Lipton, Division of Conopco, Inc.

Matthew John Barrett

Timothy Graham Jones

Jeffrey Bryn Richards

Ian Noble

William Joseph Leo

Dominic P Black

Mark Richard Birch

A method for making a cold water soluble black tea extract. The method involves extracting tea solids from black tea leaves using an extraction liquid to provide a whole tea extract, oxidizing the whole tea extract under superatmospheric pressure and at a temperature above 60&deg; C. to provide a cold water soluble liquor, cooling the cold water soluble liquor to precipitate any residual cold water insoluble material, and separating the residual cold water insoluble material from the cold water soluble liquor to give the cold water soluble black tea extract. A method for making a cold water soluble black tea powder is also described.

Method for making a cold water soluble tea extract

Tea products, particularly black leaf tea and tea powder, derived from green tea leaf are manufactured by a process involving addition of zeolite, preferably a synthetic sodium or potassium zeolite, for reaction with tea ingredients present or subsequently produced to generate red colour species. The tea products produce beverages having enhanced colour characteristics, in terms of colour properties and speed of colour generation, compared with conventional products.

Tea processing with zeolites

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Sandy, United Kingdom

Matthew John Barrett