COMPRESSED TRUE WHOLE LEAF TEA DIPS AND METHOD THEREOF

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of preparing a compressed true whole leaf tea dip product. The method includes the step of tying the leaves with a string and step of compressing the tea leaves which results in preserving the shape of the leaves so that the tea leaves do not break and in unfurling of tea leaves without significant breakage. The way the tea leaves are plucked in the garden also plays an important role to preserve the shape without breakage when dipped in hot water during the preparation of tea beverage. In the present invention a natural unbroken true whole leaf tea dip is made from the leaves of the tea plant Camellia Sinensis and compressed in the smallest size possible in any desired weight or volume in a way to prevent the breakage of the tea leaves.

Claims

1. A method of preparing compressed true whole leaf tea dip (100), the method comprising: a) a step of withering of tea leaves to de-moisturize tea leaves (110); b) a step of shaking and rolling of tea leaves to breakdown the cell structure of tea leaves and allow the oxidation process (120); c) a step of fermenting the processed leaves to reduce astringency and bitterness (130); d) a step of de-enzyming the processed leaves to deactivate the enzymes (140); e) a step of baking the processed leaves to add flavor (150); f) a step of sorting the processed tea leaves to separate whole tea leaves from the damaged tea leaves (160); g) a step of tying the leaves with a string to tie the individual leaves together (170); h) a step of compressing the tea leaves to reduce the moisture content in the tea leaves and to provide a compressed form of tea leaves which helps in retaining the whole leaf nature of the leaves without breakage (180); i) a step of disinfecting the tea leaves to reduce the microbial load (190); j) a step of drying the tea leaves to further reduce the moisture content in the tea leaves (200); k) a step of packaging the tea leaves to transport the tea leaves for making the tea leaves for ready-to-use (210); characterized in that the step of tying the leaves with a string (170) and step of compressing the tea leaves (180) result in unfurling of tea leaves without significant breakage when dipped in hot water during the preparation of tea beverage.

2. The method of preparing compressed true whole leaf tea dip (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moisture content of the compressed tea leaves in the semi-dry state is in the range of 10 to 40%.

3. The method of preparing compressed true whole leaf tea dip (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moisture content of the compressed tea leaves after the final drying state is in the range of 3 to 5%.

4. The method of preparing compressed true whole leaf tea dip (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tea leaves used are unbroken fresh or semi-processed whole tea leaves.

5. The method of preparing compressed true whole leaf tea dip (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the size of the leaf used can be varied as per the requirement.

6. The method of preparing compressed true whole leaf tea dip (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the leaves unfurl without any significant breakage during the preparation of tea beverage.

7. The method of preparing compressed true whole leaf tea dip (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user can brew 2 to 3 cups of tea with one piece of bagless whole leaf compressed tea dip.

8. The method of preparing compressed true whole leaf tea dip (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the whole tea leaves are selected from black tea, green tea, oolong tea, Puerh tea, white tea.

9. A compressed true whole leaf tea dip for preparing tea beverage, the tea dip comprising: compressed whole tea leaves of different sizes and tied to a string; characterized in that the compressed leaves in the tea dip unfurl without significant breakage when dipped in hot water during the preparation of tea beverage.

10. The compressed true whole leaf tea dip for preparing tea beverage as claimed in claim 9, wherein the string acts as steeping agent during the preparation of tea beverage.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Example embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0036] FIG. 1 depicts flow chart for the preparation of compressed true whole leaf tea dips according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0038] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of composition set forth in the following description. The present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0039] The use of “including”, “comprising” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.

[0040] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “one embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, different embodiments, or component parts of the same or different illustrated invention.

[0041] The present invention provides one or more ways of producing whole leaf tea dips in the smallest compressed form tied by a string to use as a natural tea dip for convenience of brewing in water or milk without the use of a bag. It will make high-quality tea brewing easy on the go and without the use of strainers or any other tea brewing equipment. Each and every tea dip will make the true whole leaf quality tea brewing possible without any leaf breakages and will also save a lot of space in packaging because of its compressed state.

