JPH11221153A - Method and device for extracting tea drink - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To offer a method and device for extracting tea drink of high pureness and high quality by preventing the tea leaves as crude material from being turned into fine powder in the automatic transporting process, ensuring uniform extraction even in case multiple sorts of tea leaves are used as material to be extracted, and preventing extraction of unnecessary components without causing clogging when the extracted liquid is being drained. SOLUTION: This device for extracting tea drink is equipped with a motor 6 to rotate a vertical shaft 2 which is installed in the center of an extracting tank 1 and is capable of rotating and also elevating and sinking and a control board 7 which controls a motor-equipped jack 8 for driving the elevating/sinking motions. The control board 7 gives control signals to the inverter motor 6 and action jack 8 in compliance with the control data entered previously and the liquid level in the tank 1 fed from a liquid level sensor 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention makes it possible to extract a wide variety of extracted beverage liquids, such as coffee, black tea, oolong tea, barley tea, sencha, gyokuro, and various kinds of mixed teas, from raw materials such as coffee beans and tea leaves. The present invention relates to a multifunctional extraction device, especially a tea beverage extraction device and an extraction method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various types of apparatuses for extracting beverages such as coffee and tea from extraction raw materials such as ground coffee beans and tea leaves have been known. An extraction device corresponding to the above was required.

For example, a drip extraction method using a cylindrical filter extractor is mainly used for extracting coffee, while a soaking method using a kneader extractor is generally used for extracting tea leaves. To produce many different beverages, a wide variety of brewing equipment had to be installed in the factory.

Accordingly, the applicant has developed a multi-function extraction device that can be used for both coffee extraction and tea-based beverage extraction with one extraction device, and disclosed it in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 30222517. Has a drip extraction,
It is necessary to use immersion extraction properly for extracting tea-based beverages, and found that the latter immersion extraction has the following problems.

[0005] In the automatic conveyance process for supplying the raw tea leaves, the tea leaves are liable to be pulverized. When the fine powders are mixed in, the extract becomes turbid, so that a clear product drink cannot be obtained. This has caused problems such as instability of product quality due to stagnation of the extraction liquid discharge and poor cleaning of the filtration net.

[0006] Multi-mixed tea leaves (for example, 16 mixed tea leaves)
When the raw material is put into an extraction tank as an extraction raw material, it first floats on the surface of the molten metal and starts sedimentation sequentially and is immersed. Without this, the immersion speed changed and it was difficult to perform uniform extraction.

When the extract is discharged, tea leaves accumulate on the entire surface of the filter net and become clogged. If the discharge is allowed to take place naturally, it takes a long time to discharge, and the amount of the residue containing residual liquid increases. Unnecessary components are extracted from the layer, causing not only deterioration of the quality of the product, but also a problem that an excessive load is applied to the filtration network and the life thereof is shortened.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has been made.
Prevents pulverization in the automatic transport process of raw tea leaves, enables uniform extraction even when using tea leaves with a variety of blends as extraction raw materials, and extracts unnecessary components without becoming clogged when the extract is discharged. An object of the present invention is to provide an extraction device and a method for extracting the same, which can prevent the production of a high-quality tea leaf-based beverage which can be prevented and refined.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the invention according to claims 1 and 2 has a lower lid 1a which can be freely opened and closed at the bottom and a ceiling. A stirring blade 3 and a spray pipe 4 are attached to a vertical rotating shaft 2 rotatably and vertically movable supported at the center of a cylindrical extraction tank 1 having a raw material inlet 1b, and a spray for initial hot water supply is provided on a ceiling. In addition to providing the ball 5,
A control panel 7 for controlling an inverter motor 6 for rotating the rotary shaft 2 and a jack 8 with a geared motor for raising and lowering the drive is provided. The control panel 7 receives control data input in advance and input from a liquid level sensor 9. The present invention is directed to a tea-based beverage extraction device, which outputs a control signal to the inverter motor 6 and the jack 8 with a geared motor according to the liquid level in the extraction tank 1 to be produced.

