JP7201169B2 - Tencha drying equipment - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a tencha drying apparatus for drying tea leaves to obtain tencha.

Tencha, which is mainly used as a raw material for matcha, is obtained by steaming tea leaves that have been covered and shaded for a predetermined period before harvesting and drying without rubbing.It is mainly used as a raw material for matcha, and its aroma is unique. It is considered to be moderately fragrant. Tencha, in particular, contains a large amount of theanine (a derivative of glutamic acid), which is an amino acid among tea leaves, and therefore has the effect of increasing relaxation and concentration. As a processing apparatus (tencha furnace) capable of continuously processing and mass-producing such tencha, the one disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, has been conventionally proposed.

JP 2013-223441 A

However, in the net-type tencha furnace such as the above-mentioned conventional technology, the tencha is processed by applying hot air to the continuously conveyed tea leaves while agitating them, so the brick-making method that has been used since ancient times is used. Compared to drying tencha in a drying device (brick tencha furnace), there was a problem that the unique aroma inherent in tencha was lacking. On the other hand, when tencha is obtained by drying tea leaves in a brick tencha furnace, which has been used since ancient times, it is possible to fully obtain the unique aroma of tencha, but the drying effect of wind is almost non-existent, and drying by applying heat is very difficult. Therefore, the drying efficiency is low, and the amount of drying processed per unit time cannot be increased compared to the net-type tencha furnace.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tencha drying apparatus capable of increasing the amount of drying per unit time and sufficiently obtaining the original and unique aroma of tencha. be.

The invention according to claim 1 is a tencha drying apparatus for drying tencha while conveying tea leaves that have undergone an enzyme deactivation step to obtain tencha. The first drying device consists of a brick tencha furnace that dries tea leaves by applying radiant heat from the bricks, and is set to have a higher drying effect by heat than drying by wind, and blows air to the tea leaves during the transportation process. and a second drying device that is set to have a higher drying effect by wind than drying by heat, and after drying by the first drying device, drying by the second drying device is performed. And, in the drying part of the first drying device, two stages are formed in parallel in the vertical direction, and a conveying path for conveying tea leaves from the first stage to the second stage, and the first stage and the second stage. a smoke guide that extends in parallel with the first-stage conveying path and is heated by a burner to generate radiant heat in the bricks, and the first-stage conveying path is the second-stage. The temperature of the first-stage conveying path is set higher than that of the second-stage conveying path by extending at a position closer to the smoke guide than the conveying path.

The invention according to claim 2 is the tencha drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature is set to 210 to 230° C. in the first conveying path and 120° C. in the second conveying path. characterized by being

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in the tencha drying apparatus according to claim 1 , a loosening means for loosening overlapping tea leaves is disposed on the tea leaf input side of the brick tencha furnace.

The invention according to claim 4 is the tencha drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second drying device is capable of ejecting hot air or humidified hot air to the tea leaf drying unit, and blows the hot air to the tea leaves in the process of conveying. It is characterized by consisting of a net-type tencha furnace that dries by applying it to.

The invention according to claim 5 is the tencha drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second drying device is capable of ejecting superheated steam to the tea leaf drying unit, and the superheated steam is applied to the tea leaves in the transportation process. It is characterized by consisting of a net-type tencha furnace that is applied and dried.

According to the invention of claim 1, the tea leaves in the transportation process are dried by applying heat, and the first drying device is set to have a higher drying effect by heat than drying by wind, and the tea leaves in the transportation process are dried. Since it has a second drying device that is set to have a higher drying effect by wind than drying by heat, it increases the drying throughput per unit time and retains the original unique aroma of tencha. can get enough.
In addition, since drying is performed by the second drying device after drying by the first drying device, by applying heat at the initial stage of drying when the moisture content is high, more fragrance components can be generated and the moisture content is low. By blowing air in the latter stage of drying, it is possible to dry efficiently and suppress deterioration of color and luster.

