Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Fermentation processes – Of plant or plant derived material
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-08
2001-05-29
Weier, Anthony J. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Fermentation processes
Of plant or plant derived material
C426S580000, C426S587000, C426S590000, C426S592000, C426S597000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06238712
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to methods for producing an aged or matured tea material and a tea beverage which have an improved flavor and leave a pleasant aftertaste, by treating a tea material for drinking by a specific process.
Tea is a luxury beverage made from young buds and young leaves of tea plants as evergreen shrubberies of Camellia sinensis, and is roughly classified into three types of an unfermented tea, a fermented tea and a semi-fermented tea. These tea materials are classified on the basis of the difference in the production processes, and will be briefly explained below. The unfermented tea is the one obtained by, immediately after plucking leaves, heating the leaves to inactivate enzymes, followed by drying so as to keep the green color and develop the flavor and taste, i.e. the one made by a process not including a fermentation step. Green tea belongs to this group. The fermented tea is the one obtained by rolling or crumpling thoroughly the plucked leaves, and conducting oxidation with oxidases in the leaves, fermentation and drying, i.e. the one made by a process including a fermentation step. Black tea belongs to this group. Further, the semi-fermented tea is the one obtained by stopping the fermentation step on the way in the above production process of the fermented tea, followed by drying for finishing. Chinese teas such as oolong tea belong to this group.
Further, in addition to the above tea material for drinking made from the young buds and young leaves of tea plants, other tea materials for drinking made from plants other than evergreen shrubberies of Camellia sinensis, have been known, for example, barley tea (barley water or ptisan: the one obtained by roasting barley as covered with husks and finishing) and herb tea (the one obtained by drying fragrant grass leaves, stalks, seeds, etc.).
The tea materials for drinking and the tea beverages obtainable from such tea materials for drinking as mentioned above, are liked by people in many countries, and their consumption is substantial. Various processes and machines have been devised to make these tea beverages more tastily. However, the main stream is directed to a process for optimizing the conditions in extracting or steeping water-soluble components from the tea materials for drinking to produce good flavor. However, the flavor of conventional tea materials for drinking depends on the quality of young buds, young leaves, etc. of tea plants as the starting material, and after all, tasty teas tend to be expensive because high quality tea materials are used. For example, it is commonly known that Shincha (the first tea of the season or newly picked tea) is better than Bancha (coarse tea) in flavor, but the Shincha is substantially expensive as compared with the Bancha.
Further, in recent years, many types of canned beverages have been commercially available by vending machines or the like. However, since the canned beverages are subjected to high temperature sterilization, there is a tendency that the flavor is substantially deteriorated, a so-called watery feeling is given, and the original flavor of the tea is lost.
Moreover, although various types of teas have been known as above, every type has its own flavor, and thus there is barely known teas liked by everyone, and teas have been selected by everyone's taste.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide methods for producing an aged tea material and a tea beverage which are liked by everyone, have an improved flavor and leave a pleasant aftertaste.
In order to accomplish the above object, the first aspect of the present invention provides a method for producing an aged tea material, which comprises mixing an alcoholic beverage and a lactic acid-fermented material with a tea material for drinking, swelling the tea material for drinking, and then aging the tea material for drinking.
The tea material for drinking is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of green tea, Chinese tea, black tea and barley tea. Further, proportions of the alcoholic beverage and the lactic acid-fermented material (hydrous state) to the tea material for drinking are preferably from 0.3 to 2 and from 0.05 to 0.5, respectively, to 1 of the tea material for drinking, by weight. Furthermore, the aging of the tea material for drinking is conducted by keeping the tea material for drinking at 0 to 100° C. for 4 hours to 40 days.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a tea beverage, which comprises adding water to the aged tea material produced by the above method, and extracting water-soluble components.
A still further aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a tea beverage, which comprises mixing plural different tea beverages produced by the above method.
According to the present invention, an aged tea material is produced by mixing an alcoholic beverage and a lactic acid-fermented material with a tea material for drinking, swelling the tea material for drinking, and then aging the tea material for drinking. By adding water to this aged tea to extract the water-soluble components, it is possible to obtain a tea beverage wherein the alcoholic beverage and the lactic acid-fermented material used for the aging hardly remain and which leaves a pleasant aftertaste and is rich full-flavored as compared with the conventional ones produced from tea materials.
Further, since the flavor is improved as above, even if the quality of the starting material of the tea material for drinking is not good or the extracted tea beverage is canned, products maintaining the original good flavor can be obtained. Furthermore, since it is rich full-flavored and leaves a pleasant aftertaste, it is possible to provide a tea beverage which meets everyones taste of modern people.
MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to preferred embodiments. The tea material for drinking used in the present invention is not particularly limited. However, for example, green teas such as Maccha (powdered green tea), Gyokuro (a type of Sencha), Sencha (green tea of middle grade), Kamairicha (a tea roasted in a pot), Bancha (coarse tea) and Houjicha (toasted or roasted tea); Chinese teas such as oolong tea, tie guanyin tea, pu-erh tea, huang shau tea, longin tea and pouchong tea; black teas such as Darjeeling tea and Assam tea, as well as barley tea, herb tea, jasmine tea, etc. may be mentioned. Further, in the present invention, two or more of these tea materials for drinking may be mixed for use. In this instance, among the above tea materials for drinking, Gyokuro, Sencha, Bancha, oolong tea, tie guanyin tea, Darjeeling tea, Assam tea, barley tea, etc. are particularly preferred.
As the alcoholic beverage used in the present invention, sake, wine, whiskey, brandy, vodka, shao-hsing rice wine, shochu (white distilled liquor), etc. may be mentioned.
Further, the lactic acid-fermented material used in the present invention, means products in a semi-gelled state or a liquid state, obtained by fermenting a raw material containing milk contents with lactic acid bacteria. According to the standards of ingredients by the ordinance of the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan, these products are classified into three types, i.e. a fermented milk containing 8 wt % or more of a milk solid-not-fat, a lactic acid beverage of dairy products containing at least 3.0 wt % and less than 8.0 wt % of a milk solid-not-fat, and a lactic acid beverage of non-dairy products containing less than 3.0 wt % of a milk solid-not-fat. The fermented milk may include e.g., yogurt. The lactic acid beverage of dairy products is further classified into raw lactic acid beverage and pasteurized lactic acid beverage. As the raw lactic acid beverage, for example, “Yakult” (trade name, manufactured by Yakult Honsha Co.,Ltd.), etc. have been known. As the pasteurized lactic acid beverage, for example, “Calpis”
Frishauf, Holtz Goodman, Langer & Chick, P.C.
Kabushiki Kaisha Ariake Nori
Weier Anthony J.
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