PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tea beverage produced from only components derived from tea and has bitter and astringent taste free from rough taste while having flavor inherent to the tea.SOLUTION: The tea beverage contains 200 ppm to 1,800 ppm of catechins and is produced by mixing an extract of one kind or two or more kinds of tea leaves selected from teas excluding Benifuuki with powdery tea leaf of Benifuuki. The tea beverage preferably contains 0.001 to 0.5 wt% of powdery tea leaf of Benifuuki. Preferably, the powdery tea leaf of Benifuuki has an average particle size of 100 μm or less.EFFECT: The bitter and astringent taste free from rough taste can be imparted to the tea beverage without increasing a catechin content while maintaining flavor inherently possessed by the tea by adding powdery tea leaf of Benifuuki to a tea extract. Particularly, a green tea beverage having bitter and astringent taste free from rough taste and having excellent flavor can be produced by using a green tea extract as a base of tea extract and adding finely pulverized powdery tea leaf of Benifuuki.SELECTED DRAWING: None【課題】茶由来成分のみで製造される茶飲料であって、茶本来の風味を有しながら、雑味を伴わない苦渋味を有する茶飲料の提供。【解決手段】カテキン類を200ppm～1800ppmで含む、べにふうきを除く茶から選択される1種又は2種以上の茶葉の抽出液に、粉末べにふうき茶葉を混合して得られる、茶飲料。前記茶飲料は、粉末べにふうき茶葉0.001～0.5重量％を含有することが好ましい。また、粉末べにふうき茶葉の平均粒子径は100μm以下とすることが好ましい。【効果】べにふうきの粉末茶葉を茶抽出液に添加することにより、茶本来の持つ風味を維持しながら、カテキン量を上げることなく雑味を伴わない苦渋味を付与することができる。特に、茶抽出液ベースが緑茶抽出液であり、微細に粉砕されたべにふうきの粉末茶葉を添加することにより、雑味を伴わない苦渋味を有し、香味に優れた緑茶飲料が得られる。【選択図】なし
