Process for preparing tea products

A process for the preparation of a shelf-stable liquid tea mix concentrate having a pH of below about 3.0, a water activity of about 0.75 to about 0.85 and a maximum sulfur content of less than 0.005% comprising:

• (a) acidifying a tea extract by adding from about 0.05% to about 40% by weight of a tea-acid-water mixture of an edible food grade acid, the tea extract prepared by mixing tea leaves with water in a ratio of from about 1:3 to about 1:50, extracting at from about 100.degree. F. to about 210.degree. F. for about 3 to about 100 minutes and separating the tea leaves from the extract, or mixing dehydrated tea extract with water, the dehydrated tea extract comprising from about 0.5% to about 30% by weight of the tea extract and water mixture;
• (b) heating the acidified extract to a temperature of at least 120.degree. F. for at least about 15 minutes to develop malodorous and off-flavor degradation compounds;
• (c) removing malodorous and off-flavor degradation volatiles from the acidified heated extract by stripping, evaporation, flash evaporation or boiling;
• and
• (d) cooling the extract to a temperature of from about 15.degree. F. to about 50.degree. F. and separating solids from the extract to yield a clarified shelf-stable tea concentrate.