Furthermore , the first drying device consists of a brick tencha kiln in which the drying part for tea leaves is made of bricks and the radiant heat from the bricks is applied to the tea leaves in the transportation process to dry them. You can get tencha with a unique aroma equivalent to tencha-ro.

According to the invention of claim 3, since the loosening means for loosening the piled tea leaves is provided on the tea leaf input side of the brick tencha furnace, drying by the brick tencha furnace can be performed reliably and smoothly. .

According to the invention of claim 4 , the second drying device can eject hot air or humidified hot air to the drying part of the tea leaves, and the hot air is applied to the tea leaves in the transportation process to dry them. Therefore, the drying throughput per unit time can be increased.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the second drying device is a net-type tencha furnace that is capable of ejecting superheated steam to the tea leaf drying unit and dries the tea leaves by applying the superheated steam to the tea leaves during the transportation process. Therefore, it is possible to dry the tea leaves more efficiently while increasing the drying throughput per unit time.

Schematic diagram showing a processing line to which the tencha drying apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied Side view showing the brick tencha furnace (first drying device) of the same processing line Side view showing the net-type tencha furnace (second drying device) of the same processing line A plan view showing the same net-type tencha furnace Schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the net-type tencha furnace A side view showing a net-type tencha furnace (second drying device) according to another embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of a net-type tencha furnace (second drying device) according to still another embodiment of the present invention (drying with humidified hot air) Schematic diagram showing a device for generating superheated steam applied to a net-type tencha furnace (second drying device) according to still another embodiment (drying with superheated steam) of the present invention

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
The processing line to which the tencha drying apparatus according to the first embodiment is applied is for obtaining tencha by steaming tea leaves that have been covered and shaded for a predetermined period before harvesting and drying without rubbing, as shown in FIG. As shown, a steamer 1, a tea grinder 2, a brick tencha furnace 3 (first drying device) for performing the first drying process, and a net-type tencha furnace 4 (second drying device) for performing the second drying process. , a vine cutter 5 , a wind sorter 6 , and a finishing dryer 7 .

The steamer 1 is for performing a steaming process (a process of deactivating enzymes), and the tea leaves fed from the leaf feeder are heated and softened in the steamer to impart physical and chemical changes. The enzyme is deactivated by steaming, and the steamed leaves can be cooled with cold or warm air while being continuously conveyed by a net conveyor or the like. The tea dispersing machine 2 (unraveling means) is disposed on the tea leaf input side (input part A side) of the brick tencha furnace 3, and after the tea leaves that have undergone the steaming process in the steamer 1 are loosened, the brick tencha furnace 3 is used. can be put into

The brick tencha furnace 3 (first drying device) and the net-type tencha furnace 4 (second drying device) are used to obtain tencha by conveying and drying the tea leaves whose enzymes have been deactivated through the steaming process. In terms of form, after the first drying process by the brick tencha furnace 3 (first drying device), the second drying process by the net-type tencha furnace 4 (second drying device) is performed. Since the amount of tea leaves to be dried by the brick tencha furnace 3 according to the present embodiment is smaller than the amount of tea leaves to be dried by the net-type tencha furnace 4, two brick tencha furnaces 3 are arranged in parallel to allow tea leaves to be dried. After drying, subsequent drying is performed in one net-type tencha furnace 4. - 特許庁

The brick tencha furnace 3 (first drying device) dries the tea leaves by applying heat during the transportation process, and is set to have a higher drying effect by heat than drying by wind. As shown in FIG. The drying section B for tea leaves is made of bricks, and is configured to apply radiant heat from the bricks to the tea leaves during the transportation process to dry them. In the brick tencha furnace 3 according to the present embodiment, after the tea leaves that have been unstacked by the tea spreader 2 are fed from the feeding section A1, the flame from the burner 8 is emitted in the process of conveying them on the conveying belt W1 of the drying section B. It is dried by the radiant heat generated by the bricks constituting the drying section B, which is stored in the smoke guide E heated by the It can be transported and dried by the transport body W2 and taken out by the discharge part C2.

