center hole segment 24 can be composed of a filled layer 28 having a hollow section and an inner plug wrapper 29 covering the filled layer 28. The center hole segment 24 has the function of increasing the strength of the mouthpiece segment 22. The filled layer 28 can be a rod with an inner diameter of φ5.0 to φ1.0 mm, for example, densely filled with cellulose acetate fibers and hardened by adding a plasticizer containing triacetin at a rate of 6 to 20% by mass relative to the mass of cellulose acetate. Because the filled layer 28 has a high fiber filling density, when inhaling, air and aerosols flow only through the hollow section, and hardly any flow occurs inside the filled layer 28. Since the filled layer 28 inside the center hole segment 24 is a fiber filled layer, it feels good to the touch from the outside when in use.

[0071] The configuration of the filter segment 25 is not particularly limited, but it may consist of one or more packed layers. The outside of the packed layers may be wrapped with one or more sheets of wrapping paper. The air permeability resistance per segment of the filter segment 25 can be appropriately changed depending on the amount and material of the filler packed into the filter segment 25. For example, if the filler is cellulose acetate fiber, the air permeability resistance can be increased by increasing the amount of cellulose acetate fiber packed into the filter segment 25. When the filler is cellulose acetate fiber, the packing density of the cellulose acetate fiber is 0.13 to 0.18 g / cm³. ３ It can be. Note that the airflow resistance is a value measured using an airflow resistance meter (product name: SODIMAX, manufactured by SODIM).

[0072] The center hole segment 24 and the filter segment 25 are connected by an outer plug wrapper 30. The outer plug wrapper 30 can be, for example, a cylindrical piece of paper. The flavor rod 21, the cooling segment 23, and the connected center hole segment 24 and filter segment 25 are connected by a mouthpiece lining paper 31. These can be connected, for example, by applying an adhesive such as vinyl acetate adhesive to the inner surface of the mouthpiece lining paper 31, inserting the three segments, and rolling it up.

[0073] The axial length of the non-combustion heating type flavor suction device 20 according to this embodiment, i.e., the horizontal length in Figure 3, is not particularly limited, but is preferably 40 to 90 mm, more preferably 50 to 75 mm, and even more preferably 50 to 60 mm. The circumference of the non-combustion heating type flavor suction device 20 is preferably 16 to 25 mm, more preferably 20 to 24 mm, and even more preferably 21 to 23 mm. For example, an embodiment can be described in which the length of the flavor rod 21 is 20 mm, the length of the cooling segment 23 is 20 mm, the length of the center hole segment 24 is 8 mm, and the length of the filter segment 25 is 7 mm. The lengths of these individual segments can be appropriately changed according to manufacturing suitability, required quality, etc. Furthermore, the center hole segment 24 may be omitted, and only the filter segment 25 may be placed downstream of the cooling segment 23. Since the non-combustion heating type flavor suction device 20 is equipped with a flavor rod 21 according to this embodiment, even when the amount of crimped flavor sheet strands filled into the flavor rod 21 is small, it is possible to maintain the predetermined size and hardness of the flavor rod 21 and prevent the filling from spilling out from the tip of the flavor rod 21.

[0074] [Non-combustion heating type flavor suction system] The non-combustion heating type flavor suction system according to this embodiment may include a non-combustion heating type flavor suction device according to this embodiment and a heating device for heating the non-combustion heating type flavor suction device. The non-combustion heating type flavor suction system according to this embodiment may have other components besides the non-combustion heating type flavor suction device and the heating device according to this embodiment.