According to the third, fourth and fifth aspects of the present invention, the lower part of the raw material supply tank 10 is provided with a vortex suction type transfer pipe 13 through a rotary feeder 11 and a rotary valve 12.
, An air inlet 14 is provided at one end of the transfer pipe 13, the other end is tangentially connected to the side wall of the cyclone separator 15, and the lower outlet of the cyclone separator 15 is connected via a measuring hopper 16. A suction blower 19 is connected to the material inlet 1b through the suction pipe 17 and the bag filter 18 at the upper end suction port.
And a tea-based beverage extraction device according to any one of claims 1 and 2, further comprising a raw material transfer / supply device connected thereto.

Further, the invention of claim 6 relates to a method for extracting a tea-based beverage by the above-mentioned apparatus, wherein hot water heated to a predetermined temperature is initially supplied to a predetermined level WL in the extraction tank 1, and A predetermined amount of the extracted raw tea leaves mixed and adjusted to a predetermined mixing ratio is put into the extraction tank 1,
Next, at the predetermined level WL where the initial hot water is supplied, the stirring blade 3 is rotated in the horizontal direction to perform initial stirring, and the raw tea leaves floating near the surface of the hot water are immersed in hot water and immersed. , The immersion extraction and agitation is performed to extract the active ingredient from the tea leaves, and then the extract is discharged from the extraction hole 1d of the lower lid 1a of the extraction tank 1 while swirling in one direction. The gist of the present invention is a method for extracting a tea beverage.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the extraction device, showing a state at the start of operation, and FIG. 2 similarly shows a state in which the liquid level is slightly lowered during the extraction liquid discharging process. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure for transferring and supplying the raw tea leaves, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a procedure for removing and carrying out the extracted cake.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a cylindrical extraction tank having a lower lid 1a which can be opened and closed at the bottom and a raw material inlet 1 at the upper part.
b and can be sealed. A filtration net 1c is stretched on the upper surface of the lower lid 1a, and an extraction hole 1d is provided at the center of the bottom. The above is well known.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a vertical rotation shaft supported at the center of the extraction tank 1 so as to be rotatable and vertically movable. A lower end of the vertical rotation shaft is provided with a stirring blade 3 in a horizontal direction. A drip hot water supply spray pipe 4 is also mounted horizontally in the same manner. Reference numeral 5 denotes a spray ball provided on the ceiling of the extraction tank 1 so that hot water can be initially supplied into the tank.

Reference numeral 6 denotes an inverter motor for driving the rotary shaft 2 to rotate. The frequency of the inverter changes according to a signal command from the control panel 7, and the rotation direction and the number of rotations are controlled. The rotating shaft 2 is rotatably supported by a lower end of a screw shaft 8a described later.

Numeral 8 denotes a jack with a geared motor for driving the rotary shaft 2 up and down, which drives the drive nut to raise and lower the screw shaft 8a, and has a built-in rotary encoder with a pulse transmitter. Panel 7
The pulse signal is fed back to the control panel 7 from the pulse transmitter in accordance with the lifting stroke detected by the rotary encoder, and is stopped at a predetermined position. It has become.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a liquid level sensor, which continuously detects the liquid level in the tank 1 by detecting a change in water pressure, and sends a liquid level signal to the control panel 7 by an analog signal. .

The control panel 7 is provided for each type (green tea, compounded tea leaves, et
c.) Each software has a data area that stores the optimal operation data such as the position, rotation speed, rotation direction, operation cycle, and water level of the stirring blade on the software.
The control signal command is automatically transmitted.

The procedure for transferring and supplying the raw tea leaves will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 10 denotes a raw material supply tank, which is a predetermined compounded tea leaf, for example, barley, green tea, barley, brown rice, soybean,
Contains a variety of mixed tea leaves made by mixing various kinds of extracted raw materials such as hub tea, oolong tea, kelp, wormwood, reishi, wolfberry, kuma bamboo, persimmon leaf, shiitake mushroom, citrus peel and mandarin peel at a predetermined ratio. ing.

