JP2013223441A - Powdered green tea furnace, method for producing unprocessed tea, and the unprocessed tea - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a powdered green tea furnace that can give peculiar sweet aroma to powdered green tea while increasing throughput per unit time.SOLUTION: A powdered green tea furnace 10 includes a drying chamber 13, a belt conveyor 14, a hot air generator (a combustion type hot air generating furnace 11 and a hot air guide pipe 12), and stirring means 15. The drying chamber 13 is filled with hot air. The hot air generator generates hot air in the drying chamber 13. The belt conveyor 14 is arranged in at least one stage in the drying chamber to convey tea leaves T. The stirring means 15 are installed at spaces in the conveying direction of the belt conveyor 14 in a lowest stage to lift and stir the tea leaves T on the belt conveyor 14.

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a tea ceremony furnace provided with a belt conveyor type drying device for drying tea leaves, a rough tea production method using the tea ceremony furnace, and a rough tea produced by the rough tea production method.

  When producing rough tea, the raw tea leaves harvested are first sieved to remove the cut leaves. The sieved tea leaves are put into a net barrel rotating stirring type steamer and steamed for a short time of about 10 to 15 seconds while being stirred as the barrel rotates, becoming steamed leaves. Steamed leaves are quickly cooled in a tea ceremony machine that consists of four blow-up cups. In the powdered tea machine, the steamed leaves are blown away and are encouraged to unfold.

  Next, the steamed leaves are put into a tea ceremony machine to be dried. The tea ceremony machine has an initial drying chamber and a late drying chamber, and has conveyors arranged in three stages, for example, an upper stage, a middle stage, and a lower stage. The initial drying chamber is set to 150 ° C. to 200 ° C., and the late drying chamber is set to 80 ° C. to 100 ° C. The lower conveyor is installed in the initial drying chamber, and the upper and middle conveyors are installed in the late drying chamber. The steamed leaves are evenly spread on the lower conveyor with a fixed shade prepared for feeding from the tea ceremony machine to the tea ceremony machine. The tea leaves placed on the lower conveyor pass through the initial drying chamber in about two and a half to five minutes, and the wind generated by the blower passes through the haze prepared downstream of the lower conveyor to the upper conveyor. It is blown up with power. After the tea leaves distributed on the upper conveyor pass through the upper conveyor, they are dropped onto the middle conveyor. The tea leaves are conveyed by the upper and middle conveyors in the late drying chamber over about 20 to 25 minutes.

  The tea leaves that have been dried as described above and discharged from the tea machine are separated into leaves and stems in a tree stem separator. The separated leaves and stems are separately put into a ventilator and are finally dried at each appropriate temperature.

  The furnace of the tea ceremony machine is made of a casting and is equipped with a heavy oil combustion type burner, and is placed in the basement 1 m to 1.5 m surrounded by refractory bricks on the side where the tea leaves are put into the lower conveyor. The hot gas heated by the burner of the burner is folded back from the lower stage to the middle stage along a plurality of flues branched from the furnace and exhausted to the outside from the chimney provided on the side surface of the tea machine. The side wall of the furnace facing the tea machine is made of refractory bricks with excellent heat insulation performance. The drying chamber of the tea machine generally has a height of 2 to 4 m, and a belt belt conveyor with a wire mesh belt width of 180 to 200 cm and a length of 10 to 15 m is sufficiently installed in 3 to 5 stages. It has a wide area. The drying room has a vent on the ceiling, and discharges water vapor that has risen by natural convection from the vent.

  By the way, the raw leaf processing capacity per unit of the above-mentioned standard tea machine is about 100 kg per hour. Therefore, in order to increase the processing amount as a producer, it is necessary to increase the base of the tea machine. Moreover, when increasing the throughput per unit, it is necessary to raise the temperature of the furnace and increase the speed of the conveyor. However, the amount of water that evaporates from the tea leaves is greater than the amount of exhaust, resulting in steaming and insufficient drying, and the quality of the tea is degraded.

  There are tea-making dryers that are used in the final drying process for producing crude tea. Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 are known as documents disclosing a dryer for shortening the drying time or drying a large amount of tea leaves.

  The tea-making drier disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a fluidized bed drying unit and a band-type drying unit, and a hot air generator that supplies hot air to these units. The fluidized bed drying section includes a pair of endless chains arranged on both sides in the conveying direction, a plurality of perforated plates spanned between the chains, and a drive device for circulating them in the housing. . The hot air generator is connected to an air outlet formed in the side portion of the housing. The blower opening is formed over almost the entire length of a conveyance path configured like a conveyor by a chain and a perforated plate. Hot air produced by the hot air generator is supplied to the bottom of the perforated plate through the blower opening. The tea leaves carried on the perforated plate are floated by hot air and dried. The band-type drying unit includes a plurality of conveyors having the same configuration as the conveyor of the fluidized bed drying unit, and hot air is supplied from the hot air generator parallel to the conveyor.

  The dryer disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a drying processing device that dries an object to be dried such as tea leaves, and a heated air supply device that is used in the drying processing device and generates heated air. The drying processing apparatus includes a belt conveyor arranged in three stages with an interval in the vertical direction, and an agitating apparatus arranged at an interval in the tea leaf conveyance direction directly above the upper and middle belt conveyors. Yes. The stirrer includes a rotating shaft arranged horizontally across the direction of travel of the material to be dried conveyed on the belt conveyor, and four stirring blades attached along the rotating shaft. Is provided. Each agitating blade is formed in a trapezoidal shape in which corners near both ends of the rotating shaft are cut out, and the tip is bent backward. The heated air supply device has a heating chamber communicated with the drying chamber at a lower portion at a side portion of the drying chamber in which the belt conveyor and the stirring device are installed. The heated air supply device supplies heated air to the drying chamber through this heating chamber. The stirring device sprays heated air in the drying chamber onto the tea leaves conveyed by the belt conveyor by rotating the stirring blades. At this time, the tea leaves are scattered inside the drying chamber by the sprayed heated air. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses that the tea leaves are scraped from the upper surface of the belt conveyor by bending the tip of the stirring blade backward. Thus, the dryer of patent document 2 is promoting the drying of tea leaves by stirring the heated air in a drying chamber and the tea leaves on a belt conveyor with the stirring blade of a stirring apparatus.

  In addition, the current method for burning green tea is to burn a crude tea with a water content of 5% or less made through a known green tea manufacturing method to give a fragrant fragrance. The apparatus used in the firing process is a ventilation dryer, a drum firer, an infrared / far infrared firer, a microwave irradiation firer, etc., which are used alone or in combination. However, the sweet and savory flavor peculiar to strawberry tea is difficult to reproduce even using these apparatuses, and has not yet been obtained by a manufacturing method using a conventional apparatus. Moreover, in the manufacturing method by the present apparatus, the manufacturing method of the rough tea which reduces the elution of a bitter taste is not established.

JP-A-6-70680 JP 2008-241053 A

Edited by Kunihiko Horiuchi, “Chanoyu and Science (Tea Dogaku University (Vol. 8))”, Awakosha Co., Ltd., September 1, 2000, p. 107-132

  By the way, when a tea leaf is transported by a perforated plate in the tea dryer described in Patent Document 1, since the tea leaf is floating from the perforated plate with hot air, it is difficult to transport the tea leaf together with the perforated plate that is accompanied by a chain. In this regard, Patent Document 1 includes a portion rounded to the front edge and the rear edge in the traveling direction of the perforated plate, and the rounded portion functions as a protrusion to convey the tea leaves together with the perforated plate ( (See paragraph [0026] of Patent Document 1). Moreover, in order to move the floating tea leaves, it is specified in Patent Document 1 that it is necessary to arrange linear protrusions and a number of ridges perpendicular to the moving direction on the entire perforated plate. (See paragraph [0029] of Patent Document 1).

  In addition, the dryer described in Patent Document 2 is configured not only to generate a wind that blows heated air onto the tea leaves by a stirring blade, but also to scatter the tea leaves themselves. In other words, the stirring device installed in the dryer rotates the stirring blades fast enough to generate a strong wind that blows. Rotating the stirring blade fast enough to generate a strong wind against the tea leaves that have been cooled after steaming may damage the tea leaves, impairing the flavor and increasing the bitter taste.

  In producing Matcha tea for the food industry, it is an important technique to reduce production costs and enable mass production without losing quality. In order to reduce the production cost, it is necessary to increase the production amount per unit time of a single tea furnace. However, increasing the production capacity means that the manufacturing method changes considerably, and there is a concern that the taste may change as a result of changing the manufacturing method. In the case of strawberry tea, those with little bitterness and elution are considered good quality while taking advantage of the unique sweetness. It is very difficult to achieve a uniform and stable quality while increasing the production amount of such tea.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a tea tea furnace capable of adding a sweetness characteristic to tea tea while increasing the amount of processing per unit time, and a method for producing crude tea using this tea tea furnace.

  The tea ceremony furnace of one embodiment according to the present invention includes a drying chamber, a belt conveyor, a hot air generator, and stirring means. The drying chamber is filled with hot air. The belt conveyor is arranged in at least one stage in the drying chamber, and conveys tea leaves, which are flake-like objects to be dried, with a net-like belt. The hot air generator generates hot air from below the belt conveyor in the drying chamber. The agitating means is arranged at intervals in the conveying direction of the lowermost lower conveyor among the belt conveyors, and agitates the tea leaves on the lower conveyor passing near the surface by floating from the lower conveyor.

  The hot air generator includes a combustion hot air generating furnace and a hot air induction tube. A combustion-type hot-air generating furnace generates hot air by heating air with a burner. The hot air induction pipe is installed at a position lower than the lower conveyor of the drying chamber, and has a plurality of hot air outlets for distributing the hot air and hot air introduction valves for adjusting the respective flow rates. In this case, the stirring means is at least one of a hot air outlet of the hot air induction tube and a blower that sucks in the hot air in the drying chamber and blows it upward, and blows the hot air from under the lower conveyor to remove the tea leaves passing through the upper section. Float from the lower conveyor. Alternatively, the hot air generator includes a plurality of blowers that suck in the hot air in the drying chamber and blow out upward from the bottom of the belt conveyor, and the agitation means includes a plurality of blowers. In either case, the blower may be an auxiliary burner with a heat source.