[0075] An example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation system according to this embodiment is shown in Figure 4. The non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation system shown in Figure 4 comprises a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler 40 according to this embodiment and a heating device 41 that heats the flavor rod of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler 40 from the outside. Figure 4(a) shows the state before the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler 40 is inserted into the heating device 41, and Figure 4(b) shows the state after the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler 40 is inserted into the heating device 41 and heated. The heating device 41 shown in Figure 4 comprises a body 42, a heater 43, a metal tube 44, a battery unit 45, and a control unit 46. The body 42 has a cylindrical recess 47, and the heater 43 and the metal tube 44 are arranged on the inner side surface of the recess 47 at a position corresponding to the flavor rod of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler 40 inserted into the recess 47. The heater 43 can be an electrical resistance heater, and power is supplied from the battery unit 45 according to instructions from the temperature control unit 46, which controls the temperature, and the heater 43 is heated. The heat emitted from the heater 43 is transferred to the flavor rod of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler 40 through a metal tube 44 with high thermal conductivity.

[0076] In Figure 4(b), although it is a schematic illustration, there is a gap between the outer circumference of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler 40 and the inner circumference of the metal tube 44. However, in reality, it is preferable that there is no gap between the outer circumference of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler 40 and the inner circumference of the metal tube 44 in order to efficiently transfer heat. Furthermore, the heating device 41 heats the flavor rod of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler 40 from the outside, but it may also heat from the inside. If heating from the inside, it is preferable to use a rigid plate-shaped, blade-shaped, or columnar heater instead of the metal tube 44. Examples of such heaters include ceramic heaters in which molybdenum or tungsten is applied to a ceramic substrate.

[0077] The heating temperature of the heating device is not particularly limited, but is preferably 400°C or lower, more preferably 150°C to 400°C, and even more preferably 200°C to 350°C. Note that the heating temperature refers to the temperature of the heater in the heating device.

[0078] The embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to examples, but this embodiment is not limited to these examples.

[0079] [Example 1] A crimped flavor sheet strand was prepared by the method according to the first embodiment. First, a continuous wide flavor sheet was prepared by a rolling process. Specifically, 53.2 parts by mass of mate tea as a flavor component, 4.2 parts by mass of pulp, 8.4 parts by mass of glycerin, 4.2 parts by mass of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as a binder, and 30 parts by mass of water were kneaded together and fed into a plurality of rolling rollers for rolling. The rolled product on the rolling rollers was peeled off with a doctor knife and transferred to a net conveyor for drying to obtain a continuous wide flavor sheet with a width of 200 to 300 mm, a length of 5 to 20 m, and a moisture content of 27% by mass. The flavor sheet was passed through a slitter with a slit width of 1.0 mm to obtain a continuous flavor sheet with a width of 1.0 mm and a moisture content of 27% by mass.

[0080] Next, the flavor sheet was introduced into the crimping device 2 shown in Figure 1 and crimped. The diameter of the outlet hole 4 (maximum length of the outlet hole 4) was 50 mm, and the introduction speed of the flavor sheet into the crimping device was 0.010 m / sec. After that, the flavor sheet was cut to a length of 50 mm, dried, and blended to obtain a crimped flavor sheet strand with a width of 1 mm, a length of 50 mm, and a moisture content of 10.15 mass%. The bulkiness of the crimped flavor sheet strand was 480 cc / 100 g, and the number of inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction was 72.

[0081] [Comparative Example 1] A crimped flavor sheet strand was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a continuous flavor sheet with a width of 1.0 mm and a moisture content of 27% by mass was not introduced into a crimping device, but was cut to a length of 50 mm, dried, and harmonized. The moisture content of the crimped flavor sheet strand was 10.5% by mass, the bulkiness was 415 cc / 100 g, and the number of inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction was 15.3. From this, it was found that the crimped flavor sheet strand of Example 1, produced by the method according to this embodiment, had a bulkiness approximately 16% higher than the crimped flavor sheet strand of Comparative Example 1.