[0042] The method for preparing compressed true whole leaf tea dip (100) is disclosed in FIG. 1, As shown in FIG. 1, the method includes:

[0043] a) a step of withering of tea leaves to de-moisturize tea leaves (110);

[0044] b) a step of shaking and rolling of tea leaves to breakdown the cell structure of tea leaves and allow the oxidation process (120);

[0045] c) a step of fermenting the processed leaves to reduce astringency and bitterness (130);

[0046] d) a step of de-enzyming the processed leaves to deactivate the enzymes (140);

[0047] e) a step of baking the processed leaves to add flavor (150);

[0048] f) a step of sorting the processed tea leaves to separate whole tea leaves from the damaged tea leaves (160);

[0049] g) a step of tying the leaves with a string to tie the individual leaves together (170);

[0050] h) a step of compressing the tea leaves to reduce the moisture content in the tea leaves and to provide a compressed form of tea leaves which helps in retaining the whole leaf nature of the leaves without breakage (180);

[0051] i) a step of disinfecting the tea leaves to reduce the microbial load (190);

[0052] j) a step of drying the tea leaves to further reduce the moisture content in the tea leaves (200);

[0053] k) a step of packaging the tea leaves to transport the tea leaves for making the tea leaves for ready-to-use (210);

[0054] According to one embodiment of the invention, the step of tying the leaves with a string (170) and step of compressing the tea leaves (180) result in unfurling of tea leaves without significant breakage when dipped in hot water during the preparation of tea beverage.

[0055] According to one embodiment of the invention, the present method for preparing compressed true whole leaf tea dip provides a bagless tea dip product.

[0056] According to one embodiment of the invention, the natural unbroken whole leaf tea dip is produced as below:

[0057] A processing unit in a tea garden of 0-500 kilometres radius is established. The plucked green leaves from the certified organically grown or naturally and sustainably grown or inorganically grown tea gardens are procured to the processing unit.

[0058] For tea types such as Black, Oolong, White and Puerh tea, the corresponding green leaves are left for withering (110) in an automatic withering trough which blows both cool and hot air as per set parameters for oxidization for a certain amount of time depending on the kind of characteristics desired for drinking the respective tea. Cool air is being blown in temperatures ranging between 2-30 deg Celsius and the hot air is being blown in a range of 60-100 deg Celsius. The moisture content removal in the withering phase ranges between 0.1-70%. Withering (110) is followed by processes like shaking of the tea leaves and rolling the leaves (120), fermenting the processed leaves (130) depending on the process requirements.

[0059] According to one embodiment of the invention, in the case of black, Oolong, white and Puerh tea, the next stage is de-enzyming (140) to stop the enzymatic reaction up to the desired level. De-enzyming (140) of the fermented/oxidised leaves can be done by steaming, panning, passing through micro-wave, hot air blasting etc. In the oxidised state, the tea leaves contain a lot more moisture than the dried state which can also be termed as a semi-dried state. In this phase the flavour profiles and the aroma of the teas are at its peak because of the high presence of active ingredients and components present in tea, which eventually reduces after the drying process.

[0060] The next step after de-enzyming (140) is the step baking the processed leaves (150).

[0061] According to one embodiment of the invention, the next step is step of sorting the processed tea leaves (160). The de-enzyme oxidised and baked leaves are brought for weighing and sorting either through hand or through a sorting machine assisted by an inbuilt weighing sensor. Tea leaves for one cup shall be measured and kept in a separate small-sized tray where several similar trays shall be spread over an area to segregate the whole batch of fermented leaves. Similarly, tea leaves for 1 teapot, 1 jar, 1 bottle or of any amount can be set to segregate accordingly.

[0062] After the segregation of required amount of tea leaves for each cup is done, the leaves are held together by the lower part of the leaf which connects with the nodes in a stem and is held tight. This process can be done both by hand or a machine to gather all the leaves together. Next, the leaves are tied (170) with a string, yarn or thread of any material leaving the other end little longer forming a string for a tea dip as it can be seen in a teabag. The only visible difference is that there will be natural tea leaves tied to the string instead of a teabag. The other loose end of the thread, string or yarn could range between 1 centimetre to 30 centimetres, However, a length of 4 to 12 centimetre will serve the purpose.

[0063] According to one embodiment of the invention, the tied fermented leaves in the semi-dried state shall be shifted for compression to compress the tea leaves (180) and also to give the desired shape in the smallest size possible. A compression chamber is developed and the interior of the compression chamber is designed in the desired shape as required in the finished tea like cube, sphere, oval, star or any other shape, which will compress the tea leaves. Accordingly, a piston is developed to compress the tea in its semi-dry state. The tied tea leaves are put inside the compression chamber while keeping the string out of the chamber through an outlet. The pressure is applied to the piston to compress the leaves in the desired shape and in the most compressed form. To make the job faster the same process shall be replicated in several compression chambers with the desired amount of leaves for the desired output. The compression can be done both manually or with other forms of pressures like hydraulic, electric, mechanic, pneumatic or any other form to apply pressure. Because of the high moisture content in the tea leaves, the leaves get compressed without any breakages. Compressing the leaves can also be done by tightly wrapping the string, yarn or a thread around the leaves by holding them together and later same string can be used as a dip by unwrapping the leaves as the other end of the string will be tying the leaves together.