A lower portion of the raw material supply tank 10 is connected to a vortex suction type transfer pipe 13 via a rotary feeder 11 and a rotary valve 12. Numeral 14 denotes a secondary air inlet for transfer, which is shaped like a divergent funnel.

The end of the transfer pipe 13 is tangentially connected to the side wall of the cyclone separator 15, and the lower outlet of the cyclone separator 15 has a weighing hopper 16 on the raw material inlet 1b.
The upper end suction port is connected to a suction blower 19 via a suction pipe 17 and a bag filter 18, respectively.

When the rotary feeder 11 and the rotary valve 12 are opened and the suction blower 19 is driven, the mixed tea leaves in the supply tank 10 flow while being carried by the vortex taken in from the air inlet 14, and the cyclone flows from the transfer pipe 13. It flows tangentially into the separator 15. The air flowing into the transfer pipe 13 from the air inlet 14 is taken in from the funnel-shaped air inlet 14 by suction, not by pumping. Therefore, the air flows into the transfer pipe 13 as a vortex, and the tea leaves are swirled. It is carried while being carried by the airflow.

Gas-solid separation is performed in the cyclone separator 15, the tea leaves fall into the lower weighing hopper 16, and the transfer air containing some fine powder flows into the bag filter 18 through the suction pipe 17 to remove the fine powder. Then, only the clean air is discharged from the suction blower 19 into the room.

As described above, the transfer of the tea leaves is carried out by pneumatic transportation, but is carried out by suction, not by pumping, and is carried by a vortex, so that the chance of collision is small, and the pulverization of the tea leaves is minimized. Can be suppressed. Also, even if fine powder is generated, the fine powder is sucked together with the transfer air and the bag filter 1
8 and can be reused as powdered tea, and since only the clean air is released from the suction blower 19, the working environment is not polluted.

The procedure for transferring and supplying the raw tea leaves is as described above. Next, the extraction method will be described.

Hot water supply A predetermined amount (usually, about 30 times that of tea leaves) of treated water adjusted by a flow control valve is heated to a set temperature (usually, about 90 ° C.) by a plate heater and extracted. Initially, hot water is supplied from the spray ball 5 provided in the upper part of the tank 1 to the set hot water level WL in the tank. At this time, the stirring blade 3 stands by at a height position substantially equal to the molten metal level WL.

Raw tea leaves supply The raw tea leaves mixed in a predetermined mixing ratio and stored in the supply tank 10 are transferred to the weighing hopper 16 in the above-described manner. WL
Is sensed, a predetermined metered amount is charged into the extraction tank 1 from the raw material charging port 1b according to a command from the control panel 7, and at the same time, the stirring blades 3 waiting at the set molten metal level WL are set. Starts to rotate.

Start of immersion of tea leaves (initial stirring) The tea leaves put into the extraction tank 1 float on the surface of the molten metal at first, but the motor 6 is activated by a command from the control panel 7 and stands by at the set molten metal level WL. Since the stirring blade 3 starts rotating, the rotation shaft 2 is set to a predetermined rotation speed, and the rotation is intermittently stirred for a predetermined time by forward rotation or reverse rotation, and thereafter, a cycle of stopping for a predetermined time is repeated. The tea leaves are immersed in hot water and settled and immersed in a short period of time so that they can be said immediately.

Example of Initial Stirring In the case of multi-mixed tea leaves, the floating time, the sedimentation speed, etc., differ depending on the type of raw material. As an example, it sinks below the surface of the molten metal by one cycle operation at a rotation speed of 25 rpm, a normal rotation stirring time of 90 seconds and a stop time of 150 seconds, and the initial stirring is completed.