[0082] [Example 2] A crimped flavor sheet strand was prepared by the method according to the first embodiment. First, a continuous wide flavor sheet was prepared by a rolling process. Specifically, 53.2 parts by mass of tobacco leaves as a flavor component, 4.2 parts by mass of pulp, 8.4 parts by mass of glycerin, 4.2 parts by mass of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as a binder, and 30 parts by mass of water were kneaded together and fed into a plurality of rolling rollers for rolling. The rolled product on the rolling rollers was peeled off with a doctor knife and transferred to a net conveyor for drying to obtain a continuous wide flavor sheet with a width of 200 to 300 mm, a length of 5 to 20 m, and a moisture content of 27% by mass. The flavor sheet was passed through a slitter with a slit width of 1.0 mm to obtain a continuous flavor sheet with a width of 1.0 mm and a moisture content of 27% by mass.

[0083] Next, the flavor sheet was introduced into the crimping apparatus used in Example 1 and crimped. The introduction speed of the flavor sheet into the crimping apparatus was 0.01 m / sec. After that, the flavor sheet was cut to a length of 20 mm, dried, and blended to obtain a crimped flavor sheet strand with a width of 1 mm, a length of 20 mm, and a moisture content of 12.7 mass%. The bulkiness of the crimped flavor sheet strand was 298 cc / 100 g, and the number of inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction was 207.7.

[0084] [Comparative Example 2] A crimped flavor sheet strand was obtained in the same manner as in Example 2, except that a continuous flavor sheet with a width of 1.0 mm and a moisture content of 27% by mass was not introduced into a crimping device, but was cut to a length of 20 mm, dried, and harmonized. The moisture content of the crimped flavor sheet strand was 13.7% by mass, the bulkiness was 215 cc / 100 g, and the number of inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction was 5.3. From this, it was found that the crimped flavor sheet strand of Example 2, produced by the method according to this embodiment, had a bulkiness approximately 39% higher than the crimped flavor sheet strand of Comparative Example 2.

[0085] [Example 3] A crimped flavor sheet strand was prepared by the method according to the third embodiment. First, a continuous wide flavor sheet was prepared by a rolling process. Specifically, 53.2 parts by mass of tobacco leaves as a flavor component, 4.2 parts by mass of pulp, 8.4 parts by mass of glycerin, 4.2 parts by mass of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as a binder, and 30 parts by mass of water were kneaded together and fed into multiple rolling rollers for rolling. The rolled product on the rolling rollers was peeled off with a doctor knife, transferred to a net conveyor, and dried to obtain a continuous wide flavor sheet with a width of 200 to 300 mm, a length of 5 to 20 m, and a moisture content of 26% by mass.

[0086] Next, the flavor sheet was cut into rectangular flavor sheet strands with a width of 1.0 mm and a length of 19 mm using a shredder. At this time, it was confirmed that the flavor sheet strands crimped simultaneously with the cutting. The obtained flavor sheet strands were dried in a cylinder dryer to a moisture content of 9% by mass, and then harmonized to obtain crimped flavor sheet strands. The moisture content of these crimped flavor sheet strands was 14.6% by mass, the bulkiness was 273 cc / 100 g, and the number of inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction was 31.

[0087] [Comparative Example 3] Similar to Example 3, a continuous wide flavor sheet was prepared with a width of 200 to 300 mm, a length of 5 to 20 m, and a moisture content of 26% by mass. Next, the flavor sheet was dried until the moisture content was 9% by mass, and then cut into rectangular flavor sheet strands with a width of 1.0 mm and a length of 19 mm using a shredder. At this time, no crimping of the flavor sheet strand occurred simultaneously with the cutting. Subsequently, a uniformly crimped flavor sheet strand was obtained. The moisture content of the crimped flavor sheet strand was 12% by mass, the bulkiness was 220 cc / 100 g, and the number of inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction was 0. From this, it was found that the crimped flavor sheet strand of Example 3, prepared by the method according to this embodiment, had a bulkiness approximately 24% higher than the crimped flavor sheet strand of Comparative Example 3.

