PRODUCTION METHOD AND DEVICE OF SWEET TEA

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sweet tea production device capable of performing drying with a heat history suitable for the sweet tea.SOLUTION: Shaded tea leaves as a raw material of sweet tea are subjected to steam heating by a steamer, and then are subjected to dispersion and cooling by a cooling dispersion machine, and then are mounted on a start end of a first conveyor 13 of a sweet tea production device 10. When the tea leaves are mounted on the first conveyor 13 and passes through a first drying chamber 11, the tea leaves are dried by heating by plural far infrared heaters 15, so that the heating temperature (atmosphere temperature) is controlled to be higher at an inlet side (start end side of the first conveyor 13) of the first drying chamber 11 and lower at an outlet side (termination side). In addition, the tea leaves are made go out the first drying chamber 11 and are delivered from the termination of the first conveyor 13 to a start end of a second conveyor 14, then when the tea leaves are mounted on the second conveyor 14 and passes through a second drying chamber 12, the tea leaves are heated and dried by the plural far infrared heaters 15, so that the temperature is controlled to be higher at an inlet side (start end side of the second conveyor 14) and is lower at an outlet side (termination side), in a sweet tea production device 10. 【課題】てん茶に適した熱履歴で乾燥を行うこが可能なてん茶製造装置の提供。【解決手段】てん茶の原料である覆い下茶葉は、蒸機により蒸気加熱された後、冷却散茶機において散布冷却され、てん茶製造装置１０の第１コンベヤ１３の始端上に載置され、茶葉は、第１コンベヤ１３に乗って第１乾燥室１１内を通過する間、複数の遠赤外線ヒータ１５による加熱により乾燥され、この加熱温度（雰囲気温度）は、第１乾燥室１１の入口側（第１コンベヤ１３の始端側）の方で高く、出口側（終端側）の方で低くなるように、制御され、更に、茶葉は、第１乾燥室１１を出て第１コンベヤ１３の終端から第２コンベヤ１４の始端に受け渡され、第２コンベヤ１４に乗って第２乾燥室１２内を通過する間、複数の遠赤外線ヒータ１５により、入口側（第２コンベヤ１４の始端側）の方で高く、出口側（終端側）の方で低くなるように加熱・乾燥を制御するてん茶製造装置１０。【選択図】図１