Immersion Stirring Extraction (Extraction Stirring) When the initial stirring is completed, the jack 8 with a geared motor operates according to a command from the control panel 7 to lower the stirring blade 3 to a predetermined stirring level SL, and extract at the position SL. Agitation is performed, and the active ingredient is extracted from the tea leaves. In this case, the rotating shaft 2 is set to a predetermined number of revolutions, intermittently agitated for a predetermined time in a forward or reverse rotation, and then repeated an operation cycle of stopping for a predetermined time, thereby increasing the immersion extraction efficiency and extracting in a short time. Work can be completed.

Example of Extraction and Stirring There is a difference in the extraction time depending on the properties of the raw tea leaves, so the data is checked in advance and the optimal rotation speed, rotation method, and operation cycle are set. Extraction and stirring are completed by three cycles of operation with a forward rotation time of 10 seconds and a stop time of 110 seconds.

Draining of Stirring Liquid of Extraction Liquid (Draining of Swirling Liquid) After the immersion stirring and extraction, the extraction hole 1d at the bottom center of the lower lid 1a is fully opened to start draining the extraction liquid and the liquid level sensor 9
The agitating blade 3 is swirled in one direction while descending the position of the agitating blade 3 following the liquid level lowering signal sent from the controller.

As described above, when the liquid is drained while the swirling flow is generated in the tank 1, since the swirling speed of the liquid is small in the central portion and large in the peripheral portion, the tea leaves are accumulated in a tornado shape in the central portion. However, as shown in FIG. 2, the filter net 1c is piled up at the center of the filter net 1c and is not deposited at the periphery. Therefore, the tea leaves do not accumulate on the entire surface of the filtration network and become clogged, and the extract is smoothly discharged from the periphery of the filtration network 1c where no tea leaves are accumulated, and the drainage operation can be performed in a short time. Can be completed.

An example of the swirling liquid drainage The reason why the tea leaves gather in a tornado shape in the center and accumulate in a mountain shape is not always clear, but as a result of several experiments, this phenomenon was confirmed. In order to promote this phenomenon, it is preferable that the filter net 1c be stretched horizontally. In the case of the mixed tea leaves, the liquid was drained while generating a swirling flow at a rotation speed of 20 rpm and forward rotation stirring, and after the liquid level became equal to or lower than the lower limit position of the stirring blade 3, the liquid was swollen only by the inertial swirling flow. Drain and complete draining at a liquid level of 150 mm.

After the drainage is completed, it is conventionally known that the lower lid 1a of the extraction tank 1 is opened, and the extracted residue deposited on the filtration net 1c is removed, washed and prepared for the next extraction operation. FIG. 4 shows the outline and the description is omitted. In addition,
In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes tea leaves which have become extracted cake, 21 denotes a conveyor,
Reference numeral 22 denotes a cake receiving tank.

[0036]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the control data previously input to the control panel 7 and the extraction input from the liquid level sensor 9 are provided. According to the liquid level in the tank 1, a control signal can be output to the inverter motor 6 for rotary drive of the rotary shaft 2 and the jack 8 with the geared motor for vertical drive, so that optimum control data can be output according to the properties of the raw tea leaves. By inputting, even when using tea leaves of various varieties as an extraction raw material, uniform extraction is possible, and unnecessary components can be prevented from being extracted without being clogged when the extract is discharged. A high quality tea-based beverage can be manufactured.