[0088] [Example 4] A crimped flavor sheet strand was prepared by the method according to the fourth embodiment. First, a continuous wide flavor sheet was prepared by a rolling process. Specifically, 53.2 parts by mass of tobacco leaves as a flavor component, 4.2 parts by mass of pulp, 8.4 parts by mass of glycerin, 4.2 parts by mass of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as a binder, and 30 parts by mass of water were kneaded together and fed into multiple rolling rollers for rolling. The rolled product on the rolling rollers was peeled off with a doctor knife, transferred to a net conveyor, and dried to obtain a continuous wide flavor sheet with a width of 200 to 300 mm, a length of 5 to 20 m, and a moisture content of 30% by mass.

[0089] Next, the continuous wide flavor sheet was dried in a shelf-type dryer to a moisture content of 19.7% by mass. Then, it was cut into rectangular flavor sheet strands with a width of 1.0 mm and a length of 19 mm using a shredder. These flavor sheet strands were dried in a cylinder dryer at 115°C for 8 minutes to a moisture content of 8.7% by mass. At this time, it was confirmed that the flavor sheet strands crimped simultaneously with drying. Subsequently, a harmoniously crimped flavor sheet strand was obtained. The moisture content of this crimped flavor sheet strand was 13.9% by mass, the bulkiness was 235 cc / 100 g, and the number of inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction was 45.

[0090] [Comparative Example 4] In the same manner as in Example 4, a continuous wide flavor sheet with a width of 200 to 300 mm, a length of 5 to 20 m, and a moisture content of 30% by mass was prepared. Next, the continuous wide flavor sheet was dried in a shelf dryer to a moisture content of 12.2% by mass. Then, it was cut into rectangular flavor sheet strands with a width of 1.0 mm and a length of 19 mm using a shredder, and crimped flavor sheet strands were obtained. The moisture content of the crimped flavor sheet strands was 13.4% by mass, the bulkiness was 208 cc / 100 g, and the number of inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction was 17. From this, it was found that the crimped flavor sheet strand of Example 4, prepared by the method according to this embodiment, had a bulkiness approximately 13% higher than the crimped flavor sheet strand of Comparative Example 4.

[0091] [Comparative Example 5] In the same manner as in Example 4, a continuous wide flavor sheet with a width of 200 to 300 mm, a length of 5 to 20 m, and a moisture content of 30% by mass was prepared. Next, the continuous wide flavor sheet was dried in a shelf dryer to a moisture content of 12.2% by mass. Then, it was cut into rectangular flavor sheet strands with a width of 1.0 mm and a length of 19 mm using a shredder. The flavor sheet strands were dried in a cylinder dryer at 115°C for 5 minutes to a moisture content of 8.5% by mass. Then, crimped flavor sheet strands were obtained by harmonizing. The moisture content of the crimped flavor sheet strands was 13.7% by mass, and the bulkiness was 201 cc / 100 g. From this, it was found that the crimped flavor sheet strand of Example 4, prepared by the method according to this embodiment, had a bulkiness approximately 17% higher than the crimped flavor sheet strand of Comparative Example 5.

[0092] This embodiment includes the following aspects.

[0093] [1] A method for producing a crimped flavor sheet strand, comprising the steps of: producing a continuous flavor sheet having a moisture content of 15 to 40% by mass; and crimping the continuous flavor sheet.

[0094] [2] The method according to [1], wherein the step of producing the continuous flavor sheet includes the steps of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 15 to 40% by mass, and cutting the continuous wide flavor sheet to an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm.

[0095] [3] The method according to [2], wherein the step of producing the continuous wide flavor sheet is a step of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet by a papermaking step, a casting step, or a rolling step.

[0096] [4] The method according to [1], wherein the step of producing the continuous flavor sheet is to extrude the raw material for the flavor sheet using an extruder to have an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm, thereby producing a continuous flavor sheet having an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm and a moisture content of 15 to 40% by mass.

[0097] [5] The method according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the step of crimping the continuous flavor sheet is to introduce the continuous flavor sheet into a box-shaped crimping device which is hollow inside and has an inlet hole and an outlet hole at opposing positions, to crimp the continuous flavor sheet by keeping it in the crimping device, and to discharge the crimped continuous flavor sheet from the outlet hole.