Here, the brick tencha furnace 3 according to the present embodiment is configured by a member or the like in which the conveying belts W1 and W2 are formed in an endless shape, and has a two-stage conveying path in the vertical direction, After drying at about 210 to 230° C. for about 2.5 to 3 minutes in the first stage (lower stage), it is set to dry at about 120° C. for about 3 minutes in the second stage (upper stage). By drying the tea leaves under such conditions, it is possible to impart a roasted aroma to the tea leaves without deteriorating their luster.

The net-type tencha furnace 4 (second drying device) dries the tea leaves in the transportation process by blowing air, and is set to have a higher drying effect by air than drying by heat, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. As described above, hot air can be jetted to the drying section B for tea leaves, and the hot air is applied to the tea leaves in the transportation process to dry them. In the net-type tencha furnace 4 according to the present embodiment, the tea leaves dried in the brick tencha furnace 3 are loosened by the tea dispersing machine 2, introduced from the introduction section A, and then transferred to the conveying belt W of the drying section B. The tea leaves are dried by applying hot air generated by the hot air generating means 9 during the transportation process, and can be taken out at the carry-out section C.

However, while the brick tencha furnace 3 (first drying device) exclusively heats and dries the tea leaves in the transportation process, the net-type tencha furnace 4 (second drying device) applies hot air. Therefore, heat is also applied, but drying by air is considered to be relatively more effective than drying by heat.

The conveying belt W is made of an endless member, and is capable of conveying tea leaves while being placed thereon. The hot air generating means 9 has heating means such as a burner and air blowing means such as a fan, and can generate hot air in an adjustable manner. configured to obtain That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the space below the conveying belt W in the net-type tencha furnace 4 is connected to the tip of the flow path portion 10 via the connection portion 10a. Hot air is applied to the tea leaves in the process of being conveyed in the conveying belt W to dry them.

Further, the net-type tencha furnace 4 according to the present embodiment is equipped with a leveling means 11 and a stirring means 12 . The leveling means 11 is mounted on the tea leaf conveying path in the loading section A, and rotates a plurality of blades to distribute the tea leaves (steamed) stacked on the conveying belt W in the conveying process. leaves) to a uniform thickness. The stirring means 12 is mounted on the tea leaf conveying path in the drying section B, and rotates a plurality of blades to stir the tea leaves (steamed leaves) in the conveying process placed on the conveying belt W in a stacked state. ) to stir the tea leaves (upside down).

Here, in the net-type tencha furnace 4 according to this embodiment, the drying section B is composed of four boxes (sections). The temperature of the box closest to the carry-out section C and the box adjacent to it is set to about 100 to 120 ° C., the drying time is set to 7 to 8 minutes in the entire drying section B, and the brown layer is 50. It is set to about 70 mm. By drying under such conditions, it is possible to improve the line performance while avoiding the deterioration of the luster of the tea leaves.

Then, the tea leaves dried in the brick tencha furnace 3 (first drying device) and the net-type tencha furnace 4 (second drying device) are separated into stems and leaves by a vine cutter 5, and are sorted by wind power. After the stem portion and the leaf portion are sorted by the machine 6, finishing drying is performed by the finish drying machine 7. - 特許庁Through this series of steps, it is possible to obtain high-quality tencha with a unique aroma.

According to the first embodiment, the brick tencha furnace 3 (first drying device or first drying step) that heats and dries the tea leaves during the transportation process, and blows air against the tea leaves during the transportation process. Since it has a net-type tencha furnace 4 (second drying device or second drying process) that dries it, it is possible to sufficiently obtain the original and unique aroma of tencha while increasing the drying throughput per unit time. In addition, since the drying process is performed through two different drying processes, the first drying process by the first drying device and the second drying process by the second drying device, the range of condition setting at the time of drying the tea leaves can be expanded. In particular, after drying by the first drying device (first drying step), drying by the second drying device (second drying step) is performed. It is possible to generate a large amount, and by blowing the air in the latter stage of drying when the moisture content is small, it is possible to efficiently dry and suppress the deterioration of the color and luster.