Further, according to the third, fourth and fifth aspects of the present invention, the transfer of the tea leaves is carried out by pneumatic transportation. And tea leaves are minimized. Even if fine powder is generated, the fine powder is separated from the tea leaves by the cyclone separator 15 and is not mixed with the extraction raw material, so that the product extract does not become turbid and a high-quality tea beverage with high clarity is produced. Can be. The fine powder sucked together with the transfer air is collected by the bag filter 19, and only the clean air is released from the suction blower 19, so that the working environment is not polluted.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the raw tea leaves floating near the surface of the hot water can be quickly settled and immersed by the initial hot water supply and the initial stirring after the raw material is charged.
By immersion extraction and agitation, the extraction of active ingredients from tea leaves is promoted, and then the extract is swirled in one direction and discharged to prevent extraction of unnecessary components without being clogged at the time of discharge. Thus, a high-quality tea-based beverage can be produced in a short period of time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an extraction device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state at the beginning of operation.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the liquid level is slightly lowered during the process of discharging the extract.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure for transferring and supplying raw tea leaves.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a procedure for removing and carrying out extracted cake.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Extraction tank 1a Lower lid 1b Material input port 1c Filtration net 1d Extraction port 2 Rotary shaft 3 Stirrer blade 4 Spray pipe 5 Spray ball 6 Inverter motor 7 Control panel 8 Jack with geared motor 9 Liquid level sensor 10 Material supply tank 11 Rotary feeder 12 Rotary Valve 13 Transfer Pipe 14 Air Inlet 15 Cyclone Separator 16 Weighing Hopper 17 Suction Pipe 18 Bag Filter 19 Suction Blower 20 Tea Leaves as Extracted Dust 21 Extracted Dust Transport Conveyor 22 Dust Receiving Tank

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Nobuhiro Kai Kai 32-1-1-06 Wakaguri Shin, Irizen-cho, Shimoshinagawa-gun, Toyama Prefecture Inside the Hokuriku Plant of Asahi Beverage Co., Ltd. 33 Asahi Beverage Co., Ltd. Akashi Plant (72) Inventor Shunji Besso 552-1 Midoricho Hirota, Mihara-gun, Hyogo Prefecture Izumi Food Machinery Awaji Plant (72) Inventor Kazu Takahashi 6-6-8 Nishitenma Kita-ku, Osaka-shi Izumi Food Machinery Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A vertically rotating shaft 2 rotatably and vertically movable supported at the center of a cylindrical extraction tank 1 having an openable and closable lower lid 1a at a bottom and a raw material inlet 1b at a ceiling. And a control panel 7 for attaching a spray pipe 4 and providing a spray ball 5 for initial hot water supply on the ceiling, and controlling an inverter motor 6 for rotating the rotary shaft 2 and a jack 8 with a geared motor for raising and lowering. The control panel 7 outputs a control signal to the inverter motor 6 and the jack 8 with a geared motor according to control data input in advance and the liquid level in the extraction tank 1 input from the liquid level sensor 9. Characterized tea-based beverage extraction device. 2. A filter net 1 is provided horizontally on the upper surface of the lower lid 1a.
2. The tea-based beverage extraction device according to claim 1, wherein c is stretched, and an extraction hole 1d is provided in the center of the bottom. 3. A lower portion of the raw material supply tank 10 is connected to a vortex suction type transfer pipe 13, an air inlet 14 is provided at one end of the transfer pipe 13, and a cyclone separator 15 is provided at the other end.
Tangentially connected to the side wall of the raw material inlet 1b through the measuring hopper 16 at the lower end outlet of the cyclone separator 15.
3. The tea-based beverage extraction device according to claim 1, further comprising a raw material transfer / supply device having an upper end suction port connected to a suction blower 19 via a suction pipe 17 and a bag filter 18. 4. The tea-based beverage extracting device according to claim 3, wherein a lower portion of the raw material supply tank is connected to a vortex suction type transfer pipe via a rotary feeder and a rotary valve. 5. The tea-based beverage extraction device according to claim 3, wherein the shape of the air intake 14 is in the form of a divergent funnel. 6. Hot water heated to a predetermined temperature is initially supplied to a predetermined level WL in the extraction tank 1, and a predetermined amount of tea leaves to be extracted and mixed in a predetermined mixing ratio is poured into the extraction tank 1. Then, at the predetermined level WL at which the initial hot water is supplied, the stirring blade 3 is rotated in the horizontal direction to perform initial stirring, and the raw tea leaves floating near the surface of the hot water are immersed in hot water and immersed therein. Is lowered to a predetermined agitation level SL to perform immersion extraction and agitation to extract the active ingredient from the tea leaves, and then to discharge the extract from the extraction hole 1d of the lower lid 1a of the extraction tank 1 while swirling in one direction. A method for extracting a tea-based beverage using the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.