BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:

Tea is an aromatic beverage commonly prepared by pouring boiling hot water over cured leaves of Camellia sinensis plant which is mainly found in the tropical and subtropical climates. This plant is also known as tea plant. Consumption of tea is highly beneficial to health due to its antioxidant content. Catechin is a kind of antioxidant which is present upto 30% of the dry weight of the freshly picked tea leaf, Apart from catechin, tea also contains L-theanin, caffeine, theobromine, theophylline, various types of polyphenols as well as tannin.

There are at least six varieties of tea: white, yellow, green, oolong, black, and post-fermented teas of which the most commonly found on the market are white, green, oolong, and black. A tea's type is determined by the processing which it undergoes. Leaves of Camellia sinensis soon begin to wilt and oxidize, if not dried quickly after picking. The leaves turn progressively darker as their chlorophyll breaks down and tannins are released. This enzymatic oxidation process, known as fermentation in the tea industry, is caused by the plant's intracellular enzymes and causes the tea to darken. In tea processing, the darkening is stopped at a predetermined stage by heating, which deactivates the enzymes responsible. In the production of black teas, the halting of oxidization by heating is carried out simultaneously with drying.

Tea is traditionally classified based on the techniques with which it is produced and processed.

• White tea: Wilted and unoxidized leaves of tea plant
• Yellow tea: Unwilted and unoxidized leaves of tea plant which are allowed to turn yellow
• Green tea: Unwilted and unoxidized leaves of tea plant
• Oolong: Wilted, bruised, and partially oxidized leaves of tea plant
• Black tea: Wilted, sometimes crushed, and fully oxidized leaves of tea plant
• Post-fermented tea: Green tea that has been allowed to ferment/compost

Flavored tea is typically black tea that's soaked in natural or artificial flavors. Today there are too many flavors to list. The most notable is Earl Grey, which is flavored with the oil of bergamot. Flavored green teas and herbal tisanes are also now available and are highly popular.

Vanillin is most prominent as the principal flavor and aroma compound in vanilla. Vanillin is a phenolic aldehyde, an organic compound with the molecular formula CgH803. Its functional groups include aldehyde, ether, and phenol. It is the primary component of the extract of the vanilla bean. Synthetic vanillin, instead of natural vanilla extract, is sometimes used as a flavoring agent in foods, beverages, and pharmaceuticals. Natural vanilla extract is a mixture of several hundred different compounds in addition to vanillin. Artificial vanilla flavoring is a solution of pure vanillin, usually of synthetic origin. Because of the scarcity and expense of natural vanilla extract, there has long been interest in the synthetic preparation of its predominant component. Today, artificial vanillin is made either from guaiacol or from lignin, a constituent of wood, which is a byproduct of the pulp industry.

The largest use of vanillin is as a flavoring agent, usually in sweet foods. The ice cream and chocolate industries together comprise 75% of the market for vanillin as a flavoring agent, with smaller amounts being used in confectionaries and baked goods. It is also sometimes used in perfumes, in medicines, in livestock fodder and in cleaning products. Vanillin has been used as a chemical intermediate in the production of pharmaceuticals and other fine chemicals.

US Patent 5895657 describes liquid vanillin compositions, well suited as flavoring/perfuming agents for a wide variety of applications, for example in human and animal foodstuffs, cosmetics and perfumes, comprise (a) vanillin, (b) ethylvanillin and (c) an aqueous and/or organic solvent therefor.

US Patent 659*9553 discusses dry drink mix and chocolate flavored drink made therefrom which is a dry drink mix which is rich in cocoa polyphenols such as catechin, epicatechin, and cocoa procyanidins contains a cocoa polyphenol rich cocoa powder, an alkalized cocoa powder, and a sweetener. The dry mix contains other conventional ingredients such as vanillin an emulsifier. A chocolate flavored drink can be prepared from the dry drink mix by adding milk, for example a low fat milk. The cocoa polyphenol rich cocoa powder is prepared from non-roasted cocoa beans or blends thereof having a fermentation factor of 275 less, i.e., slaty and/or purple cocoa beans. The alkalized cocoa powder is prepared from roasted cocoa beans.

US Patent 3873752 gives a process for preparing a tea flavouring agent by treating a solution of aromatic tea constituents in a water-immiscible solvent with an aqueous solution of an alkaline substance and the treated solvent solution is recovered. US Patent 6060105 discloses a preparation of a concentrated-milk-base flavoring agent which includes stabilizing salt, sugar and flavoring agent components is prepared for flavoring a beverage, particularly for flavoring a coffee or tea beverage. The composition is prepared by mixing and homogenizing a milk fat with skimmed milk to obtain a milk base, subjecting the milk base to evaporation to obtain a concentrated milk base, homogenizing the concentrated milk base, cooling the homogenized milk base, adding a stabilizing salt and sucrose in dry form, and in one embodiment, a flavorant agent is added also to the cooled milk base and then the composition is heated to sterilize it, the sterilized composition is homogenized and then is filled in a package, and in another embodiment, a flavorant composition is added aseptically to the sterilized composition before homogenizing. US Patent Application 20120219512 discloses vanillin acetals and sensory stimulant composition containing the same which relates to a sensory stimulant composition containing one or more of vanillin acetals represented by the general formula (1), and a flavor and fragrance composition, a beverage or food product, a fragrance or cosmetic product, a daily utensil product, an oral composition, or a pharmaceutical product containing the sensory stimulant composition with a warming sensation agent or cooling sensation substance, if necessary. Vanillin acetals represented by the general formula (1) show an excellent pungent and/or warming sensation effect and a cooling sensation-emphasizing effect.

