PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tea leaf high in palatability having tea original flavor while sufficiently reducing caffeine, and a manufacturing method of the same.SOLUTION: There is provided a manufacturing method of low caffeine tea leaf by conducting a firing treatment on a tea leaf extraction treated by supercritical carbon dioxide. There is provided a manufacturing method of low caffeine tea leaf with tea leaf temperature during the firing treatment of 130°C or more in the case of green tea leaf and 110°C to 130°C in the case of black tea leaf. There is provided a tea leaf having caffeine content of 0.5% or less and a ratio of peak area total when analyzed by a gas chromatograph mass spectrometry (GC/MS analysis method) for (A) a firing aroma component (2,5-dimethyl pyrazine or the like), (B) a green smell component (n-hexanal or the like) and (C) an oil smell component (1-pentene-3-ol or the like) of [(A)/(B)] of 3.0 or more and [(A)/(C)] of 1.5 or more.SELECTED DRAWING: NoneCOPYRIGHT: (C)2017,JPO&INPIT【課題】カフェインを十分に低減しながらも、茶本来の香味を有する嗜好性の高い茶葉およびその製造方法の提供。【解決手段】超臨界二酸化炭素で抽出処理した茶葉に対し、火入れ処理を行う低カフェイン茶葉の製造方法。前記火入れ処理において茶葉温度を、緑茶葉の場合には130℃以上、紅茶葉の場合には110℃以上130℃以下とする低カフェイン茶葉の製造方法。カフェインの含有量が0.5%以下であり、(A)火入れ香成分(2,5-ジメチルピラジンなど)、(B)青臭成分(n-ヘキサナールなど)および(C)油臭成分(1-ペンテン-3-オールなど)について、ガスクロマトグラフ質量分析法(GC/MS分析法)にて分析した際のピークエリア合計の比が、[(A)/(B)]が3.0以上かつ[(A)/(C)]が1.5以上である茶葉。【選択図】なし
