PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tea manufacturing method preventing the creaming down of tea that could happen when the tea is cooled after being brewed, so as to retain the caffeine contained in the tea, while removing undesirable flavor components and converting astringent components into polymerized catechin and to provide tea manufactured.SOLUTION: Tea is put in a pressure container. Steam is blown into the pressure container and heated to substitute air contained in the tea with steam, so as to vaporize undesirable components and remove these undesirable flavors. An exhaust valve is closed and a heat treatment is performed at predetermined pressure and temperature to decompose a component that makes up the astringency of tea, i.e., catechin gallate causing the creaming down, and to dissociate gallic acid, so as to create tea with a fresh taste. The heating temperature is further elevated to convert catechin, i.e., the astringent component, into a functional polymerized catechin to reduce astringency. If a pressurizing and heating treatment is performed on the tea in the presence of calcium carbonate, a polymerization reaction of the astringent component catechin is promoted and it is converted into polymerized catechin. Thus, the tea preventing the creaming down that could happen when the extracted tea is cooled can be manufactured.COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&INPIT【課題】茶を煎じ、冷却した時に生ずる、茶のクリームダウンを防止し、茶に含まれるカフェインを保持し、好まれない香気成分を除去し、渋味成分を重合カテキンに転換させる茶の製造方法および製造した茶【解決手段】茶を圧力容器に入れ、圧力容器に蒸気を吹き込み加熱し、茶に含まれる空気を蒸気と置換し、好ましくない成分を蒸発させ、この好ましくない香気を排除する。排気弁を閉じ、所定の圧力、温度で加熱処理を行い、茶の渋味を構成する成分:クリームダウンの原因となるカテキンガレートを分解し、没食子酸を解離させ、爽やか風味の茶を作る。さらに加熱温度を上げ、渋味成分のカテキンを機能性の重合カテキンに転換させ、渋味を減少させる。茶を炭酸カルシュウム共存下で加圧加熱処理を行うと、渋味成分のカテキンの重合反応は促進され、カテキン重合物に転換し、抽出した茶の冷却時に生ずるクリームダウンを起こさない茶を製造することが出来る。【選択図】なし
