Black tea manufacture
AssigneeLipton, division of Conopco, Inc.
InventorsRuth Louisa Blair, Robert Ong'Ondi Mayaka, Andrew David Parry, Peter Joseph Stabler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for manufacturing black leaf tea that looks and feels like orthodox processed tea but has the liquor characteristics of a fuller fermented CTC processed tea. The process involves withering a first supply of freshly plucked tea leaves, macerating the withered leaves, allowing the macerated withered leaves to ferment to produce macerated dhool, withering a second supply of freshly plucked tea leaves, mixing the macerated dhool obtained from the first supply of leaves with the withered leaves obtained from the second supply of leaves, rolling the mixture, allowing the rolled mixture to ferment, and drying the fermented mixture to yield black leaf tea.
Claims8
A process for manufacturing black tea comprising the steps of:
- withering a first supply of freshly plucked tea leaves, macerating the withered leaves, allowing the macerated withered leaves to ferment to produce macerated dhool having a high moisture content;
- withering a second supply of freshly plucked tea leaves;
- mixing the macerated dhool obtained from said first supply of leaves with the withered leaves obtained from said second supply of leaves, rolling the mixture, allowing the rolled mixture to ferment;
- and drying the fermented mixture to yield black leaf tea.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.