  A plurality of the stirring means described above may be arranged at the upper part of the lower conveyor and may be a stirring hand that scoops up the tea leaves from the lower conveyor by rotating. The tea leaves are lifted from the lower conveyor by being scooped up by the stirring hand. At this time, in order to efficiently stir the tea leaves, the stirring hand is arranged at least one of the upper portion of the blower and the upper portion of the adjacent blowers. For example, the agitator has a rotating shaft arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the lower conveyor, and has arms extending radially from the rotating shaft.

  Moreover, the tea ceremony furnace according to the present invention may further include an auxiliary heater and a scattering prevention conveyor. The auxiliary heater is installed on at least one of the upper and lower sides of the lower conveyor, and irradiates the lower conveyor with infrared rays or far infrared rays. The anti-scattering conveyor is installed between the lower conveyor and the auxiliary heater to prevent the tea leaves from coming into contact with the auxiliary heater, and is made of a wire mesh belt to prevent the tea leaves from scattering. At this time, the scattering prevention conveyor may be provided with a transport plate that hangs down toward the lower conveyor so that the tea leaves blown up and floated from the lower conveyor by the agitating means are reliably conveyed out of the range of the agitating means.

  The tea furnace according to the present invention further includes an exhaust port, an exhaust fan, an exhaust valve, an exhaust control unit, a temperature regulator, and an integrated control device. The exhaust port is provided in the ceiling of the drying chamber. The exhaust fan is installed at the exhaust port and exhausts the air inside the drying chamber. The exhaust valve adjusts the opening degree of the exhaust port. The exhaust control unit detects the temperature and humidity inside the drying chamber, and controls at least one of the exhaust fan and the exhaust valve to adjust the exhaust flow rate. Moist air in the drying chamber is forcibly exhausted by the exhaust control unit, and moisture evaporated from the tea leaves is discharged without remaining in the drying chamber, so that the drying efficiency of the tea leaves is improved. Further, the temperature adjuster measures the temperature in the drying chamber and adjusts the output of the hot air generator. When the hot air generator includes a combustion hot air generator furnace and hot air induction tube, the temperature regulator controls the fuel supply amount and the flow rate of the blower that supplies air to adjust the output of the burner of the combustion hot air generator furnace At the same time, the opening degree of the hot air introduction valve provided in the hot air inlet of the hot air guide tube is adjusted. Furthermore, when the tea-tea furnace is equipped with an auxiliary heater or an auxiliary burner, the temperature controller controls the hot air generator in consideration of the amount of heat supplied into the drying furnace. The integrated control device controls the temperature regulator and the exhaust control unit in cooperation so that the temperature and humidity distribution in the drying chamber are set, and the tea leaf conveyance speed is set to the set speed. It also controls the drive of the belt conveyor.

  In the tea ceremony furnace according to the present invention, the belt conveyor may be composed of a plurality of stages. For example, the belt conveyor further includes an upper conveyor disposed directly below the ceiling of the drying chamber, and an intermediate conveyor disposed between the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor. The drying chamber is divided into an upper part and a lower part with a partition plate having a plurality of vents, the upper conveyor and the middle conveyor are arranged at the upper part, and the hot air induction pipe, the lower conveyor and the stirring means are arranged at the lower part. To do.

  The crude tea production method according to the present invention uses the above-described tea ceremony furnace according to the present invention. Then, the tea leaves which have been steamed and then cooled by the cooling powdered tea machine are transported in the drying chamber by the lower conveyor, and the tea leaves being transported by the lower conveyor are suspended by the stirring means and stirred. At this time, as the raw tea leaves to be placed on the lower conveyor, tea leaves in the middle of production containing 60% to 10% moisture after passing through at least one of coarse koji, cocoon twisting, and middle koji may be used. .

  The crude tea according to the present invention is made by the crude tea production method using the above-mentioned tea ceremony furnace.

  By providing the above-described configuration, the tea tea furnace according to the present invention can efficiently dry tea leaves, which are flaked objects, in a short time. Therefore, the throughput per unit time is increased by using this wood-tea oven to dry the moist tea leaves after steaming and cooling. Moreover, this tea-tea furnace is equipped with the stirring means which floats and stirs a tea leaf in the lowermost lower conveyor of the belt conveyors comprised at least one stage by supplying hot air from the belt conveyor below. When the hot air just heated is applied to the tea leaves that have been lifted and stirred, the heat is evenly applied to the individual tea leaves and the degree of drying becomes uniform. And by receiving heat input at the same time as drying, the sugar and amino acids in tea leaves emphasize the sweetness unique to strawberry tea by Strecker degradation and mild Maillard reaction.

  Furthermore, according to the rough tea manufacturing method using the black tea furnace according to the present invention, since the processing amount per unit time in the black tea furnace increases, the production amount of the rough tea increases. So far, due to the limit of production volume, it has been said that rough tea tea is not suitable for mass production, but using this tea tea furnace increases the amount of dry treatment and is unique to tea tea added by burning It is possible to add a savory flavor of the same time. Therefore, according to this crude tea production method, it is possible to provide crude tea with a sweet and savory flavor peculiar to strawberry tea to the market at low cost, and production expansion of food industry matcha is expected. Moreover, in the crude tea manufacturing method, since the sweet savory flavor can be added without including the brewing process, the bitter and astringent taste produced in the brewing process is not added.

  Since the crude tea according to the present invention is produced by the above-described crude tea production method using the above-described tea-tea oven, there is no bitter astringency and a sweet and savory flavor is added.

The figure which shows the outline of the tea ceremony furnace of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the outline of the tea ceremony furnace of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the outline of the tea ceremony furnace of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the outline of the tea ceremony furnace of the 4th Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the outline of the tea ceremony furnace of the 5th Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the outline of the tea ceremony furnace of the 6th Embodiment of this invention.

  A tea ceremony furnace 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 includes a combustion type hot air generating furnace 11, a hot air induction pipe 12, a drying chamber 13, a belt conveyor 14, and a stirring means 15. The combustion type hot air generating furnace 11 and the hot air induction pipe 12 are one form constituting a hot air generating device, and the combustion type hot air generating furnace 11 is a heat source and is a combustible gas, that is, natural gas, propane gas, or Gas such as so-called “city gas” is used as fuel. The combustion-type hot air generating furnace 11 generates hot air by burning gas in the burner 111 and mixing air in the furnace 112 with the blower 113.

  The hot air induction tube 12 is disposed downstream of the furnace portion 112 of the combustion hot air generating furnace 11. The hot air guide tube 12 includes a plurality of hot air ports 121 that distribute hot air, and a hot air introduction valve 122 that is installed in the hot air port 121 and adjusts the flow rate of the hot air that each discharges. The hot air introduction valve 122 changes the temperature distribution due to the hot air supplied by the hot air guide pipe 12 by individually adjusting the opening degree.

  In the drying chamber 13, the hot air guide pipe 12 is disposed at the lower portion, and the inside is warmed by the hot air supplied from the hot air port 121. The drying chamber 13 further includes a plurality of exhaust ports 132 provided in the ceiling portion 131, an exhaust fan 133 that is installed in each of the exhaust ports 132 and exhausts internal air, and adjusts the opening of the exhaust port 132. And an exhaust control unit 135 that measures the internal temperature and humidity and controls at least one of the exhaust fan 133 and the exhaust valve 134 to adjust the exhaust flow rate. Since the exhaust port 132, the exhaust fan 133, and the exhaust valve 134 may be provided so that the temperature distribution in the drying chamber 13 is in a desired state, a plurality of the exhaust ports 132, the exhaust fan 133, and the exhaust valve 134 may be provided as shown in FIG. Good or just one.

  The belt conveyor 14 is arranged in at least one stage above the hot air guide pipe 12 in the drying chamber 13. In the case of the present embodiment, the belt conveyor 14 is composed of only one stage, and therefore the belt conveyor 14 corresponds to a first conveyor arranged at the most upstream among a plurality of belt conveyors 14 and is composed of multiple stages. Corresponds to the lowermost lower conveyor disposed immediately above the hot air guide tube 12. The belt conveyor 14 includes an endless wire mesh belt 141 and a drive mechanism 142 that circulates and drives the belt 141. The belt conveyor 14 may be made of a net-like material made of a material that can be used even in a high-temperature environment in the drying chamber 13 other than a wire mesh. For example, the belt conveyor 14 is made of carbon fiber or polyparaphenylene terephthalamide fiber. It may be a net. The belt conveyor 14 conveys the tea leaves T from the upstream end 143 to the downstream end 144. The upstream end 143 and the downstream end 144 of the belt conveyor 14 extend to the outside of the drying chamber 13. The upstream end 143 is located at the exit of the cooling tea machine 20 disposed upstream of the tea ceremony furnace 10, and the downstream end 144 transfers the tea leaves T dried in the tea ceremony furnace 10 to the tree stem separator 40 of the next process. Located at the exit for. The drive mechanism 142 is preferably disposed outside the drying chamber 13 so as not to be affected by heat. In the case of this embodiment, the drive mechanism 142 is connected to the roller shaft at the downstream end 144. The drive mechanism 142 may be installed outside the drying chamber 13 so as to interlock with the sprocket shaft in the middle of the belt conveyor 14.

  The stirring means 15 is installed at intervals in the conveying direction of the belt conveyor 14, and the passing tea leaves T are lifted from the belt conveyor 14 and stirred.

The tea leaves T are stirred by blowing and floating the tea leaves T passing through the section immediately above the belt conveyor 14. In the first embodiment, since the belt conveyor 14 is composed of one stage, the belt conveyor 14 is the first conveyor and corresponds to the lowermost lower conveyor. Further, in the first embodiment, the stirring means 15 is a hot air vent 121 having a nozzle 151 extending to the vicinity of the belt conveyor 14 as shown in FIG. The opening degree of the hot air inlet valve 122 of the hot air port 121 used as the stirring means 15 is set larger than the opening degree of the hot air inlet valve 122 of the other hot air ports 121. Since the flow rate of the hot air flowing through the hot air vent 121 used as the stirring means 15 increases, the tea leaves T passing through the section immediately above the stirring means 15 are blown up, floated, and stirred.

