EP2188183A1

EP2188183A1 - A bush tea product and its production

Info

Publication number: EP2188183A1
Application number: EP08789020A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Carl William Pretorius
Original assignee: RED ESPRESSO Co Pty Ltd
Current assignee: RED ESPRESSO Co Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2007-08-07
Filing date: 2008-08-06
Publication date: 2010-05-26
Also published as: ZA201000575B; WO2009019576A1

Abstract

A method is provided for the production of a unit type of package (1 ) of bush tea for use in a one use type of extraction or infusion process for the production of a bush tea beverage. Bush tea is compacted under a pressure of from 10 MPa to 500 MPa (0.7 to 33 tons per square inch) and most preferably from 50 to 100 MPa (3 to 7 tons per square inch). The compacted bush tea is further processed, as may be necessary, to provide individual units of compacted bush tea having a required shape, size and permeability. The bush tea may be compacted directly into individual units of compacted bush tea having a required shape and size or into a relatively large compacted body from which individual units of compacted bush tea are severed. The individual units are treated to maintain their integrity during subsequent packaging, transport and storage, such treatment commonly being enclosing each individual unit in a pouch or envelope (3) of permeable sheet material or of frangible impermeable sheet material.

Description

A BUSH TEA PRODUCT AND ITS PRODUCTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a bush tea product that is particularly aimed at facilitating the preparation of a bush tea beverage as and when required and to a method of producing such product.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

So-called bush teas are generally considered to include both those known as Rooibos teas (Aspalathus linearis) and Honeybush teas (Cyclopia). Such teas are becoming increasingly popular in particular in view of their herbal nature and consequently their being associated with good health. They are typically caffeine free, high in antioxidants and, accordingly, find a ready market with persons who are either adversely affected by the presence of caffeine in other tea or coffee beverages or that simply wish to avoid the intake of caffeine, being a stimulant that is considered, at least by some, to have deleterious effects.

Bush tea products presently on the market are generally either packaged loose in bulk packs or in tea bags suitable for use in producing typically one cup or pot of beverage at a time.

In recent times applicant has developed a bush tea product that enables a relatively strong beverage to be produced using existing technology that passes boiling water under pressure through a specially prepared bush tea product in the manner of an espresso coffee making process. That development forms the subject matter of applicant's international patent application number PCT/IB2006/001308 entitled "A BUSH TEA PRODUCT". A conventional espresso coffee machine can be used for the purpose although a special portafilter is preferably employed.

Applicant has perceived a need for a more convenient packaging format for a bush tea product that is better suited to use in other modern-day beverage producing appliances, particularly appliances that are adapted to produce one or two cups of beverage at a time accompanied by ease of disposal of the residue of the product.

Applicant is aware that there is a popular packaging format for coffee in the form of coffee grounds lightly tamped at a pressure that applicant believes to be of the order of about 0.34 MPa (megapascals) to about 0.7 MPa (about 5 to about 10 pounds per square inch) and sealed within a pouch to form a generally squat, disposable unit type of package commonly referred to as a pod. The pouch may be of permeable material such as a filter material, or it may be impermeable and suitable for multiple puncturing by a coffee machine preparatory to use. This packaging format has also, applicant understands, been applied to conventional black tea, green tea and even rooibos tea, although in each case relatively little tea has been enclosed in each pod (of the order of 3 to 4 grams (about 0.10 to 0.14 ounces)) with a view to producing a normal rather weak beverage.

Numerous attempts by applicant to apply existing technology to the production of so-called pods of bush tea containing greater quantities of bush tea (of the order of 6-7 grams (about 0.21-0.29 ounces) for 1 cup and of the order of 12 grams (about 0.42 ounces) for two cups) for the production of stronger beverages have failed, apparently as a consequence of the vastly different physical properties of bush tea when compared to coffee and conventional teas. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a method for the production of an individual unit of bush tea in various forms such as, but not limited to, pods, and to individual units of bush tea produced utilising the production process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of this invention there is provided a method for the production of a unit type of package of bush tea for use in a one use type of extraction or infusion process for the production of a bush tea beverage, the method being characterised in that bush tea is compacted under a pressure of from 10 MPa to 500 MPa (about 0.7 to about 33 tons per square inch) and the compacted bush tea is further processed, as may be necessary, to provide individual units of compacted bush tea having a required shape, size and permeability.

