Provided is a tea leaf-transporting apparatus whereby it is possible to transport tea leaves in a sanitary manner. The tea leaf-transporting apparatus (1) is characterized by a configuration for transporting tea leaves (11) fed into a transportation pipe (32) which is configured from a metal pipe of stainless steel or the like, or a resin pipe of vinyl chloride or the like, by means of hot water (12), and a configuration for separating the hot water (12) and the tea leaves (11) which flow out of the transportation pipe (32). Additionally, adjusting factors such as the temperature of the hot water (12) or the amount of time that the tea leaves (11) remain in the transportation pipe (32) makes it possible to sterilize the tea leaves, deactivate oxidase, reduce the cuticular layer, and reduce the amount of caffeine as said tea leaves are transported.