  The hot air vent 121 serving as the stirring means 15 is always set so that the opening degree of the hot air introducing valve 122 is larger than that of the other hot air vents 121 and blows up the tea leaves T continuously conveyed by the belt conveyor 14. Alternatively, the opening degree of the hot air introduction valve 122 may be increased intermittently, and the tea leaves T positioned in the immediately above section may be blown up and stirred for each section.

  This tea ceremony furnace 10 further includes an auxiliary heater installed at least above the belt conveyor 14. In this embodiment, the black tea furnace 10 includes both an upper auxiliary heater 161 installed above and a lower auxiliary heater 162 installed below. Then, a scattering prevention conveyor is provided between the belt conveyor 14 and the upper auxiliary heater 161 so that the tea leaves T blown up by the stirring means 15 do not touch the upper auxiliary heater 161 to be burned or discharged from the exhaust port 132. 17 is installed.

  The anti-scattering conveyor 17 includes a wire mesh belt 171 similar to the belt conveyor 14, and the lower surface side moves synchronously at substantially the same speed in the same direction as the upper surface of the belt conveyor 14. Therefore, the drive mechanism may be mechanically connected to the drive mechanism 142 of the belt conveyor 14 by, for example, a chain and a sprocket, or may be individually driven by a servo motor so as to circulate at the same speed. May be.

  The upper auxiliary heater 161 and the lower auxiliary heater 162 irradiate the belt conveyor 14 with infrared rays or far infrared rays. The upper auxiliary heater 161 and the lower auxiliary heater 162 are electric heaters capable of adjusting the amount of heat. The tea leaves T transported by the belt conveyor 14 are heated by infrared rays or far infrared rays, and thus receive the same action as when they are fired. That is, the tea leaves T are dried while being irradiated with infrared rays or far infrared rays at a stage where the moisture content is high, whereby the Strecker decomposition and the Maillard reaction are promoted in the tea leaves, and a sweet flavor is added.

  The upper auxiliary heater 161 and the lower auxiliary heater 162 are not limited to electric heaters and may be gas heaters as long as they can irradiate infrared rays or far infrared rays. Further, when the tea leaves T pass through the mesh of the belt conveyor 14 and fall on the lower auxiliary heater 162, a burning odor is given, so the auxiliary heater may be the upper auxiliary heater 161 alone. When the lower auxiliary heater 162 is installed, air is sent between the lower auxiliary heater 162 and the belt conveyor 14 so that the tea leaves T do not get on, or it is removed from a position directly below the belt conveyor 14 and obliquely infrared or far away. It is good to irradiate with infrared rays.

  Further, the scattering prevention conveyor 17 may include a transport plate 172 extending vertically from the belt 171 toward the belt conveyor 14 in order to reliably convey the tea leaves T floating from the belt conveyor 14 to the downstream side. The transport plate 172 may be configured to be foldable or foldable so as to fall along the belt 171 at the end where the belt 171 of the anti-scattering conveyor 17 is folded back. The transport plate 172 is arranged to hang from the belt 171 of the anti-scattering conveyor 17. Accordingly, the connecting portion of the transport plate 172 to the anti-scattering conveyor 17 may be a rotatable hinge. When the transport plate 172 is configured to be retractable, the transport plate 172 is configured by a wire mesh similar to the belt 171 or formed in a comb shape so that hot air passes through the belt 171.

  The tea ceremony furnace 10 of the first embodiment further includes a temperature adjuster 18. The temperature adjuster 18 measures the temperature in the drying chamber 13, outputs the burner 111 of the combustion hot air generating furnace 11, the opening degree of the hot air induction valve 122 of the hot air induction pipe, the upper auxiliary heater 161 and the lower auxiliary heater. Adjust at least one of the 162 outputs. In FIG. 1, the temperature regulator 18 is connected only to the hot air introduction valve 122 and the lower auxiliary heater 162 on the combustion type hot air generating furnace 11 side. The inlet valve 122, the upper auxiliary heater 161 and the lower auxiliary heater 162 are connected.

  Sensors for measuring the temperature in the drying chamber 13 include several hot air vents 121, furnace sections 112, upper and lower portions of the belt conveyor 14, or intermediate positions between the belts 141 along the belt 141, Each of the upper auxiliary heater 161 and the lower auxiliary heater 162 is preferably disposed at each exhaust port 132. Furthermore, you may measure the temperature of the tea leaf T itself currently conveyed by the belt conveyor 14 with the radiation thermometer which incorporates an infrared sensor. The temperature adjuster 18 controls the amount of fuel supplied and the air volume of the blower 113 in order to adjust the output of the burner 111.

  Furthermore, the tea ceremony furnace 10 includes an integrated control device 100. The integrated control device 100 controls the temperature regulator 18 and the exhaust control unit 135 in association with each other so that the temperature distribution in the drying chamber 13 becomes the set temperature distribution, and the drying time of the tea leaves T is set. The moving speeds of the belt conveyor 14 and the anti-scattering conveyor 17 are controlled so that the time becomes longer. Sensors for measuring temperature may not be present at all of the positions described above. In the case where the tea furnace 10 is operated continuously, if the correlation of the temperature change measured by each sensor is known, the temperature distribution inside the drying chamber 13 can be determined by the temperature regulator 18 and the exhaust control unit 135 based on some representative points. It is also possible to control.

  The tea ceremony furnace 10 configured as described above is arranged downstream of the cooling tea machine 20. The cooling powder tea machine 20 is further installed in order to quickly cool the tea leaves steamed by the steaming machine 30 installed upstream thereof. After the tea leaves T steamed in the steaming machine 30 are transferred to the mesh conveyor 21 of the cooling powdered tea machine 20, the quadruple pods 22 are sequentially blown up by the blower 23, cooled and removed with dew. . The upstream end 143 of the belt conveyor 14 of the tea furnace 10 is arranged at the dropping point of the tea leaves T blown up by the last pod 22 of the four series, and the cooled tea leaves T are sprayed. In addition to the quadruple kaya 22, the cooling powder tea machine 20 applies hot air or hot air (about 130 ° C) to the tea leaves, and cools the tea leaves by the heat of vaporization when the moisture on the surface of the steamed leaves evaporates. It may be a type of cooling machine.

  The tea leaves T placed on the belt conveyor 14 are conveyed toward the downstream end 144. During this time, the tea leaves T are dried with hot air produced by the combustion-type hot air generating furnace 11. The tea leaves T transported by the belt conveyor 14 are blown up by the hot air blown from the hot air vent 121 when passing through the section immediately above the hot air vent 121 serving as the stirring means 15, floated and stirred, and dropped onto the belt conveyor 14. To do. As a result, the tea leaves T are scattered over the overlapping portions, and the infrared rays or far infrared rays irradiated from the upper auxiliary heater 161 and the lower auxiliary heater 162 are uniformly applied.

  At this time, the hot air for blowing up the tea leaves T may be ejected obliquely so as to blow up the tea leaves T forward along the traveling direction of the belt conveyor 14 instead of blowing up from the hot air vents 121 vertically. The tea leaf T is reliably conveyed by the belt conveyor 14 because the position where the tea leaf T falls relative to the raised position is forward.

  The tea leaves T are stirred and dried by being repeatedly floated and dropped on the belt conveyor 14 while being conveyed in the drying chamber 13 by the belt conveyor 14. As the tea leaves T approach the downstream end 144 of the belt conveyor 14, drying proceeds and becomes lighter. Therefore, the opening of the hot air introduction valve 122 of the hot air inlet 121 used as the agitating means 15 located on the downstream side is larger than the opening degree of the hot air inlet valve 122 of the hot air outlet 121 used as the agitating means 15 located on the upstream side. The degree is reduced, and the tea leaves T are controlled so as to float moderately between the scattering prevention conveyor 17 and the belt conveyor 14.

  Tea leaves that are repeatedly agitated and dropped on the belt conveyor 14 by being exposed to infrared rays or far infrared rays irradiated from the upper auxiliary heater 161 and the lower auxiliary heater 162 installed above and below the belt conveyor 14. T is subjected to heat treatment corresponding to burning while drying is promoted. The water evaporated by drying the tea leaves T is forcibly exhausted by the exhaust fan 133 from the exhaust port 132 provided in the ceiling portion 131 of the drying chamber 13. Therefore, the inside of the drying chamber 13 is not steamed, that is, the tea leaves T are not steamed. Further, by forced exhaust, new dry hot air is easily supplied into the drying chamber 13. Therefore, the tea-tea furnace 10 further improves the ability to dry the tea leaves T.

  This tea-tea furnace 10 includes a scattering prevention conveyor 17 between the belt conveyor 14 and the upper auxiliary heater 161. Since the tea leaves T floating by the stirring means 15 do not contact the upper auxiliary heater 161, the tea leaves T do not have a burnt smell. As described above, the tea-tea furnace 10 having the above-described configuration can efficiently dry the tea leaves T, increases the processing amount per unit time, and performs heat treatment corresponding to burning on the tea leaves T at the same time as drying. It can be scented with a savory flavor. In addition, the crude tea made by the tea ceremony furnace 10 has a sweet and savory flavor peculiar to tea tea and has little bitter and bitter taste elution.

  Moreover, the hot air supplied to the drying chamber 13 of the tea-chamber 10 is made by burning gas as fuel and heating the air. Since the hot air does not contain combustion residues or odorous components, the tea leaves T will not have a different taste or odor even if the air heated by the flame is used as it is. The fuel efficiency is good in that hot air is generated by using the heat of the fire burning the gas as it is. Further, when a combustion type hot-air generating furnace using gas as fuel is adopted, a flue or chimney like a heavy oil furnace is not necessary, so that the tea furnace 10 can be made smaller by that amount.