Further features of the invention provide for the bush tea to be compacted under a pressure of from 15 to 300 MPa (about 1 to about 20 tons per square inch), preferably from 30 to 200 MPa (about 2 to about 13 tons per square inch), and most preferably from 50 to 100 MPa (about 3 to about 7 tons per square inch); for the bush tea to be compacted directly into individual units of compacted bush tea having a required shape and size or, alternatively, for the bush tea to be compacted into a relatively large compacted body, typically a sheet, from which individual units of compacted bush tea having a required shape and size are severed or alternatively an extrusion from which individual units of compacted bush tea having a required shape and size are severed; in the instance that the bush tea is compacted directly into individual units for the method to include the step of separating a portion of bush tea from a bulk supply thereof preparatory to compacting the bush tea; for the individual units of bush tea to each have a generally squat configuration with a generally circular periphery; and for the individual units to be treated to maintain their integrity during subsequent packaging, transport and storage, such treatment being selected from enclosing each individual unit in a pouch or envelope of permeable sheet material such as a suitable filter paper or a pouch of frangible impermeable sheet material, or by admixing a suitable binder with the bush tea before or during the compaction process, or by applying to the outer surface of the individual units a suitable coating that maintains the integrity of the individual units, or any combination thereof.

In one variation of the invention in which the individual units are formed directly from a portion of bush tea, it is envisaged that the compaction process may be carried out in a compaction machine that has a piston and cylinder assembly for forming compacted disc shaped units at a blind end of a cylinder. It is further envisaged that an adapted or unadapted commercially available machine currently used for the purpose of producing tablets may be suitable for the purpose.

In another variation of the invention a sheet of compacted bush tea may be produced utilising rollers or pressure plates and the individual units of compacted bush tea may be die cut from the resultant sheet. In this instance any off-cuts that may result, for example consequent on die cutting circular individual units for use in forming pods, may be used for other purposes such as for the preparation of instant teas, or they may be teased back into a loose form for sale as loose tea or for packaging in tea bags.

In a still further variation of the invention an extruded section of compacted bush tea may be produced to the required cross-sectional shape and individual units of compacted bush tea may be severed from the extrusion.

Irrespective of which variation is employed, the individual units may each be conveniently enclosed in a permeable or impermeable but frangible envelope or pouch to form a bush tea pod. Such an envelope or pouch would, in the event that it is permeable, typically be made of a filter paper although other suitable mesh material may prove to the perfectly adequate. In the event that the envelope or pouch is impermeable but frangible, it may be made of any suitable material that is capable of being punctured to render it permeable preparatory to use.

Alternatively, or in addition, the integrity of the individual units of bush tea may be enhanced by mixing with the bush tea preparatory to compacting same, a suitable binder that will typically be tasteless and odourless and in all likelihood substantially colourless, such as a suitable vegetarian gelatin or naturally occurring Agar product.

Further alternatively, or in addition, the integrity of the individual units of bush tea may be maintained by applying to the surface of the individual units a coating of a material that either forms a permeable layer on the surface of the individual units or is soluble (in which instance it is typically tasteless and odourless) so as to enable infusion to take place by contact with hot water.

It is to be noted that an increase in the pressure applied to the bush tea in order to compact it will naturally result in a decrease in the permeability of the individual units and the maximum pressure that should be employed practically will need to be determined according to the characteristics of the particular bush tea to which the method of the invention is being applied. It is important that sufficient permeability be provided to enable extraction or infusion to take place within a reasonable period of time and using hot water at a typical pressure that is used to effect extraction or infusion. Bush teas that applicant has tested at this stage indicate that a pressure in the region of about 75 MPa (about 5 tons per square inch) operates effectively.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention there is provided an individual unit of compacted bush tea having a required shape and size and optionally having one or more other features consequent on the aforegoing method of production.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood one example thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:-

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a one embodiment of individual unit of bush tea according to the invention in pod format;

Figure 2 is an exploded view thereof;

Figure 3 is a section through the pod illustrated in Figure 1 ; and,

Figures 4a to 4d illustrates schematically the progressive stages of producing a compacted bush tea unit utilised in the pod illustrated in Figures 1 to 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS

In order to test the invention various compacted rooibos tea pods were produced using individual units of compacted rooibos tea that were made in a simple hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly that is further described below.