[0098] [6] The method according to any one of [1] to [5], further comprising the step of drying the continuous flavor sheets after crimping.

[0099] [7] The method according to [6], wherein the moisture content of the continuous flavor sheet after drying is 8 to 15% by mass.

[0100] [8] The method according to any one of [1] to [7], further comprising the step of cutting the continuous flavor sheet after crimping in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flavor sheet.

[0101] [9] The method according to [1], wherein the step of producing the continuous flavor sheet is a step of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 20 to 40% by mass, and the step of crimping the continuous flavor sheet is a step of cutting the continuous wide flavor sheet into rectangular flavor sheet strands having a longitudinal length of 10 to 100 mm and a width of 0.1 to 2 mm.

[0102]

[10] The method according to [9], further comprising the step of drying the flavor sheet strand.

[0103]

[11] The method according to [1], wherein the step of producing the continuous flavor sheet includes the steps of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 20 to 40% by mass, and drying the continuous wide flavor sheet so that the moisture content of the continuous wide flavor sheet is 18 to 20% by mass, and the step of crimping the continuous flavor sheet includes the steps of cutting the dried continuous wide flavor sheet into rectangular flavor sheet strands having a longitudinal length of 10 to 100 mm and a width of 0.1 to 2.0 mm, and drying the flavor sheet strands.

[0104]

[12] The method according to

[10] or

[11] , wherein the drying is cylinder drying.

[0105]

[13] The method according to any one of [9] to

[12] , wherein the step of producing the continuous wide flavor sheet is a step of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet by a papermaking step, a casting step, or a rolling step.

[0106]

[14] The method according to any one of [1] to

[13] , wherein the continuous flavor sheet contains at least one flavor component selected from the group consisting of tobacco, herbal plants, tobacco extract, nicotine, and nicotine salts.

[0107]

[15] The method according to any one of [1] to

[14] , wherein the volume of the crimped flavor sheet strand is 230 cc / 100 g or more.

[0108]

[16] The method according to any one of [1] to

[15] , wherein the number of inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction of the crimped flavor sheet strand is 20 or more.

[0109] A method for producing a flavor rod, comprising: a step of producing a crimped flavor sheet strand by any of the methods described in [1] to

[16] ; and a step of producing a flavor rod containing the crimped flavor sheet strand.

[0110]

[18] The method according to

[17] , wherein the step of manufacturing the flavor rod includes: a step of compressing an aggregate of a plurality of the crimped flavor sheet strands to manufacture a porous material; and a step of wrapping the porous material with a wrapper to manufacture a flavor rod.

[0111]

[19] The method according to

[17] , wherein the step of manufacturing the flavor rod is to manufacture a flavor rod by wrapping a bundle of the crimped flavor sheet strands with a wrapper.

[0112]

[20] The method according to any one of

[17] to

[19] , wherein the shape of the flavor rod is cylindrical or prismatic.

[0113] A method for manufacturing a combustion-type flavor inhaler, comprising the steps of: manufacturing a flavor rod by any of the methods described in

[21] ,

[17] , to

[20] ; and manufacturing a combustion-type flavor inhaler including the flavor rod.

[0114] A method for manufacturing a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler, comprising the steps of: manufacturing a flavor rod by any of the methods described in

[22] ,

[17] , to

[20] ; and manufacturing a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler including the flavor rod.

[0115] A crimped flavored sheet strand manufactured by any of the methods described in

[23] [1] to

[16] .

[0116]

[24] A crimped flavor sheet strand having a volume of 230 cc / 100 g or more and 20 or more inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction.

[0117] A flavor rod comprising the crimped flavor sheet strand described in

[25] ,

[23] , or

[24] .

[0118] A combustion-type flavor inhaler including the flavor rod described in

[26] and

[25] .

[0119] A non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler including the flavor rod described in

[27] and

[25] .