[0064] The compressed tea leaves with its dip string attached are next passed through UV chambers to disinfect (190) and reduce contaminations from various pathogens. The final step is the drying process (200) through different methods like heat drying, freeze-drying etc. Freeze drying, however, retains more flavour than heat drying.

[0065] Drying (200) is the last step in tea manufacturing and after that paper, tags are attached to the other end of the string/yarn/thread etc either manually or through the use of machines.

[0066] The final product is packed (210) into different food-grade packaging materials. The final product is bagless tea dip in compressed form packaged into different boxes.

[0067] Consumers will be able to easily brew a cup of tea with the truest unbroken whole leaf quality by just adding water or milk as desired in a cup or a glass or any other container. As soon as the compressed leaves come in contact with hot/cold water/milk the leaves start to unfurl and start releasing its aroma, flavour and colour in its most natural whole-leaf form. Once the brewing is done the consumer can pull the string which is tied to the leaves to take out the leaves from the cup to prevent over steeping. This method of tea production also eliminates the use of tea strainers or any other tea brewing apparatus to brew a specialty cup of true whole leaf tea even on the go.

[0068] According to one embodiment of the invention, the method for preparing compressed true whole leaf tea dip changes according to the type of tea leaf. In the case of green tea, the steps of shaking, rolling and baking and fermentation are absent. In the case of green tea, after withering and moisture removal the next step is de-enzyming, followed by sorting and weighing of the leaves.

[0069] According to one embodiment of the invention, the step of drying is replaced with providing vacuum and nitrogen flush.

[0070] According to one embodiment of the invention, to preserve the active flavour profiles and aroma in the compressed tea leaves in the semi-dried state avoid the drying the process and also avoid its contact with oxygen or air. Prolonged contact with oxygen or air will lead to further oxidation or fermentation of the compressed tea leaves in the semi-dried state, which will further activate the enzymatic reaction and will result in the loss of the tea flavour and aroma.

[0071] According to one embodiment of the invention, to achieve the airtight packaging material in any material such as flexi pack, aluminium cans, or any other material that can withstand high air and vacuum pressures is used. The compressed tea attached to the string and the tag shall be put inside the packaging material more preferably a flexible packaging in bio-degradable, compostable, recyclable or any other materials and then the air is completely sucked out to create a vacuum environment inside the packaging material. After this pure food-grade nitrogen is flushed into the packaging which contains the compressed tea in semi-dried state and nitrogen will replace all the air molecules which will eventually stop the teas from getting further oxidised and also to stop the enzymatic reaction inside the package. After this the packaging material more preferable the flexi packaging material shall be sealed to lock the nitrogen inside the package. This whole process will enhance the shelf life of the compressed tea dips in semi-dried from and also preserve the active flavour profiles which are at least 2 times more than any completely dried teas which contain moisture only up to 7%. In certain cases, the completely dried teas may contain moisture level up to 15% or more but they are more prone to getting damaged within a shorter period.

[0072] According to one embodiment of the invention the whole method of making tea brewing makes a consumer more enjoyable, effortless and easy with the truest unbroken whole leaf quality by just adding water or milk as desired. As soon as the compressed leaves in the semidried state comes in contact with hot/cold water/milk, the leaves start to unfurl even faster than the completely dried compressed tea leaves and starts releasing its aroma, flavour and colour in its most natural form which is at least 2 times more flavour than completely dried compressed tea leaves. Once the brewing is done the consumer can pull the string which is tied to the leaves to take out the leaves from the cup to prevent over steeping. This method of tea production also eliminates the use of tea strainers or any other tea brewing apparatus to brew a specialty cup of true whole leaf tea even on the go with at least 2 times more flavour than with completely dried tea leaves.

[0073] According to one embodiment of the invention, the afore-mentioned processes specifically mention about producing tea from the tea plant Camellia Sinensis. However, the tea can also be blended with a wide variety of herbs, flowers, roots, spices and other plant materials before compressing the tea leaves in the compression chamber. The blending could be done in any form, shape, varieties or in any process before compressing the true whole-leaf tea dips as per the processes mentioned above to achieve the desired taste. The blended tea could also be called as a compressed true whole leaf or whole spices tisanes or herbal tea. As soon as the compressed tea are brewed the herbs, spices, roots or any other plant material blended with tea i.e Camellia sinensis or without tea starts releasing its flavour. These herbs, roots, spices or any other plant material could also be blended in the form of naturals oils, water-soluble oils, extracts, natural powders or in semi-crushed form with tea leaves or without tea leaves and then compress as per the processes mentioned above to give it the desired shape.

[0074] It will be recognized that the above described subject matter may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the scope or essential characteristics of the disclosure. Thus, it is understood that, the subject matter is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrative details, but it is rather to be defined by the appended claims.

[0075] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the novel and inventive features of the invention, it is understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.