Powdered soluble tea extract and process for its manufacture

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MAKING A POWDERED TEA EXTRACT FROM TEA LEAVES, WHICH CONSISTS IN EXTRACTING TEA LEAVES DURING A MAXIMUM PERIOD OF SUBSTANTIALLY TEN MINUTES BY COUNTER-CURRENT EXTRACTION WITH WATER AT A TEMPERATURE OF SUBSTANTIALLY 60*C. ATO SUBSTANTIALLY 100*C., THE WEIGHT OF SAID WATER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY 6 TIMES TO SUBSTANTIALLY 15 TIMES THE WEIGHT OF SAID TEA LEAVES, THUS PRODUCING AN ORIGINAL DILUTE TEA EXTRACT WHICH HAS FROM SUBSTANTIALLY. 2.5% TO SUBSTANTIALLY 10% OF DISSOLVED TEA SOLIDS BY WEIGHT, THEN STRIPPING SAID ORIGINAL DILUTE EXTRACT WITH STEAM AS SUBSTANTIALLY 95%C. TO SUBSTANTIALLY 100*C., THE WEIGHT OF SAID STEAM BEING SUBSTANTIALLY 4% TO SUBSTANTIALLY 5% OF THE WEIGHT OF SAID ORIGINAL, DILUTE EXTRACT, TO PRODUCE A SEPARATED AQUEOUS AROMATIC FRACTION WHOSE WEIGHT IS SUBSTANTIALLY 3% TO SUBSTANTIALLY 4% OF THE WEIGHT OF SAID AROMATIC DILUTE TEA EXTRACT, AND PROMPTLY COOLING SAID ORIGINAL DILUTE TEA EXTRACT AND SEPARATELY CONCENTRATING THE RESDIDUAL ECTRACT BY EVAPORATION IN A RANGE OF SUBSTANTIALLY 30*C. TO PROVIDE 55*C. AND AT A PRESSURE WHICH IS THE PRESSURE OF WATER VAPOR AT SUBSTANTIALLY 30*C. TO 55*C., TO PROVIDE A CONCENTRATED RESIDUAL EXTRACT WHICH HAS SUBSTANTIALLY 35% TO SUBSTANTIALLY 50% OF SOLIDS BY WEIGHT; MIX ING SAID AROMATIC AQUEOUS FRACTION AND SAID CONCENTRATED RESIDUAL EXTRACT TO FORM A RESULTANT MIXTURE, IMPREGNATING SAID RESULTANT MIXTURE WITH AN INERT GAS AND THEN SPRAY-DRYING THE IMPREGNATED MIXTURE, ENOUGH IMPREGNATED GAS BEING ADDED TO PROVIDE A SPRAY-DRIED POWDER WHOSE BULK DENSITY IS A MAXIMUM OF 0.20 GRAM PER CUBIC CENTIMETER.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF MAKING A POWDERED TEA EXTRACT FROM TEA LEAVES, WHICH CONSISTS IN EXTRACTING TEA LEAVES DURING A MAXIMUM PERIOD OF SUBSTANTIALLY TEN MINUTES BY COUNTER-CURRENT EXTRACTION WITH WATER AT A TEMPERATURE OF SUBSTANTIALLY 60*C. ATO SUBSTANTIALLY 100*C., THE WEIGHT OF SAID WATER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY 6 TIMES TO SUBSTANTIALLY 15 TIMES THE WEIGHT OF SAID TEA LEAVES, THUS PRODUCING AN ORIGINAL DILUTE TEA EXTRACT WHICH HAS FROM SUBSTANTIALLY. 2.5% TO SUBSTANTIALLY 10% OF DISSOLVED TEA SOLIDS BY WEIGHT, THEN STRIPPING SAID ORIGINAL DILUTE EXTRACT WITH STEAM AS SUBSTANTIALLY 95%C. TO SUBSTANTIALLY 100*C., THE WEIGHT OF SAID STEAM BEING SUBSTANTIALLY 4% TO SUBSTANTIALLY 5% OF THE WEIGHT OF SAID ORIGINAL, DILUTE EXTRACT, TO PRODUCE A SEPARATED AQUEOUS AROMATIC FRACTION WHOSE WEIGHT IS SUBSTANTIALLY 3% TO SUBSTANTIALLY 4% OF THE WEIGHT OF SAID AROMATIC DILUTE TEA EXTRACT, AND PROMPTLY COOLING SAID ORIGINAL DILUTE TEA EXTRACT AND SEPARATELY CONCENTRATING THE RESDIDUAL ECTRACT BY EVAPORATION IN A RANGE OF SUBSTANTIALLY 30*C. TO PROVIDE 55*C. AND AT A PRESSURE WHICH IS THE PRESSURE OF WATER VAPOR AT SUBSTANTIALLY 30*C. TO 55*C., TO PROVIDE A CONCENTRATED RESIDUAL EXTRACT WHICH HAS SUBSTANTIALLY 35% TO SUBSTANTIALLY 50% OF SOLIDS BY WEIGHT; MIX ING SAID AROMATIC AQUEOUS FRACTION AND SAID CONCENTRATED RESIDUAL EXTRACT TO FORM A RESULTANT MIXTURE, IMPREGNATING SAID RESULTANT MIXTURE WITH AN INERT GAS AND THEN SPRAY-DRYING THE IMPREGNATED MIXTURE, ENOUGH IMPREGNATED GAS BEING ADDED TO PROVIDE A SPRAY-DRIED POWDER WHOSE BULK DENSITY IS A MAXIMUM OF 0.20 GRAM PER CUBIC CENTIMETER.