[0120] 1. Flavoring sheet 2. Crimping device 3. Inlet hole 4. Outlet hole 5. Box-shaped member 6. Pressing roller

Claims

1. A method for producing a crimped flavor sheet strand, comprising the steps of: producing a continuous flavor sheet having a moisture content of 15 to 40% by mass; and crimping the continuous flavor sheet.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of producing the continuous flavor sheet comprises: a step of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 15 to 40% by mass; and a step of cutting the continuous wide flavor sheet to an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of producing the continuous wide flavor sheet is a step of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet by a papermaking step, a casting step, or a rolling step.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of producing the continuous flavor sheet is to extrude the raw material for the flavor sheet using an extrusion molding machine to have an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm, thereby producing a continuous flavor sheet having an average width of 0.1 to 2 mm and a moisture content of 15 to 40% by mass.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the step of crimping the continuous flavor sheet is to introduce the continuous flavor sheet into a box-shaped crimping device having a hollow interior and an inlet hole and an outlet hole at opposing positions, to crimp the continuous flavor sheet by retaining it in the crimping device, and to discharge the crimped continuous flavor sheet from the outlet hole.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising the step of drying the continuous flavor sheets after crimping.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the moisture content of the continuous flavor sheets after drying is 8 to 15% by mass.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising the step of cutting the continuous flavor sheet after crimping in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flavor sheet.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of manufacturing the continuous flavor sheet is a step of manufacturing a continuous wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 20 to 40% by mass, and the step of crimping the continuous flavor sheet is a step of cutting the continuous wide flavor sheet into rectangular flavor sheet strands having a longitudinal length of 10 to 100 mm and a width of 0.1 to 2 mm.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of drying the flavor sheet strand.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of producing the continuous flavor sheet includes the steps of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet having a moisture content of 20 to 40% by mass, and drying the continuous wide flavor sheet so that the moisture content of the continuous wide flavor sheet is 18 to 20% by mass, and the step of crimping the continuous flavor sheet includes the steps of cutting the dried continuous wide flavor sheet into rectangular flavor sheet strands having a longitudinal length of 10 to 100 mm and a width of 0.1 to 2.0 mm, and drying the flavor sheet strands.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the drying is cylinder drying.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the step of producing the continuous wide flavor sheet is a step of producing a continuous wide flavor sheet by a papermaking step, a casting step, or a rolling step.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the continuous flavor sheet contains at least one flavor component selected from the group consisting of tobacco, herbal plants, tobacco extract, nicotine, and nicotine salts.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the volume of the crimped flavor sheet strand is 230 cc / 100 g or more.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the number of inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction of the crimped flavor sheet strand is 20 or more.

17. A method for producing a flavor rod, comprising the steps of: producing a crimped flavor sheet strand by the method described in any one of claims 1 to 16; and producing a flavor rod containing the crimped flavor sheet strand.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of manufacturing the flavor rod includes: a step of compressing an aggregate of a plurality of the crimped flavor sheet strands to manufacture a porous material; and a step of winding the porous material with a wrapper to manufacture a flavor rod.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of manufacturing the flavor rod is the step of manufacturing a flavor rod by wrapping a bundle of the crimped flavor sheet strands with a wrapper.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the shape of the flavor rod is cylindrical or prismatic.

21. A method for manufacturing a combustion-type flavor inhaler, comprising the steps of: manufacturing a flavor rod by the method described in any one of claims 17 to 20; and manufacturing a combustion-type flavor inhaler including the flavor rod.

22. A method for manufacturing a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler, comprising the steps of: manufacturing a flavor rod by the method described in any one of claims 17 to 20; and manufacturing a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler including the flavor rod.

23. A crimped flavor sheet strand manufactured by the method described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

24. A crimped flavor sheet strand having a volume expansion of 230 cc / 100 g or more and 20 or more inflection points per meter in the longitudinal direction.

25. A flavor rod comprising a crimped flavor sheet strand according to claim 23 or 24.

26. A combustion-type flavor inhaler comprising the flavor rod described in claim 25.

27. A non-combustion heating type flavor suction device including the flavor rod described in claim 25.

Images