WO2005053438 relates to tea beverage with improved flavor. The invention is directed to beverages with improved flavour. The beverages are not sour and have a monoprotic acidulant with a pKa of less than 2.6 and/or a polyprotic acidulant with a pKai of less than 2.6 and a pKa2 of less than 3 or greater than 6.

WO1999021432 provides flavouring materials for use in tea containing beverages which is an aqueous based tea solids containing beverage which also contains a sufficient amount of a selected substituted phehyl flavouring antimicrobial compound to prevent microbial outgrowth while simultaneously contributing to the pleasant flavour or the beverage thus making the beverage acceptable both
organoleptically and microbiologically. Optionally selected 'hurdles' or stepwise antimicrobial controls are also employed.

Patent Application 1226/MUM/2008 describes a process for preparation of a ready-to-drink tea beverage and a product obtainable therefrom comprises an aqueous acidulant constituent having pH less than 4 and an aqueous non-acidulant constituent having pH greater than 4, the aqueous non-acidulant constituent comprises a flavourant, and at least one of the constituents comprises cold-soluble tea solids. The process comprises the steps of: subjecting each of the constituents separately to pasteurization; cooling each of the constituents separately to a temperature less than 75°C; -and mixing the constituents.
The various types of inventions available in the prior art give various forms of tea as well as other beverages and various compositions of vanillin for providing flavor, fragrance etc. However, considering the popularity of both tea and vanilla flavored eatables for satisfying the taste buds, a tea having vanilla flavor is the need of the day.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION:

The main, object of the invention is to provide for a process for preparing fresh tea having vanillin flavor.
Another object of the invention is to provide for different quantities of the ingredients to be mixed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

The present invention is a process for preparing fresh tea having vanillin flavor. The method is very simple and comprises of a single step. Two different methods for preparing fresh tea with vanillin flavor have been discussed, one giving a strong flavor of vanillin in tea while the other giving a mild flavor of vanillin in tea. For preparing tea with vanillin fragrance, vanilla essence is mixed with tea powder. This satisfies the taste buds of foodies who are both tea lovers as well as who love the vanillin flavor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION:

The nature of the invention and the manner in which it is performed is clearly described in the specification. The invention has various components and they are clearly described in the detailed description.

Tea is a widely consumed beverage which can be served both hot or cold. Vanillin is an equally favorite flavor used mainly in ice-creams and chocolates throughout the world. Tea is the agricultural product of the leaves, leaf buds and internodes of Camellia sinensis plant while vanillin flavor used nowadays is synthetically produced as synthetic vanillin is more cost-effective and pure. Tea contains flavanoids as antioxidants which are highly beneficial to the human body. Tea can be a component of a healthy diet if drunk in moderation along with other flavanoid-rich plant foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Apart from the antioxidant effects, tea's benefits include attenuating the inflammatory process in atherosclerosis, reducing thrombosis, promoting normal endothelial function and blocking expression of cellular adhesion molecules.

Natural vanillin is extracted from the seed pods of Vanilla planifola, a vining orchid native to Mexico, but now grown in tropical areas around the globe. After being harvested, their flavor is developed by a months-long curing process. Vanillin accounts for about 2% of the dry weight of cured vanilla beans, and is the chief among about 200 other flavor compounds found in vanilla. However, today most vanillin is produced from the petrochemical raw material guaiacol, as natural vanillin is very costly and mixed with a number of other ingredients as well as is in limited quantity.

The present invention describes a process for preparing fresh tea with vanillin flavor. The process is very simple and involves a single step. In this step, vanillin essence is mixed with fresh tea powder. However the quantity of the vanillin essence to be mixed in fresh tea powder can be varied depending upon the concentration of vanillin flavor required. A couple of such varied concentrations of vanillin flavored tea are discussed in the following examples.

Example 1:
Vanillin Essence: 50 liters
Fresh Tea Powder: 2500 kg

In this preparation, the vanillin essence is mixed well with fresh tea powder to give a strong flavored vanillin tea concentrate.

Example 2:
Vanillin Essence: 10 liters
Fresh Tea Powder: 2500 kg

In this preparation, the vanillin essence is mixed well with fresh tea powder to give a mild flavored vanillin tea concentrate.

The flavored vanillin tea concentrate obtained in accordance with both the above mentioned examples are packed in packings of 10 gm, 25 gm, 50 gm, 250 gm, 500 gm or 1 kg as per the market requirement.
This vanillin flavored tea concentrate needs to be added to fresh tea powder in the ratio of 1:4 while preparing tea for drinking. Each 100 gm of Vanillin flavor tea concentrate packet contains upto 2% of Vanillin flavor. (Is this common to both the strong and mild vanillin concentrates? I think they may be different.)

Although the preferred embodiment as well as the method and use have been specifically described in the description and examples, it should be understood that variations in the preferred embodiment could be achieved by a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. The invention has been described with reference to specific embodiment which is merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

CLAIMS –

I claim,

1. A process for preparing fresh tea with vanillin flavor comprises a single step of mixing vanillin essence with fresh tea powder.

2. The process for preparing fresh tea with vanillin flavor as claimed in claim 1 wherein 50 liters of vanillin essence is mixed with 2500 kg fresh tea powder to prepare a strong flavored vanillin tea concentrate.

3. The process for preparing fresh tea with vanillin flavor as claimed in claim 1 wherein 10 liters of vanillin essence is mixed with 2500 kg fresh tea powder to prepare a mild flavored vanillin tea concentrate.

4. The process for preparing fresh tea with vanillin flavor as claimed in claims 2 and 3 wherein the flavored vanillin tea concentrate needs to be mixed with fresh tea powder in the ratio of 1:4 while preparing the beverage for drinking.

5. The process for preparing fresh tea with vanillin flavor substantially herein described with reference to the foregoing description.