  And the tea ceremony furnace 10 of this embodiment has the belt conveyor 14 1 step | paragraph, but is excellent in the drying capacity. Therefore, the tea leaves T dried in the wood-tea furnace 10 are sieved into leaf parts and stem parts by the tree stem separator 40, and the latter drying and the main drying are performed by the tea leaf draft dryer 51 and the stem draft dryer 52, respectively. Thus, it is possible to make 作 る 茶 荒 茶 which does not go through the kneading process such as rough koji, cocoon twisting, and middle koji. In other words, this tea-tea furnace 10 contributes to cost saving and space saving when incorporated into a crude tea production apparatus or production line including the steam heater 30 to the tea leaf draft dryer 51 and the stem draft dryer 52.

  According to the rough tea manufacturing method in the first embodiment, the hot tea produced in the combustion type hot air generating furnace 11 is sent to the drying chamber 13 using this tea tea furnace 10, and the upper auxiliary installed in the upper and lower parts of the belt conveyor 14. The heater 161 and the lower auxiliary heater 162 irradiate the tea leaves T conveyed by the belt conveyor 14 with infrared rays or far infrared rays. At this time, the tea leaves T on the belt conveyor 14 are blown up with hot air by the agitating means 15 and stirred while being suspended, thereby producing tea tea. Then, the moist air inside the drying chamber 13 is forcibly exhausted by the exhaust fan 133 provided at the exhaust port 132 of the ceiling portion 131.

  In the case of the above crude tea production method, the tea leaves T are intermittently blown up and floated by the stirring means 15, so that drying is promoted by stirring the tea leaves T and exposing them to hot air each time. That is, the amount of tea leaves 10 that can dry tea leaves T per unit time increases. And according to this rough tea manufacturing method, the drying efficiency of the black tea oven 10 becomes high, and the production efficiency of the black tea rough tea improves. In addition, a plurality of agitation means 15 are arranged at intervals in the conveying direction of the belt conveyor 14 and are agitated by intermittently floating and dropping, so that the agitation means 15 is stationary on the belt conveyor 14. In addition, the upper auxiliary heater 161 and the lower auxiliary heater 162 are subjected to a heat treatment equivalent to burning, and are added to the tea fragrant tea that has a sweet and savory flavor peculiar to tea tea.

  Further, since the tea-tea furnace 10 in the first embodiment forcibly exhausts the air in the drying chamber 13 by the exhaust fan 133, the drying efficiency of the tea leaves T is improved in the case of the crude tea production method using this tea-tea furnace 10. . That is, the drying process of tea leaves T can be shortened, or the processing amount in the drying process can be increased.

  Using the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the first embodiment as a drying oven, the tea leaves are fed as raw materials after rough kneading, after twisting, or after middle koji by the conventional green tea production method to make koji tea rough tea. It is good also as a rough tea manufacturing method. In this case, since the tea leaves after the rough culling process, the twisting process or the intermediate culling process are placed on the belt conveyor 14 of the cocoon tea furnace 10, the cooling powder tea machine 20 is unnecessary. The water content of tea leaves after rough kneading, after twisting, and after middle moxibustion is 60% to 10%.

  Since this tea ceremony furnace 10 has a high drying capacity, when the tea leaves that have been subjected to the rough kneading process, the twisting process, or the middle mushroom process are dried by this koji tea furnace 10, sufficient drying is performed even if the belt conveyor 14 is not multistage. , Aracha is completed as Amicha Aracha. That is, the tree stalk separation process and the subsequent main drying tea leaf ventilation drying process and stem ventilation drying process are unnecessary. And the brewed tea rough tea produced by this rough tea manufacturing method has not gone through the brewing process. Furthermore, when the tea leaves at a stage where the water content is high are dried by the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the present embodiment, the tea leaves are dried while receiving infrared rays or far infrared rays irradiated by the upper auxiliary heater 161 and the lower auxiliary heater 162.

  As a result, the brewed tea made by this method of rough tea has a bitter taste due to the fact that the Strecker decomposition and the mild Maillard reaction act on the tea leaves to emphasize the sweet flavor and it does not go through the refinement process. Taste is reduced.

  In the following, tea ceremony furnaces according to second to sixth embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. At this time, the configuration having the same function as the configuration of the tea furnace of the first embodiment is denoted by the same reference numerals in the description of each embodiment and the drawings, and the detailed description refers to the description of the first embodiment. I will do it.

  A tea ceremony furnace 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2 has a one-stage belt conveyor 14 in a drying chamber 13. In this embodiment, the belt conveyor 14 is a first conveyor on which the wet tea leaves T cooled by the cooling tea machine 20 are first placed, and is a plurality of belts disposed above the hot air guide pipe 12. This corresponds to the lower conveyor disposed at the bottom of the conveyors.

  The tea ceremony furnace 10 of the second embodiment includes a plurality of blowers 152 as the stirring means 15. The blowers 152 are arranged at intervals in the conveying direction of the belt conveyor 14. The blower 152 sucks hot air in the drying chamber 13 and blows hot air from under the belt conveyor 14. At this time, the blower 152 may continuously eject hot air or may intermittently eject it. The blower 152 acts on the tea leaves T conveyed on the belt conveyor 14 in the same manner as the hot air vent 121 used as the stirring means 15 in the first embodiment. That is, the blower 152 blows up the tea leaves T from the bottom of the belt conveyor 14 with hot air, floats and stirs them. Unlike the coffee tea furnace 10 of the first embodiment that uses some of the plurality of hot air vents 121 as the stirring means 15, the blower 152 independently sucks and blows out the hot air in the drying chamber 13, so the hot air blown out as the stirring means 15 Easy to control the flow rate. The blower 152 is connected to the temperature regulator 18 and is controlled together with the hot air introduction valve 122, the upper auxiliary heater 161, the lower auxiliary heater 162, and the combustion-type hot air generating furnace 11.

  Further, the blower 152 may be an auxiliary burner provided with a heat source separately from the combustion hot air generating furnace 11, the upper auxiliary heater 161 and the lower auxiliary heater 162. The auxiliary burner employs a heating wire or a small gas combustion furnace as a heat source. When an auxiliary burner is provided as the blower 152, the auxiliary burner not only functions as the stirring means 15, but also has a function of supplementing the flow rate of hot air in the combustion hot air generating furnace. The intake air of the auxiliary burner may be taken from outside the drying chamber 13. When the auxiliary burner sucks air from outside the drying chamber 13, the flow rate of hot air supplied to the drying chamber 13 increases. Therefore, the drying of the tea leaves T is promoted by increasing the exhaust flow rate of the exhaust fan 133 and discharging more humid air in the drying chamber 13. That is, since the processing capacity for drying tea leaves T in the tea-tea furnace 10 is improved, the production amount of the crude tea using the tea-tea furnace 10 increases.

  The temperature adjuster 18 controls the burner 111 and the blower 113 of the combustion-type hot air generating furnace 11, the hot air introduction valves 122, the blowers 152, the upper auxiliary heaters 161, and the lower auxiliary heaters 162, and enters the drying chamber 13. Adjust the amount of heat entering. As in the first embodiment, the exhaust control unit 135 controls each exhaust fan 133 and each exhaust valve 134 to adjust the amount of heat and humidity (moisture) discharged from the drying chamber 13. The integrated control device 100 controls the exhaust control unit 135 and the temperature adjuster 18 so that the temperature distribution in the drying chamber 13 becomes the set temperature distribution, so that the drying time of the tea leaves T becomes the set time. The moving speed of the belt conveyor 14 and the scattering prevention conveyor 17 is controlled.

  Since the operation and effect associated with the configuration of the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the second embodiment other than the above and the configuration thereof are the same as those of the tea tea oven 10 of the first embodiment, the configuration of the first embodiment The corresponding description shall be taken into account.

  A tea ceremony furnace 10 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3 has a one-stage belt conveyor 14 in the drying chamber 13 as in the case of the black tea furnace 10 of the first and second embodiments. In this embodiment, the belt conveyor 14 is a first conveyor on which the wet tea leaves T cooled by the cooling tea machine 20 are first placed, and is a plurality of belts disposed above the hot air guide pipe 12. This corresponds to the lower conveyor disposed at the bottom of the conveyors.

  The tea ceremony furnace 10 of the third embodiment includes a plurality of stirring hands 153 as the stirring means 15. The agitator 153 has a rotating shaft 153A disposed in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the belt conveyor 14, and arms 153B extending radially from the rotating shaft 153A are arranged at substantially equal intervals over the entire length of the rotating shaft 153A. Has a lot. The agitator 153 is arranged on the upper part of the belt conveyor 14 and scoops up the tea leaves T from the belt conveyor by rotating. That is, the agitator 153 inserts the arm 153B between the overlapping tea leaves T in the opposite direction to the traveling direction of the tea leaves T conveyed by the belt conveyor 14, lifts the tea leaves T, and passes over the rotating shaft 153A. Then spread on the belt conveyor 14.

  The shape of the tip of each arm 153B has a width like a bowl or a scoop or is slightly curved toward the rotation direction so that the tea leaves T can be easily scooped up by the rotation of the stirring hand 153. , You may. Further, the degree of drying of the tea leaves T differs between the upstream side and the downstream side of the belt conveyor 14. Therefore, it is preferable to arrange the stirring hands 153 suitable for the position of the belt conveyor 14 such as changing the shape of the tip of the arm 153B of the stirring hand 153 that scoops up the tea leaves T or changing the number of the arms 153B.

  Further, in the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the third embodiment, the blower 152 is disposed at a position almost directly below some of the stirring hands 153. The blower 152 is an auxiliary burner 114 having a heat source. The auxiliary burner 114 is controlled by the temperature regulator 18 together with the hot air introduction valve 122, the upper auxiliary heater 161, the lower auxiliary heater 162, and the combustion hot air generating furnace 11. Drying of the tea leaves T is promoted by the hot air blown from the auxiliary burner 114 hitting the tea leaves T scooped up by the stirring hand 153. In the third embodiment, the stirrer 153 is also disposed at a position where the auxiliary burner 114 is not disposed below, that is, immediately above the position between the adjacent auxiliary burners 114. An upper auxiliary heater 161 and a lower auxiliary heater 162 are disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the agitator 153, respectively. The tea leaves T are also stirred in the section where infrared rays or far infrared rays are irradiated by the upper auxiliary heater 161 and the lower auxiliary heater 162, so that each of the tea leaves T is easily irradiated with heat rays, and the tea leaves T are uniformly dried. move on.

  The temperature adjuster 18 controls the amount of heat entering the drying chamber 13 by controlling the combustion-type hot air generating furnace 11, the hot air introduction valve 122, the upper auxiliary heater 161, the lower auxiliary heater 162, and the auxiliary burner 114. The exhaust control unit 135 controls the exhaust fan 133 and the exhaust valve 134 to control the amount of heat and humidity (moisture) exhausted from the drying chamber 13. The integrated control device 100 controls the temperature regulator 18 and the exhaust control unit in cooperation so that the temperature distribution in the drying chamber 13 becomes the set temperature distribution, and the drying time of the tea leaves T becomes the set time. In this manner, the rotational speed of the drive mechanism 142 of the belt conveyor 14 and each stirring hand 153 is controlled.

  Other than the above, the configuration of the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the third embodiment and the actions and effects associated with the configuration are the same as those of the tea tea oven 10 of the first embodiment and the tea tea oven 10 of the second embodiment. Therefore, the corresponding descriptions in the first and second embodiments are respectively referred to.

  A tea ceremony furnace 10 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4 includes a belt conveyor 14 configured in three stages of an upper conveyor 14T, an intermediate conveyor 14M, and a lower conveyor 14B in a drying chamber 13. This belt conveyor 14 is configured in three stages of an upper stage, a middle stage, and a lower stage as one form of a belt conveyor arranged in at least one stage, and is composed of four stages, five stages, or more stages. It may be configured. Further, it may be a belt conveyor that uses both the forward path and the return path of the circulating conveyor to convey the tea leaves T. In the case of this conveyor, the function of two stages is achieved by one conveyor.

  The upper conveyor 14T and the middle conveyor 14M are each provided with a drive mechanism. These drive mechanisms may be provided in common with the drive mechanism 142 of the lower conveyor 14B. That is, the upper conveyor 14T and the middle conveyor 14M may be driven from the same motor of the drive mechanism 142 of the lower conveyor 14B via power transmission means such as a sprocket, a chain, and a transmission. The drying chamber 13 is divided into an upper portion 13U and a lower portion 13L by a partition plate 136 having a plurality of vent holes 136a. An upper conveyor 14T and an intermediate conveyor 14M are disposed in the upper portion 13U, and a lower conveyor 14B is disposed in the lower portion 13L.

  In the upper portion 13U of the drying chamber 13, an exhaust port 132 similar to that of the drying chamber 13 of the first embodiment is provided in the ceiling portion 131, and an exhaust fan 133 and an exhaust valve 134 are installed in each. The upper conveyor 14T is disposed immediately below the ceiling 131, and the middle conveyor 14M is disposed between the upper conveyor 14T and the partition plate 136. The drying chamber 13 has a vent valve 136b in each of a plurality of vent holes 136a provided in the partition plate 136. The vent valve 136b is connected to a temperature adjuster 18 that controls the temperature in the drying chamber 13, and the opening degree is adjusted based on the temperature and humidity information detected by the sensor. An auxiliary burner 114, that is, a blower equipped with a heat source is installed between the partition plate 136 and the intermediate conveyor 14M. The heat source may be a heating wire or a gas combustion type. The auxiliary burner 114 is connected to the temperature adjuster 18 and is used to adjust the temperature and humidity of the upper portion 13U.

  The lower part 13L of the drying chamber 13 is provided with a lower conveyor 14B and a stirring means 15, and is located below the ceiling 131 of the drying chamber 13 of the first embodiment, from the upper auxiliary heater 161 to the hot air induction tube 12. It has the same structure as the range. Therefore, the stirring means 15 in the fourth embodiment is a hot air vent 121 having the nozzle 151. This hot air vent 121 is configured in the same manner as the hot air vent 121 functioning as the stirring means 15 in the first embodiment. The upper auxiliary heater 161 disposed above the lower conveyor 14B is attached to the lower surface of the partition plate 136. Further, a scattering prevention conveyor 17 is installed between the lower conveyor 14B and the upper auxiliary heater 161.

  The tea-tea furnace 10 is provided with an air feed conveyor 19 on the side of the drying chamber 13 where the downstream end 144B of the lower conveyor 14B protrudes. The air conveyer 19 includes a transfer chamber 191 formed continuously from a position lower than the lower conveyor 14B to a position higher than the upper conveyor 14T, and a blower 192 installed at the lower end. The upstream end 143T of the upper conveyor 14T protrudes from the same side of the drying chamber 13 as the downstream end 144B of the lower conveyor 14B to the air conveyor 19 side. When the tea leaves T transported to the downstream end 144B of the lower conveyor 14B spill from the downstream end 144B, the blower 192 blows up the transport chamber 191 to the upper part. The tea leaves T blown up ride on the upstream end 143T of the upper conveyor 14T. The transfer chamber 191 includes therein a guide plate that guides the air flow created by the blower 192 without disturbing the tea leaves T on the upper conveyor 14T. As a means for moving the tea leaves T from the lower conveyor 14B to the upper conveyor 14T, a vertical conveyor having buckets may be employed in place of the air feed conveyor 19.

  The tea leaves T conveyed in the drying chamber 13 by the upper conveyor 14T move from the downstream end 144T of the upper conveyor 14T to the upstream end 143M of the middle conveyor 14M. The tea leaves T conveyed to the downstream end 144M on the middle conveyor 14M are finally discharged from the outlet 13A. In FIG. 4, the outlet 13 </ b> A is illustrated in a position exposed to the airflow of the blower in the transfer chamber 191, but is actually provided so as not to be affected by the airflow in the transfer chamber 191, or the transfer chamber 191. It is arranged so that the tea leaves T can be taken out independently. The tea leaves T taken out from the outlet 13A are sorted into leaves and stems by the tree stem separator 40 as in the case of the first embodiment. The leaf portion is further dried by the tea leaf ventilation dryer 51, and the stem portion is further dried by the stem ventilation fan 52.

  In this embodiment, the first conveyor on which the wet tea leaves T cooled by the cooling tea machine 20 are first placed is the lowermost of the plurality of belt conveyors 14 disposed above the hot air guide pipe 12. It is the lower stage conveyor 14B arrange | positioned. The tea leaves T that have passed through the lower conveyor 14B are then transferred to the upper conveyor 14T at the top of the belt conveyor 14 configured in a plurality of stages. Then, the tea leaves T finally pass through the middle conveyor 14M and are taken out of the tea ceremony furnace 10. If the drying performed in the lower portion 13L of the drying chamber 13 is initial drying, the drying performed in the upper portion 13U of the drying chamber 13 corresponds to late drying.

  In the case of the fourth embodiment, the exhaust control unit 135 controls the exhaust fan 133 and the exhaust valve 134 to adjust the amount of heat and humidity (moisture) discharged from the drying chamber 13. The temperature adjuster 18 controls the combustion type hot air generating furnace 11, the hot air introduction valve 122, the upper auxiliary heater 161, the lower auxiliary heater 162, the auxiliary burner 114, and the ventilation valve 136 b to adjust the amount of heat entering the drying chamber 13. The integrated control apparatus 100 controls the exhaust control unit 135 and the temperature regulator 18 in cooperation with each other so that the drying time of the tea leaves T becomes a set time, and the tea leaves T are changed from the lower conveyor 14B to the upper conveyor 14T. Therefore, the moving speed of the tea leaves T by the lower conveyor 14B, the anti-scattering conveyor 17, the intermediate conveyor 14M, the upper conveyor 14T, and the blower 192 is controlled so as not to be biased when being transferred from the upper conveyor 14T to the middle conveyor 14M. .

  Since the belt conveyor 14 that first passes after the cooling tea machine 20 is the lower conveyor 14B, the tea leaves T are rapidly dried by being exposed to the dry hot air of the hot air guide tube 12. The belt conveyor 14 that passes next to the lower conveyor is the upper conveyor 14T. The temperature just below the ceiling 131 of the upper portion 13U of the drying chamber 13 is maintained at a relatively high temperature by the hot air rising. Therefore, the tea leaves T are further dried by being transferred to the upper conveyor 14T next to the lower conveyor 14B. In addition, it is considered that the amount of water contained in the hot air inside the upper portion 13U of the drying chamber 13 is higher on the ceiling 131 side where the temperature is higher than that on the partition plate 136 side. Since the hot air on the ceiling 131 side is discharged from the exhaust port 132, it does not descend to the partition plate 136 side. Furthermore, the intermediate conveyor 14M through which the tea leaves T finally pass has the auxiliary burner 114 directly below. The hot air in the drying chamber 13 is reheated and dried hot air whose relative humidity is reduced is applied by the auxiliary burner 114. Therefore, since the tea leaves T finally pass through the middle conveyor 14M, they are exposed to hot air having a relatively small amount of water and a low relative humidity in the upper portion 13U of the drying chamber 13, so that the drying proceeds further than the upper conveyor 14T. That is, in the wood-tea furnace 10 of the fourth embodiment, the tea leaves T are transported through the drying chamber 13 in the order of the lower conveyor 14B, the upper conveyor 14T, and the middle conveyor 14M, so that the tea leaves T are dried from the tea leaves T dried in the preceding conveyor. It is not easily affected by the released moisture, and drying proceeds efficiently.

  Regarding the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the fourth embodiment, the effects other than those described above and the effects associated with the configuration other than those described above are the same as those of the tea tea furnace 10 of the first embodiment, so the description of the first embodiment will be described. It shall be considered. Moreover, the effect which concerns on the rough tea manufactured through the black tea furnace 10 of 4th Embodiment and the rough tea manufacturing method which uses the black tea furnace 10 of 4th Embodiment is also as having explained in full detail in 1st Embodiment. is there.

  A tea ceremony furnace 10 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5 is provided with a belt conveyor 14 configured in three stages in a drying chamber 13 as in the fourth embodiment. The drying chamber 13 is divided into an upper portion 13U and a lower portion 13L by a partition plate 136. An upper conveyor 14T and an intermediate conveyor 14M are arranged in the upper part 13U, and a lower conveyor 14B and a stirring means 15 are arranged in the lower part 13L. The stirring means 15 in the fifth embodiment is the same as the stirring means 15 of the tea brown furnace 10 in the second embodiment, and is a blower 152 installed under the lower conveyor 14B.

  The upper part 13U of the drying chamber 13 has the same configuration as that of the fourth embodiment. The lower portion 13L of the drying chamber 13 has substantially the same configuration as the inside of the drying chamber 13 of the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the second embodiment. In other words, this tea-chamber 10 includes a blower 152 serving as a stirring means 15 disposed on the belt conveyor 14 of the tea-chamber 10 in the second embodiment, an upper auxiliary heater 161 and a lower auxiliary heater 162, and a belt conveyor. 14 and the upper auxiliary heater 161 are arranged with respect to the lower conveyor 14B. Further, the integrated management apparatus 100 is connected in the same manner as in the fourth embodiment, and controls each unit.

  The configuration of the lower portion 13L of the drying chamber 13 other than the above is the same as the configuration of the drying chamber 13 of the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the second embodiment. Moreover, the structure which concerns on the belt conveyor 14 comprised in 3 steps | paragraphs is the same as the tea ceremony furnace 10 of 4th Embodiment. Therefore, for the details of each configuration and the effects accompanying these, the corresponding description is taken into consideration. In addition, the crude tea production method using the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the fifth embodiment, and the effects relating to the crude tea produced via the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the fifth embodiment are also the second and fourth embodiments. The details described in the embodiment are combined.

  A tea ceremony furnace 10 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6 is provided with a belt conveyor 14 configured in three stages in a drying chamber 13 as in the fourth and fifth embodiments. The drying chamber 13 is divided into an upper part 13U and a lower part 13L by a partition plate 136, an upper conveyor 14T and an intermediate conveyor 14M are arranged in the upper part 13U, and a lower conveyor 14B and a stirring means 15 are arranged in the lower part 13L. The agitating means 15 in the sixth embodiment is the same as the agitating means 15 of the coffee tea furnace 10 in the third embodiment, and is an agitator 153 disposed on the lower conveyor 14B.

  The upper part 13U of the drying chamber 13 has the same configuration as that of the fourth embodiment. The lower part 13L of the drying chamber 13 has substantially the same configuration as the inside of the drying chamber 13 of the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the third embodiment. That is, this tea-chamber 10 includes an agitator 153 serving as a stirring means 15 disposed on the belt conveyor 14 of the tea-chamber 10 in the third embodiment, and an upper auxiliary heater 161 and a lower auxiliary heater 162. It arrange | positions with respect to the lower stage conveyor 14B. And the scattering prevention conveyor 17 with which the black tea furnace 10 of 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th embodiment is provided is not installed similarly to 3rd Embodiment.

  The exhaust control unit 135 controls the exhaust fan 133 and the exhaust valve 134 to adjust the amount of heat and humidity (moisture) exhausted from the drying chamber 13. The temperature adjuster 18 includes a combustion-type hot-air generating furnace 11, a hot-air introduction valve 122, an upper auxiliary heater 161, a lower auxiliary heater 162, a vent valve 136b, an auxiliary burner 114 at the upper portion 13U of the drying chamber 13, and a lower portion 13L of the drying chamber 13. The auxiliary burner 114 is controlled to adjust the amount of heat entering the drying chamber 13. The integrated control apparatus 100 controls the temperature regulator 18 and the exhaust control unit 135 in cooperation to adjust the temperature distribution in the drying chamber 13 to the set temperature distribution, and sets the drying time of the tea leaves T. The lower conveyor 14B, the agitator 153, and the blower so that there is no bias when the tea leaves T are transferred from the lower conveyor 14B to the upper conveyor 14T and from the upper conveyor 14T to the middle conveyor 14M. 192, the conveying speed of the upper conveyor 14T and the middle conveyor 14M is adjusted.

  The configuration of the lower portion 13L of the drying chamber 13 other than the above is the same as the configuration of the drying chamber 13 of the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the third embodiment. Moreover, the structure which concerns on the belt conveyor 14 comprised in 3 steps | paragraphs is the same as the tea ceremony furnace 10 of 4th Embodiment. Therefore, for the details of each configuration and the effects accompanying these, the corresponding description is taken into consideration. Moreover, the effect which concerns on the rough tea manufactured through the black tea furnace 10 of 6th Embodiment and the rough tea manufacturing method which uses the black tea furnace 10 of 6th Embodiment is also 3rd Embodiment and 4th. The details described in the embodiment are combined.

  As described above, in any of the tea ceremony furnaces 10 of the first to sixth embodiments, the drying treatment capacity per unit time is remarkably improved by applying to the drying step in the step of producing crude tea. Therefore, it becomes possible to produce a large amount of raw tea, which has a high unit price due to its low production capacity and low production volume, at a low cost. At this time, it is possible to add a sweet and savory flavor peculiar to strawberry tea to aroma tea in common in any strawberry tea furnace 10 of the first to sixth embodiments. In addition, the crude tea produced through these tea-ceremony furnaces 10 does not go through the brewing process, so there is little elution of bitterness and astringency. Employment of this tea ceremony furnace 10 in the production process of crude tea is expected to expand the production of matcha tea for the food industry due to its superior mass production and reduced production costs. The crude tea produced by the above-described tea tea furnace 10 is used to extract green tea sold as a soft drink or used as a raw tea for tea bags. It is possible to provide more people with green tea that emphasizes the taste and has less bitter taste.

  When tea leaves are heat-treated at a stage where the moisture content after steaming is high, sugars and amino acids in tea leaves are considered to produce sweetness due to Strecker degradation and mild Maillard reaction. In any of the first to sixth embodiments of the tea ceremony furnace 10 according to the present invention, the tea leaf T has a high water content, that is, the belt conveyor 14 in the first to third embodiments. In the embodiment, the lower conveyor 14 </ b> B is heated by the auxiliary heaters 161 and 162 and is rapidly dried. As a result, the crude tea produced through the tea ceremony furnace 10 according to the present invention is scented with a sweetness characteristic peculiar to tea tea.

  In any of the first to sixth embodiments, the raw tea leaves to be introduced into the tea-tea furnace 10 may be made of tea leaves that have not undergone the brewing process, and at least of coarse koji, twisting, and middle-yield. Even in the case where the tea leaves that have passed through one are used to make the brewed tea rough tea, the tea leaves that are scented with a sweet flavor can be obtained by being dried by the cocoon tea furnace 10. In other words, the tea ceremony furnace 10 according to the present invention does not only function as a drying oven dedicated to tea tea used only for making tea tea rough tea, but also has an excellent function as a drying oven for making tea tea rough tea. Demonstrate. In this respect, the tea ceremony furnace 10 according to the present invention also includes a function of a drying oven used in the process of producing the brewed tea rough tea.

  Note that, in any teacup furnace 10 of the first to sixth embodiments, instead of combusting the gas by the combustion type hot air generating furnace 11 to produce hot air, air is sent to the electric heater with a blower, and the drying chamber 13 is supplied. You may make hot air with the electric hot-air generator which heats the supplied air directly. Moreover, you may use the heavy oil furnace which uses heavy oil as a fuel as a heat source like the past. When using a heavy oil furnace, the flame and smoke generated by the heavy oil furnace are passed through a flue installed in the lower part of the drying chamber 13, and the air in the drying chamber 13 is indirectly heated by the radiant heat generated by the flue. The At this time, in order to actively generate hot air in the drying chamber 13, a blower that sucks in hot air in the drying chamber 13 and blows hot air from under the belt conveyor 14 is installed. When the hot air generated by the blower has wind power enough to blow up and stir the tea leaves T on the belt conveyor 14 of the first to third embodiments or the lower conveyor 14B of the fourth to sixth embodiments, This blower functions as the stirring means 15 like the blower 152 of the second and fifth embodiments. In addition, when the hot air generated by the blower does not have enough wind power to float the tea leaves T, the stirring means 15 similar to the stirring hand 153 of the third and sixth embodiments is installed, and the tea leaves T are stirred. To do.

  As described above, the blower 152 according to the second and fifth embodiments is installed in a tea-tea furnace that uses a conventionally used heavy oil furnace as a heat source, and the tea leaves T are lifted up or the tea leaves T are not blown up. Hot air is generated by the blower 152 or the auxiliary burner 114, and the tea leaves T are lifted in the atmosphere by the stirring means 153 of the third and sixth embodiments. It is included in the present invention that the tea leaves T are lifted and stirred, that is, the tea leaves T are lifted and stirred while being exposed to hot air.

  Since the demonstration test is implemented when inventing the tea ceremony furnace 10 of said 1st-6th embodiment, it describes below.

We measure fresh tea leaves of No. 2 tea harvested on March 5, 2012 at the greenhouse-grown tea plantation in Fukujuen CHA Research Center, measuring 40 g per test area as No. 1 to No. Fifteen test zones were set. Each was steamed with steam for 30 seconds and used as raw tea. Table 1 shows the weight (g) after steaming, presence / absence of steaming treatment, initial drying conditions, and heating time (minutes) of initial drying for each test section.

  In order to reproduce the initial drying of the tea furnace, using a hot air constant temperature machine (manufactured by Quana Giken), set the internal temperature to 150 ° C. and heat, infrared electric stove (Toshiba ceramic heater SF-812H 1200W) Was installed at the bottom of the thermostat with the irradiation direction of the electric heating part facing upward, and a furnace covered with an iron plate was temporarily installed thereon. Steamed leaves were sprayed uniformly on a wire mesh shelf arranged at a height of 30 cm above the iron plate. The initial drying time was 2.5 minutes. Reproduction of late drying of the tea furnace is performed using a hot air constant temperature machine (manufactured by Quana Giken Co., Ltd.), except for [Test Zone 4] and [Test Zone 15], with an in-machine temperature of 100 ° C. and a drying time of 20 minutes. Set. In the main drying after the foliage separation, the temperature in the apparatus was 100 degrees and the drying time was 60 minutes with the same thermostatic apparatus for all the test sections.

[Test conditions for experimental tea-tea furnace]
The condition of [Test Zone 1] corresponds to the initial drying performed by a conventional tea ceremony machine. The temperature in the thermostat was raised to 150 ° C., the hot air from the thermostat was cut, and after switching to the heat source of the electric stove, initial drying was performed for 2.5 minutes, and this was designated as [Test Section 1]. In order to see if the tea made by this method has the quality of tea, the steamed leaves were dried by ventilation at 100 ° C for 60 minutes using a warm-air thermostat (manufactured by Quana Giken). Was designated as [Test Section 4]. The comparative control is [Test Zone 1].

[Confirmation of hot air effect]
In order to reproduce the hot air blown from the combustion type hot air generating furnace 11 and the auxiliary burner 114 of the tea furnace 10, the temperature of the hot air type thermostatic device (manufactured by Quana Giken Co., Ltd.) is set to 150 ° C. and generated in the thermostatic device. A substitute for maximizing the amount of hot air was designated as [Test Zone 2], and in order to confirm the effect of hot air, the temperature was raised to 150 ° C in a thermostatic oven, steamed leaves were added, air blowing was stopped, and tea leaves were dried. Was designated as [Test Section 3].

[Confirmation of infrared irradiation effect]
In order to demonstrate the effect of infrared or far-infrared irradiation by the auxiliary heaters 161 and 162, the heating part of the infrared electric stove (Toshiba ceramic heater SF-812H 1200W) is installed at the top of the thermostat with the irradiation direction facing downward. Then, the steamed leaves were spread on a wire mesh shelf installed at a position 30 cm below and irradiated with infrared rays for 2.5 minutes, and this was designated as [Test Section 5]. The comparative control is [Test Section 4].

[Confirmation of stirring effect by stirring hand]
In order to demonstrate the effect of stirring and stirring the tea leaves with the agitator 153, the steamed leaves are gently stirred by hand after 1 minute and 2 minutes have passed since the infrared rays are irradiated, so that the infrared rays are uniformly irradiated. This was designated as [Test Section 6]. The comparative control is [Test Section 4].

[Confirmation of forced exhaust effect by exhaust fan]
In order to verify the effect of forced exhaust by the exhaust fan 133 provided in the ceiling 131 of the drying chamber 13, a ventilation fan (AFM-180 manufactured by Apics International) is attached to the exhaust port of the warm air thermostat (manufactured by Quana Giken). Forced exhaust. Set the temperature inside the thermostat to 150 ° C and heat it, install it at the bottom of the thermostat with the electric heating part of the infrared electric stove (Toshiba ceramic heater SF-812H 1200W) facing upward, and iron plate on it A temporary furnace covered with. Steamed leaves were sprayed uniformly on a wire mesh shelf installed at a position of 30 cm above the iron plate, and the initial drying time was set to 2.5 minutes. The comparative control was set to [Test Zone 1] simulating the case of initial drying with a conventional tea machine.

[Confirmation of floating stirring effect by hot air]
In order to demonstrate the effect of blowing and floating the tea leaves on the belt conveyor 14 (lower conveyor 14B) with hot air, the temperature inside the machine was set to 150 ° C. using a hot air thermostat (manufactured by Quana Giken). It set up, it installed in the bottom part of the thermostat with the irradiation direction of the electric heating part of the infrared electric stove (Toshiba ceramic heater SF-812H 1200W) facing upward, and it covered with an iron plate, and it was set as the temporary furnace. Steamed leaves are sprayed uniformly on a wire mesh shelf installed 30cm above the iron plate, and steamed with hot air from a hair dryer (Koizumi Curling Dryer JNT-0793) after 1 minute and 2 minutes from the start of heating. The test leaves were suspended for 15 seconds on the leaves and stirred, and the initial drying time was set to 2.5 minutes. The comparative control was set to [Test Zone 1] simulating the case of initial drying with a conventional tea machine.

[Confirmation of the effect of the tea furnace of the third and sixth embodiments]
In order to demonstrate the effect of the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the third and sixth embodiments, an experiment combining a hot air function, an infrared irradiation function, a stirring hand function, and a forced exhaust function was performed. A ventilator (AFM-180 manufactured by Apics International) is attached to the exhaust port of a hot air type thermostat (manufactured by Quana Giken Co., Ltd.), the internal temperature is set to 150 ° C. and heated, and an infrared electric heater (Toshiba ceramic heater SF-812H 1200W) The electric heating part was placed on the uppermost stage in the thermostat with the irradiation direction facing downward, and steamed leaves were evenly spread on the wire net shelf installed at a position 30 cm below. [Test Section 9] was a sample in which the tea leaves were lightly stirred by hand at the elapse of 1 minute from the start of heating and irradiated with infrared rays for 2.5 minutes so that the infrared rays were uniformly irradiated. What was not stirred with respect to [Test section 9] was designated as [Test section 10]. The comparative control was set to [Test Zone 1] simulating the case of initial drying with a conventional tea machine.

[Confirmation of the effect of the tea ceremony furnace of the first, second, fourth and fifth embodiments]
In order to demonstrate the effects of the tea furnace 10 of the first, second, fourth, and fifth embodiments, experiments were conducted combining a tea leaf floating function, a hot air function, an infrared irradiation function, and a forced exhaust function. A ventilator (AFM-180 manufactured by Apics International) is attached to the exhaust port of a hot air type thermostat (manufactured by Quana Giken Co., Ltd.). The electric heating part was placed on the uppermost stage in the thermostat with the irradiation direction facing downward, and steamed leaves were evenly spread on the wire mesh shelf placed at a position of 30 cm below. One minute after starting to irradiate infrared rays, hot air from a hair dryer (Koizumi Curling Dryer JNT-0793) was applied to the steamed leaves and the tea leaves were allowed to float for 15 seconds and stirred, with an initial drying time of 2.5 minutes. Was designated as [Test Zone 11]. The comparative control was set to [Test Zone 1] simulating the case of initial drying with a conventional tea machine.

[Confirmation of the effect of a tea-chamber with a stirring hand for tea leaves of scented tea]
In order to demonstrate the effect in the case where the tea leaf having a moisture content of tea leaves of 60 to 10% through at least one of coarse koji, cocoon twist, and middle cocoon is dried in the koji tea furnace 10 of the third embodiment, When the steamed leaves are hand-mixed on a roaster and dried, and the dry weight reaches 50-60% of the steamed leaves, the hot air function, infrared irradiation function, and stirring hand function are the same as those set in [Test Section 9]. In addition, what was subjected to an experiment in the case of using a tea-tea oven as a damp tea tea-dryer combined with a forced exhaust function was designated as [Test Section 12].

[Confirmation of the effect of the strawberry tea furnace that blows hot tea on the tea leaves of scented tea]
In order to demonstrate the function of the tea ceremony furnace 10 of the first or second embodiment using tea leaves whose raw water content is 60% to 10% through at least one of coarse koji, cocoon twist, and middle cocoon, When steamed leaves are hand-mixed in a roaster and dried, when the dry weight reaches 50-60%, the tea leaf floating function, hot air function, infrared irradiation function, forced exhaust, which are the same as those set in [Test Zone 11] [Experiment 13] was obtained by conducting an experiment in the case of using a green tea oven as a green tea dryer combining functions.

[Test Group 12] and [Control Test in Test Group 13]
[Test Group 14] is a grudge made to confirm the effect of the infrared irradiation function by comparing with [Test Group 12] and to confirm the effect of the tea leaf floating function by comparing with [Test Group 13]. It is tea rough tea, and the tea leaves are hand-crushed in a roaster and dried. When the dry weight reaches 50-60% of the steamed leaves, the tea leaves are placed in hot air at 150 ° C. for 2.5 minutes. The initial drying was performed. Thereafter, late drying was performed at 100 ° C. for 20 minutes, and then main drying was performed at 100 ° C. for 60 minutes. [Test Group 15] was prepared as a control test from [Test Group 12] to [Test Group 14] by hand-grinding in a roasting furnace until normal koji, followed by main drying at 100 ° C. for 60 minutes. It is tea rough tea.

The brewed tea rough tea from [Test Zone 1] to [Test Zone 11] and the brewed tea rough tea from [Test Zone 12] to [Test Zone 15] were each cut with No. 6 sieve. Table 2 shows the weight (g) and weight (%) after the initial drying, the weight (g) after the latter drying, and the weight (g) after the main drying in each test section.

For quality evaluation, the usual tea sensory examination method was adopted, and examination was carried out by a consensus by three skilled sensory judges. A score was added with a score of 10 points for each of the five target areas of shape, color, aroma, light blue, and taste, and a summary was added. At this time, since the shape of tea was the same, the evaluation was omitted. The results are shown in Table 3.

About [Test Zone 1] and [Test Zone 4] Comparing [Test Zone 1], which reproduced the current tea ceremony furnace, with [Test Zone 4], which was dried by ventilation at 100 ° C. for 60 minutes, Although it has sweetness peculiar to strawberry tea, [Test section 4] did not reach the quality of strawberry tea. Thereby, the setting of [Test section 1] was evaluated as equivalent to a tea-tea furnace.