In addition, the first drying device (first drying process) is composed of a brick tencha furnace 3 that dries the tea leaves by applying radiant heat from the bricks to dry the tea leaves during the transportation process. It is possible to obtain tencha with a unique aroma equivalent to that of brick tencha furnaces that have been used more. Furthermore, since the loosening means 2 for untangling the piled tea leaves is arranged on the tea leaf input side of the brick tencha furnace 3, the drying by the brick tencha furnace 3 can be surely and smoothly performed. Furthermore, the second drying device (second drying process) is made up of a net-type tencha furnace 4 that is capable of ejecting hot air to the tea leaf drying section B and dries the tea leaves by applying the hot air to the tea leaves during the transportation process. , the drying throughput per unit time can be increased.

The tencha drying apparatus according to the present embodiment has been described above, but the tencha drying apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above. For example, as shown in FIG. A net-type tencha furnace 4 (second drying device) equipped with means 13 may be used. In the net-type tencha furnace 4, a plurality of irradiation means 13 are arranged in the direction in which the tea leaves are conveyed in the drying section B, and the irradiation means 13 can irradiate the tea leaves in the process of being conveyed with infrared rays or far infrared rays. .

In this case, the irradiating means 13 is attached to the ceiling covering the upper part of the conveying belt W in the drying section B, and is capable of planarly irradiating the tea leaves on the conveying belt W with infrared rays or far infrared rays. there is As a result, the tea leaves (steamed leaves) in the process of being transported through the drying section B by the transport belt W are exposed to hot air from the hot air generating means 9 and dried, and are also irradiated with infrared rays or far infrared rays from the irradiation means 13. Then, the chemical action is applied. As shown in the figure, the drying section B is provided with an exhaust damper 14 capable of arbitrarily opening and exhausting the closed space. The exhaust damper 14 consists of an opening/closing door formed at a predetermined position on the ceiling of the drying section B, and is opened by swinging around a hinge or the like to open the closed space of the drying section B. Exhaust gas can be discharged upward.

Furthermore, as another form of net-type tencha furnace 4 (second drying device), as shown in FIG. In addition, the hot air may be applied to the tea leaves in the transportation process to dry them. In this case, the steam generated by the steam boiler 15 and the hot air generated by the hot air generating means 9 are mixed to generate humidified hot air, and the humidified hot air passes through the flow path portion 10 and is conveyed by the conveying belt W. Tencha can be obtained by drying by hitting.

Thus, if the drying section B for tea leaves is dried in a high-temperature and high-humidity state, the tea leaves can be sufficiently dried during the transportation process, and adverse effects on the quality can be avoided. In addition, since the tea leaves are dried by jetting humidified hot air, the temperature and humidity can be appropriately controlled. Therefore, the tea leaves in the transportation process can be dried more sufficiently and stably, and the quality can be avoided from being adversely affected.

Furthermore, as described above, superheated steam may be jetted onto the conveyed tea leaves to dry them instead of the humidified hot air. Such superheated steam is generated by a superheated steam generator having a steam boiler 15 and a heating chamber 16, for example, as shown in FIG. It is supposed to be dried.

According to this superheated steam generator, normal steam of about 100° C. generated in the steam boiler 15 reaches the heating chamber 16 through the hose H1, where the temperature is raised to about 120 to 400° C., and then the conveying belt W to be sent to As shown in the figure, the heating chamber 16 has a suction pipe 16c connected to a gun-type burner 17. Hot air from the gun-type burner 17 passes through the heating chamber 16 and is discharged from a discharge pipe 16b. is configured as follows. On the other hand, inside the heating chamber 16, a plurality of thin tubes 16a are arranged, one end of which is connected to the hose H1 and the other end to the hose H2.

