PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide taste-reinforced fermented tea leaves richly containing tasty components, in particular, a lot of theanine; to provide a novel oolong tea beverage utilizing tea extract obtained from half-fermented or fermented tea leaves: and to provide a method for producing the fermented tea leaves. SOLUTION: The taste-reinforced fermented tea leaves are obtained through the following process: picking tea leaves from tea trees grown in such a condition as to shield the sun shine with an air-permeable cover having 60-95% of a light-shielding rate for 5-20 days in total during about 20 days just before a day to pick the tea leaves; and subjecting the picked tea leaves to half fermentation or full fermentation. The tea leaves richly contain tasty components of tea, in particular a lot of theanine. The tea extract from the tea leaves is mixed with the tea extract highly containing polymer catechin obtained from the tea leaves fermented so that the amount of the catechin polymer generated through the fermentation process accounts for 50 wt% or more based on 100 wt% of the catechin included in fresh tea leaves, to obtain a novel oolong tea beverage having thick taste and richness, lightness in flavor, and slight astringency. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI
