JPH0796207A - Device and method for grinding tea leaf - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a grinding device for tea leaves in which tea leaves are prevented from being browned and an essential oil component are prevented from being vaporized at the time of grinding tea leaves and a return device and a return process are obviated. CONSTITUTION:A grinding device for tea leaves is equipped with a grinding chamber 2 having a supply port 2A for supplying dried tea leaves, a rotary shaft 6 provided in the grinding chamber 2, a pair of impellers 14, 15 fitted in a specific interval toward the longitudinal direction for the rotary shaft 6, pins 21 which are projected toward the interval of the impellers 14, 15 from the inner wall of the grinding chamber 2 and arranged and a recovery port 33 communicated with the grinding chamber 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tea leaf crushing apparatus and a crushing method used for producing edible tea and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, dried tea leaves are crushed into powder and the fine powder is directly eaten. This is because various vitamins, minerals and the like contained in tea leaves can be efficiently absorbed as compared with the case of leaching with hot water and drinking. There are the following methods for obtaining such tea powder.

Grinding with a mortar Dried tea leaves are put into a cutting machine having a sieving net and a pushing frame and cut into a size of about 3 to 5 mm, which are rubbed with a stone mill to rub the stone mill and the tea leaves. 50
Grind to about μm.

Freezing and crushing: Tea leaves are put into a crushing chamber set at a temperature of about -20 to -30 degrees, and the tea leaves are crushed by a cutting blade.

[0005]

When the above method is adopted, the heat generated during the friction between the stone mortar and the tea leaves is 100 ° C.
Because of the above, there is a problem that tea leaves are burnt and discolored or discolored, or the essential oil component contained in the tea leaves is evaporated by frictional heat to impair the aroma.

The above method does not cause a problem for crushing tea leaves at a low temperature, but requires a returning device and a returning step for returning the frozen tea powder to the original state, which causes an increase in manufacturing cost. There was a problem.

The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to prevent burning of tea leaves and evaporation of essential oil components when crushing tea leaves, and crushing tea leaves that do not require a returning device or a returning process. An object is to provide an apparatus and a crushing method.

[0008]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a crushing chamber having a supply port for supplying dried tea leaves, and the crushing process for generating an air flow in the air in the crushing chamber. It has an air flow generating means provided in the vicinity of the chamber and a recovery port communicating with the crushing chamber.

Further, according to the present invention, a crushing chamber having a supply port for supplying dried tea leaves, a rotary shaft arranged in the crushing chamber, and a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction with respect to the rotary shaft. A pair of attached impellers, a pin protrudingly arranged from the inner wall of the crushing chamber between the pair of impellers,
And a recovery port communicating with the crushing chamber.

Further, according to the present invention, the dried tea leaves are supplied into the crushing chamber, and an airflow is generated in the air in the crushing chamber to give an accelerating force to the tea leaves. This produces a fine powder.

[0011]

According to the present invention, the tea leaves supplied from the supply port into the crushing chamber are given an accelerating force by the airflow generated by the airflow generating means, and the accelerating force causes friction when the tea leaves collide with each other to produce a fine powder of tea. To generate. The frictional heat is absorbed and relaxed by the moisture contained in both colliding tea leaves. The fine powder of tea is recovered from the recovery port.

Further, according to the present invention, the rotating shaft rotates to generate an air flow between the pair of impellers, and the air flow collides with the pin to become a turbulent air flow. The turbulent airflow gives an acceleration force to the tea leaves, and the fine powder of tea is generated by the friction when the tea leaves collide with each other. However, the turbulent airflow makes the tea leaves more likely to collide with each other.

Further, according to the present invention, when dried tea leaves are supplied into the crushing chamber, an accelerating force is applied to the tea leaves by the air flow in the crushing chamber, and the tea leaves are rubbed by friction when the accelerated tea leaves collide with each other. A fine powder is produced.

[0014]

【Example】

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view showing an embodiment of a tea leaf crushing apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a hollow apparatus main body made of metal or the like. Inside the main body 1, a crushing chamber 2 and a first passage 3 communicating with the crushing chamber 2 are provided. Although not shown in particular, in the apparatus body 1, the cross-sectional shape of the wall forming the crushing chamber 2 and the first passage 3 is substantially circular, and the inner diameter of the crushing chamber 2 is set larger than the inner diameter of the first passage 3. There is.

A hopper (not shown) is provided above the crushing chamber 2, and the hopper communicates with the crushing chamber 2 via a supply port 2A.

The apparatus body 1 is provided with shaft holes 4 and 5 which communicate the outside of the apparatus body 2 with the crushing chamber 2 and the first passage 3, respectively. The shaft holes 4 and 5 are located concentrically, and the rotary shaft 6 is arranged substantially horizontally across the shaft hole 4, the crushing chamber 2, the first passage 3, and the shaft hole 5.

The rotary shaft 6 is held by the outer end surfaces of the shaft holes 4 and 5 and a bearing 7 provided outside the apparatus main body 1, and a pulley 8 is fixed to an exposed portion on the shaft hole 5 side.

A first motor 9 is provided outside the apparatus main body 1, and a pulley 11 at the tip of a drive shaft 10 of the first motor 9 is provided.
An endless belt 12 is hung between the pulley 8 and the pulley 8.

A sealing member 13 such as an O-ring or an oil seal is attached to the surface of the apparatus body 1 where the shaft holes 4 and 5 are formed, and the crushing chamber 21, the first passage 3 and the outside of the apparatus body 1 are hermetically sealed. It secures sex.

At the position of the rotary shaft 6 corresponding to the crushing chamber 2,
A pair of impellers, for example a first impeller 14 and a second impeller 1.
5 and 5 are fixed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction.

The first impeller 14 includes a supply port 2A and a first passage 3
And the second impeller 15 is located between the first impeller 14 and the first passage 3.

FIG. 2A is a side view of the first impeller 14. The first impeller 14 has a plurality of blades 17 integrally provided on the outer periphery of an annular boss portion 16 along the circumferential direction. is there.

FIG. 2B is a side view of the second impeller 15. The second impeller 15 has a plurality of blades 19 integrally provided on the outer circumference of an annular boss portion 18 along the circumferential direction. is there. The diameter A of the boss portion 18 of the second impeller 15 is set smaller than the diameter B of the boss portion 16 of the first impeller 14.

The inner wall of the apparatus main body 1, that is, the first impeller 14
A plurality of pins 21 are arranged so as to project along the circumferential direction at a position corresponding to the outside between the second impeller 15 and the second impeller 15. Each of the plurality of pins 21 has a protrusion amount such that its tip reaches between the first impeller 14 and the second impeller 15.

A suction chamber 21 is provided inside the apparatus main body 1, and the suction chamber 21 communicates with the first passage 3 via a second passage 22.

The apparatus main body 1 is provided with a shaft hole 23 facing the suction chamber 21 and substantially orthogonal to the axis of the rotary shaft 6, and the shaft hole 23
A rod 24 having a length extending from the suction chamber 21 to the outside of the apparatus main body 1 is rotatably arranged in the.

A plurality of blades 25 are attached to the end of the rod 24 on the suction chamber 21 side, and a pulley 26 is fixed to the outer end of the apparatus main body 1 side. Device body 1
The second motor 27 is provided outside the
An endless belt 30 is hung on the pulley 29 and the pulley 26 at the end of the 0 drive shaft 28.

A bearing 31 is provided on the outer end surface of the shaft hole 23 of the apparatus main body 1, and the bearing 24 holds the rod 24. A sealing member 32 such as an O-ring or an oil seal is attached to the surface of the apparatus body 1 where the shaft hole 23 is formed.
The airtightness of the suction chamber 21 is ensured. Incidentally, 33 is a recovery port communicating with the suction chamber 21.

A method of crushing tea leaves with the crushing device having the above-described structure will be described.

First, the first motor 9 and the second motor 27 are driven to rotate the rotary shaft 6 and the rod 24. At this time, the rotary shaft 6 rotates at about 5300 to 5600 rpm.

Next, dried tea leaves (not shown) are supplied to a hopper (not shown). Tea leaves are Tencha, Hojicha,
Sencha, gyokuro, kabusecha, etc. may be supplied in an uncut state, or may be cut into a few mm in advance and then supplied.

The supplied tea leaves pass through the supply port 2A to reach the crushing chamber 2, and are passed between the blades 17 by the suction force generated by the rotation of the rod 24 of the suction chamber 21, and the first impeller 14 and It reaches between the second impeller 15.

On the other hand, an air flow of air is generated between the first impeller 14 and the second impeller 15 along the direction of rotation of the rotary shaft 6, and this air flow moves outward due to centrifugal force and is pinned. Two
1 and turbulence is generated.

Therefore, the first impeller 14 and the second impeller 1
A turbulent air flow imparts an accelerating force to the tea leaves reaching the outer peripheral side between 5 and so-called grinding, that is, fine powder of tea is generated by friction when the tea leaves collide with each other. Then, because of the turbulent air flow, the tea leaves are more likely to collide with each other, and the crushing efficiency is improved.

As the fine powder thus produced is made lighter in weight, the suction force on the suction chamber 21 side is stronger than the centrifugal force, so that
After being moved to the inner peripheral side by the suction force, it is passed between the blades 19 and through the first passage 3 and the second passage 21 to reach the suction chamber 21, and is recovered from the recovery port 33.

In the present embodiment, the frictional heat is absorbed and relaxed by the water contained in both the colliding tea leaves, so that the temperature rise in the crushing chamber 2 can be suppressed to about 60 to 70 ° C., and the fine powder produced. No scorch occurs, the original color can be maintained, and the essential oil contained remains and retains its aroma. In addition, since it is not frozen as in the conventional case, a returning device and a returning process are unnecessary, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

Further, since the fine powder in this embodiment is produced by grinding, it has no corners and is close to a sphere, and has a finer diameter of 1 to 20 μm than the conventional one (about 50 μm).
Since it can be crushed to a certain extent, it does not remain in the mouth when eaten directly, and it is easy to eat with a clean throat.

The drive source for rotating the rotary shaft 6 and the rod 24 is composed of a single motor, and this motor is driven by a rotary shaft, a belt, a gear, a power transmission mechanism such as a clutch, and a speed change mechanism. , The rods 24 may be individually connected, and the rotation speeds of the rotary shafts 6 and the rods 24 may be separately controlled by the switching operation of the above-described mechanism, or control for individually stopping and driving may be performed. If a single drive source is used, the structure of the device can be simplified.

(Second Embodiment) An annular crushing chamber is provided, and an air flow generating means facing the crushing chamber, for example, a jet nozzle is provided, and high-pressure gas and compressed air are jetted from the jet nozzle to jet into the crush chamber. Even if an airflow is generated and the jet airflow accelerates the tea leaves to produce fine powder, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0040]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the present invention is provided in the vicinity of the crushing chamber having a supply port for supplying dried tea leaves and the crushing chamber for generating an air flow in the air in the crushing chamber. It has an air flow generating means and a recovery port communicating with the crushing chamber.

Therefore, the tea leaves supplied into the crushing chamber are
An accelerating force is applied by the air flow generated by the air flow generating means, and the accelerating force produces fine powder of tea by friction when the tea leaves collide with each other. The fine powder of tea is recovered from the recovery port.

Since the frictional heat is absorbed and relaxed by the moisture contained in both the collided tea leaves, the temperature rise in the crushing chamber can be suppressed, and the fine powder produced does not burn and the original color is obtained. The essential oil contained can be maintained and the aroma can be maintained. In addition, since it is not frozen as in the conventional case, a returning device and a returning process are unnecessary, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

Further, according to the present invention, a crushing chamber having a supply port for supplying dried tea leaves, a rotary shaft arranged in the crushing chamber, and a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction with respect to the rotary shaft. A pair of attached impellers, a pin protrudingly arranged from the inner wall of the crushing chamber between the pair of impellers,
And a recovery port communicating with the crushing chamber.

Therefore, the rotary shaft rotates and an air flow is generated between the pair of impellers, and this air flow collides with the pin and becomes a turbulent air flow. The tea leaves supplied to the crushing chamber are given an accelerating force by the turbulent airflow, and the fine powder of tea is generated due to the friction when the tea leaves collide with each other, but the turbulent airflow makes the tea leaves more likely to collide with each other and the pulverization efficiency is improved.

Since the frictional heat is absorbed and relaxed by the moisture contained in both the collided tea leaves, the temperature rise in the crushing chamber can be suppressed, and the fine powder produced does not burn and the original color is obtained. The essential oil contained can be maintained and the aroma can be maintained. In addition, since it is not frozen as in the conventional case, a returning device and a returning process are unnecessary, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

Further, according to the present invention, when dried tea leaves are supplied into the crushing chamber, the airflow of the air in the crushing chamber gives an accelerating force to the tea leaves, and the tea leaves are rubbed by friction when the accelerated tea leaves collide with each other. A fine powder is produced.

Therefore, the frictional heat is absorbed and relaxed by the moisture contained in the collided tea leaves, so that the temperature rise in the crushing chamber can be suppressed, the fine powder produced does not burn, and the original color The essential oil contained therein can be maintained and the aroma can be maintained. In addition, since it is not frozen as in the conventional case, a returning device and a returning process are unnecessary, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view of a crushing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a side view of the first impeller of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the second impeller of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Grinding chamber 2A Supply port 6 Rotating shaft 14 First impeller 15 Second impeller 21 Pin 33 Recovery port

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A crushing chamber having a supply port for supplying dried tea leaves, an air flow generating means provided near the crushing chamber for generating an air flow in the air in the crushing chamber, and the crushing chamber. A tea leaf crushing device having a recovery port communicating with the. 2. A crushing chamber having a supply port for supplying dried tea leaves, a rotary shaft arranged in the crushing chamber, and a pair attached to the rotary shaft at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction thereof. The impeller of claim 1, a pin protruding from the inner wall of the crushing chamber between the pair of impellers, and a recovery port communicating with the crushing chamber. 3. The dried tea leaves are supplied into the crushing chamber, and an air flow is generated in the air in the crushing chamber to give an accelerating force to the tea leaves. The accelerated friction between the tea leaves produces a fine powder of tea. A method for pulverizing tea leaves, which comprises producing the tea leaves.