With such a configuration, the normal steam sent from the steam boiler 15 is heated to about 120 to 400° C. by the hot air from the gun-type burner 17 in the process of passing through the thin tube 16a, and superheated steam is generated. . Since the superheated steam thus generated is jetted onto the tea leaves conveyed in the conveying belt W, the tea temperature can be effectively raised, and the tea leaves in the conveying process can be sufficiently dried. That is, the second drying device (second drying process) is made up of a net-type tencha furnace 4 that is capable of ejecting superheated steam to the tea leaf drying unit and dries the tea leaves by applying the superheated steam to the tea leaves during the transportation process. , the tea leaves can be dried more efficiently while increasing the drying throughput per unit time.

In addition, as the tea dispersing machine 2 (thawing means) for uniforming the tea leaves to be put into the net type tencha furnace 4, it is possible to provide a bean paste, a belt conveyor, or the like, which applies pressure to the tea leaves to remove moisture on the surface. A pressing device that can uniformly float may be provided in the processing line. By providing a bypass path in the drying process, the drying order of the first drying device (brick tencha furnace 3) and the second drying device (net type tencha furnace 4) may be arbitrarily changed. The step of deactivating the enzyme is not limited to the steaming step using the steamer 1 as in the present embodiment, and methods other than steaming, such as pot roasting, roasting steaming, hot water steaming, and hot air steaming, may be used.

The drying part for tea leaves is made of bricks, and it consists of a brick tencha kiln that dries the tea leaves by applying radiant heat from the bricks to the tea leaves during the transportation process. It has a first drying device and a second drying device in which the tea leaves in the transportation process are dried by blowing air, and the drying effect by the wind is set higher than the drying by heat, and after drying by the first drying device , drying is performed by the second drying device, and the drying part of the first drying device is arranged in two stages in the vertical direction, and the tea leaves are conveyed from the first stage to the second stage. A transport path and a smoke guide that is heated by a burner to generate radiant heat in bricks are provided, and the first stage transport path extends at a position closer to the smoke guide than the second stage transport path. As long as it is a drying apparatus for tencha, it can be applied to those with different external shapes or those with other functions added.

1 Steamer 2 Tea machine (thawing means)
3 Brick tencha furnace (first drying device)
4 Net-type tencha furnace (second drying device)
5 Vine cutter 6 Wind sorter 7 Finishing dryer 8 Burner 9 Hot air generating means 10 Flow path part 10a Connection part 11 Leveling means 12 Stirring means 13 Irradiation means 14 Exhaust damper 15 Steam boiler 16 Heating chamber 17 Gun type burner A Input Part B Drying part C Unloading part W Conveyor band

Claims (5)

In a tencha drying apparatus for obtaining tencha by conveying and drying tea leaves that have undergone a process of deactivating enzymes,
The drying part for tea leaves is composed of bricks, and consists of a brick tencha furnace that dries the tea leaves in the transportation process by applying radiant heat from the bricks, and the drying effect by heat is set higher than drying by wind. 1 drying device;
a second drying device that dries the tea leaves in the process of being transported by blowing air, and is set to have a higher drying effect by wind than drying by heat;
, and after drying by the first drying device, drying by the second drying device is performed, and two stages are formed in parallel in the vertical direction in the drying section of the first drying device a conveying path for conveying tea leaves from the first stage to the second stage; is arranged, and the first stage conveying path is extended at a position closer to the smoke guide than the second stage conveying path, so that the first stage conveying An apparatus for drying Tencha, characterized in that the temperature of the path is set higher than that of the conveying path of the second stage . 2. The tencha drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a temperature of 210 to 230° C. is set in said first conveying path, and a temperature of 120° C. is set in said second conveying path. 2. An apparatus for drying tencha according to claim 1, wherein said brick tencha furnace is provided with untie means for untangling the piled tea leaves on the tea leaf input side. 1. The second drying device comprises a net-type tencha furnace capable of ejecting hot air or humidified hot air to the drying part of the tea leaves, and drying the tea leaves by applying the hot air to the tea leaves being conveyed. Apparatus for drying tencha described. 2. The second drying device is a net-type tencha kiln capable of ejecting superheated steam to the drying part of the tea leaves, and drying the tea leaves by applying the superheated steam to the tea leaves being conveyed. tencha drying equipment.

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