About [Test Group 2] and [Test Group 3] [Test Group 2], in which tea leaves were introduced into hot air at 150 ° C., had a more bluish blue color and abundant aroma compared to the [Test Group 1] control. It was refreshing without any fragrance, but it was slightly sweet. The weight loss after the initial drying reached 56.5%, and the drying efficiency was improved compared to 78.5% in [Test section 1]. [Test group 3], in which tea leaves were put in a windless environment at 150 ° C., had a steaming scent and a light blue color as compared to [Test group 1]. The weight of [Test Group 3] after initial drying was 82%, and the drying did not proceed. Thus, the effect of hot air of [Test Group 2] was demonstrated.

[Test Group 5] and [Test Group 6] [Test Group 5] in which tea leaves were irradiated with infrared rays and [Test Group 6] stirred during infrared irradiation were compared. In [Test section 5], incense was introduced by infrared irradiation, and leaf damage progressed at the base of the stem and veins, resulting in poor taste. In [Test Group 6], since the tea leaves were stirred during infrared irradiation, the infrared irradiation was uniformly performed on the surface of the tea leaves. As described above, it was demonstrated that the infrared irradiation is performed by adding a sweetness to the tea leaves and stirring the tea leaves. Moreover, the weight reduction degree was 79.3% in [Test group 5] and 86.3% in [Test group 6]. It has been demonstrated that drying efficiency can be improved by infrared irradiation alone.

About [Test Zone 7] and [Test Zone 8] The test fan 7 was forced to exhaust by attaching an exhaust fan to the current tea ceremony furnace, and the tea leaves were floated by putting hot air into the current tea tea oven [Test zone 8] Is compared with [Test Section 1] as a comparative control. The weight of “Test Zone 1” was 78.5%, while that of [Test Zone 7] was 75%, the degree of decrease was improved, and the quality evaluation was slightly refreshing with a slight improvement. . This proved the effect of improving forced exhaust drying efficiency. In this demonstration test, the amount of tea leaves was small, so it was a slight improvement, but the actual machine is mass produced, so the effect of forced exhaust is considered to be great. In [Test Section 8], the degree of weight reduction was improved to 73.8%, and the quality was marked with a high evaluation score, with the color tone being bluish, emphasis on sweetness and refreshingness. As a result, it was demonstrated that floating tea leaves in hot air can significantly improve both quality and drying efficiency.

[Test Group 9], [Test Group 10], and [Test Group 11] [Test Group 9] in which warm air of 150 ° C, forced exhaust, infrared irradiation, and tea leaf stirring were performed, and tea leaf stirring was performed on this. [Test Group 10] that was not present, and [Test Group 11] in which hot air was applied to the tea leaves instead of stirring were compared with [Test Group 1] as a comparative control. The degree of weight reduction was 50% in [Test Group 9], 47.5% in [Test Group 10], and 41.8% in [Test Group 11], respectively. By combining the four functions of hot air, forced exhaust, infrared irradiation, tea leaf stirring or floating, [Test Zone 1] was greatly improved from 78.5%, and it was proved that the drying efficiency increased. .

  In terms of quality, in the test section 9 where the infrared irradiation was performed while stirring the tea leaves, the sweet scent was emphasized by the uniform infrared irradiation. On the other hand, [Test section 10], which does not stir, was irradiated with infrared rays on the fixed surface of the tea leaves for 2.5 minutes. . [Test Zone 11] had a blue color, exhilaration with emphasis on sweetness and aroma, and a light blue color with excellent quality.

  From these results, it was proved that the drying efficiency can be increased without degrading quality by combining the four functions, and the sweetness can be emphasized.

About [Test Group 12, 13, 14] and [Test Group 15] The crude bamboo leaves are heated at 150 ° C. with hot air, forced exhaust, infrared irradiation and tea leaf stirring [Test Group 12], and the crude bamboo leaves are heated at 150 ° C. And forced exhaustion, infrared irradiation, and floating tea leaves with hot air [Test Section 13], and rough exhaust leaves were forced exhausted with hot air at 150 ° C. [Test Section 14], and 100 sperm leaves were used as a comparative control. [Test area 15], which is a normal sencha made by ventilation drying at 60 ° C. for 60 minutes, is comparatively evaluated. In [Test Zone 12], the bitter and astringent taste was small, and the sweetness was emphasized. In [Test Zone 13], the bitter and astringent taste was small, and there was a sweeter fragrance than in [Test Zone 12]. In [Test Zone 14], the bitter and astringent taste was small, and the sweetness was slightly emphasized. [Test areas 12, 13, and 14] are both large in shape and pale in color, and are not evaluated as compared to ordinary Sencha. However, the crude tea to be produced by the tea ceremony furnace of the present invention is not intended for leaf demand that places importance on the evaluation of shape and color, and is used as a raw material for drinks and tea bags that do not place importance on shape and color. Since it is the target, these two evaluations may be deteriorated.

  In this way, [Test Zones 12, 13, and 14] have less bitter taste because they have not squeezed up to the spirit. In addition, it was proved that by combining hot air, infrared irradiation, tea leaf stirring or tea leaf floating, it was possible to produce crude tea with emphasis on sweetness.

  In addition, although the tea-tea oven which concerns on this invention is used in order to dry a tea leaf, it can be utilized also as a dryer which heat-drys a wet flaky to-be-dried material continuously. Even if a large number of objects to be dried overlap each other, each object to be dried is easily exposed to hot air because it has a stirring means. Compared to dryers that are simply transported by a belt conveyor and exposed to hot air for drying, the drying process is accelerated and the amount of material to be dried per unit time increases, resulting in improved production efficiency and reduced production costs. Will help.

  In addition, in this specification, rough tea, cocoon, and other medium teas that are dried without going through the brewing process are made with “boiled tea aracha”, and dried teas made through the brewing process are made with “boiled tea”. It is called “Aracha” and distinguishes between the different manufacturing processes. Since all the rough teas are common in that they are rough teas with a sweet and savory flavor by being dried by the straw tea furnace 10 of the first to sixth embodiments according to the present invention, Matters common to both tea and brewed tea are not simply distinguished as “raw tea”.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Tea ceremony furnace, 11 ... Combustion type hot air heating furnace, 111 ... Burner, 12 ... Hot air induction pipe, 121 ... Hot air inlet, 122 ... Hot air introduction valve, 13 ... Drying chamber, 13U ... Upper part, 13L ... Lower part, 131 ... Ceiling , 132 ... exhaust port, 133 ... exhaust fan, 134 ... exhaust valve, 135 ... exhaust control unit, 136 ... partition plate, 136a ... vent, 14 ... belt conveyor, 14T ... upper conveyor, 14M ... middle conveyor, 14B ... Lower conveyor, 141 ... belt, 15 ... stirring means, 152 ... blower, 153 ... stirrer, 161 ... (upper side) auxiliary heater, 162 ... (lower side) auxiliary heater, 17 ... anti-scattering conveyor, 18 ... temperature controller, T ... Tea leaves.

Claims (12)

A drying chamber filled with hot air,
A belt conveyor that is arranged in at least one stage in the drying chamber and conveys tea leaves with a net-like belt;
A hot air generator for generating hot air from below the belt conveyor in the drying chamber;
A tea-tea furnace, comprising: a stirring means that lifts and stirs the tea leaves that are arranged at intervals in the transport direction of the lowermost lower conveyor among the belt conveyors and that floats from the lower conveyor. The hot air generator is
A combustion-type hot air generating furnace that generates hot air by heating air with a burner, a plurality of hot air ports that are installed at a position lower than the lower conveyor in the drying chamber and distribute the hot air, and a hot air introduction valve that adjusts each flow rate The hot-tea furnace according to claim 1, further comprising a hot-air induction pipe having the hot-air induction pipe. The hot air generator includes a plurality of blowers that suck in the hot air in the drying chamber and blow out upward from below the belt conveyor,
The tea-tea furnace according to claim 1, wherein the agitation unit includes a plurality of the blowers. The stirring means is at least one of the hot air outlet and a blower that sucks hot air in the drying chamber and blows it upward, and blows the hot air from under the lower conveyor to pass tea leaves passing through the upper section. The tea ceremony furnace according to claim 2, which is suspended from a conveyor. The tea blower according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the blower is an auxiliary burner having a heat source. 2. The tea-tea furnace according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the agitating means are arranged at an upper part of the lower conveyor and are agitators that rotate the tea leaves from above the lower conveyor by rotating. 3. The tea tea according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an auxiliary heater that is installed at least above the lower conveyor and irradiates infrared rays or far infrared rays toward the lower conveyor. Furnace. An exhaust port provided in the ceiling of the drying chamber;
An exhaust fan installed at the exhaust port and exhausting the air inside the drying chamber;
An exhaust valve for adjusting the opening of the exhaust port;
An exhaust controller that detects the temperature and humidity inside the drying chamber and controls at least one of the exhaust fan and the exhaust valve to adjust the exhaust flow rate;
A temperature controller for measuring the temperature in the drying chamber and adjusting the output of the hot air generator;
The temperature regulator and the exhaust control unit are controlled in cooperation so that the temperature and humidity distribution in the drying chamber are set, and the belt is set so that the tea leaf conveyance speed becomes the set speed. The tea ceremony furnace according to claim 1, further comprising an integrated control device that controls driving of the conveyor. The belt conveyor includes at least the lower conveyor, an upper conveyor disposed immediately below the ceiling of the drying chamber, and an intermediate conveyor disposed between the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor,
The drying chamber is divided into an upper part and a lower part by a partition plate having a plurality of vent holes, and the upper conveyor and the middle conveyor are arranged in the upper part, and the hot air generating device, the lower conveyor and the agitation means are provided. It is arrange | positioned at the lower part, The tea ceremony furnace described in any one of Claims 1-8 characterized by the above-mentioned. A method for producing crude tea using the tea ceremony furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The steamed tea leaves are transported in the drying chamber by the lower conveyor,
A method for producing crude tea, characterized in that the tea leaves being transported by the lower conveyor are floated and stirred by the stirring means. The tea leaf placed on the lower conveyor is a tea leaf in the middle of production containing 60% to 10% of water after passing through at least one of coarse koji, cocoon twisting, and middle koji. Item 10. A method for producing crude tea according to Item 10.   A crude tea produced by the crude tea production method according to claim 10 or 11.

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