The pods (1 ) themselves, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, each comprise an individual unit (2) of compacted rooibos tea that is of generally disc shape with a diameter of about 48 millimetres and a thickness (height) of about 10 millimetres. The individual unit is sandwiched between a pair of discs (3) of heat sealable filter paper that are sealed together around the periphery (4) to permanently enclose the individual unit of compacted rooibos tea. The inner diameter of the seal is, in this instance, about 55 millimetres.

The individual unit of compacted rooibos tea was produced, in this case, by introducing a 12 gram portion of rooibos tea (indicated by numeral (5) in

Figure 4b) into a cylinder (6) that is removable from a rebate (7) in the periphery of an end piece (8) that forms a blind end to the cylinder in the operative position (see Figure 4a). The end piece is carried by a base (9) of an hydraulic press having a piston (10) movable by means of a hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly (not shown).

The charge of rooibos tea was compressed and thus compacted by the piston to a height of about 10 millimetres and the pressure applied for this purpose was approximately 75 MPa (about 5 tons per square inch). The individual unit of compacted rooibos tea was removed by firstly removing the cylinder to leave the compacted unit on the end piece, as shown in Figure 4d.

It has been found that an individual unit of compacted rooibos tea produced as described above operates effectively in a coffee making appliance that is configured for the use of coffee packaged in pod format.

It will be understood that there are numerous different ways of forming individual units of compacted rooibos or other bush tea and all of these are intended to fall within the scope of the invention. In particular, but without limitation, the variations and methods of production that are indicated above may all be used in different forms and combinations.

Claims

CLAIMS:-

1. A method for the production of a unit type of package (1 ) of bush tea for use in a one use type of extraction or infusion process for the production of a bush tea beverage, the method being characterised in that bush tea is compacted under a pressure of from 10 MPa to 500 MPa (0.7 to 33 tons per square inch) and the compacted bush tea is further processed, as may be necessary, to provide individual units of compacted bush tea having a required shape, size and permeability.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the bush tea is compacted under a pressure of from 15 to 300 MPa (1 to 20 tons per square inch).

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 in which the bush tea is compacted under a pressure of from 30 to 200 MPa (2 to 13 tons per square inch).

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 in which the bush tea is compacted under a pressure of from 50 to 100 MPa (3 to 7 tons per square inch).

5. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the bush tea is compacted directly into individual units of compacted bush tea having a required shape and size.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 in which the bush tea is compacted directly into individual units and the method includes the step of separating a portion of bush tea from a bulk supply thereof preparatory to compacting the bush tea.

7. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the bush tea is compacted into a relatively large compacted body from which individual units of compacted bush tea having a required shape and size are severed.

8. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the individual units of bush tea each have a generally squat configuration with a generally circular periphery.

9. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the individual units are treated to maintain their integrity during subsequent packaging, transport and storage, such treatment being selected from enclosing each individual unit in a pouch or envelope (3) of permeable sheet material or of frangible impermeable sheet material; admixing a suitable binder with the bush tea before or during the compaction process; and by applying to the outer surface of the individual units a suitable coating that maintains the integrity of the individual units; and any combination thereof.

10. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the individual units are formed directly from a portion (5) of bush tea with the compaction process being carried out in a compaction machine that has a piston (10) and cylinder (6) assembly for forming compacted disc shaped units (2) at a blind end of a cylinder.

11. A method as claimed in claim 7 in which a sheet of compacted bush tea is produced and the individual units of compacted bush tea are die cut from the resultant sheet.

12. An individual unit (1 ) of compacted bush tea having a required shape and size whenever produced by a method of production as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11.