PROCESS FOR MAKING A WATER-SOLUBLE TEA EXTRACT

A stable water-soluble Desorbate instant tea having a flavor, aroma, appearance and chemical composition approximating that of fresh expertly brewed tea is made by a process comprising passing steam at reduced pressures through a columnar bed of ground tea leaves to pre-wet and pre-swell an upper portion of said leaves; and then passing water and wet steam at reduced pressures and low temperatures through said bed to desorb and extract from said tea leaves an aqueous tea extract while maintaining a weight ratio of said extract to dry tea leaves of from about 0.5:1 to about 3:1, and collecting said extract in a cold trap. Decreaming of the extract prepared by this process is not necessary to provide a water-soluble dry instant tea which, upon reconstitution in water, provides an iced beverage that tastes like an iced tea made from fresh, expertly brewed tea. The solubility and solution stability of the Desorbate tea of this invention are surprisingly improved by treating the process water with a minor amount of a higher chain polyphosphate glass, a bilsulfite, a sulfite and/or a suitable carrageenan.