Patent ID: 8211478

Claim:
A process for manufacturing a beverage precursor of Camellia sinensis var, assamica consisting essentially of: a) providing fresh leaf, stem and bud of Camellia sinensis var, assamica; b) heat-treating the fresh leaf, stem and bud to arrest enzyme action; c) passing the leaf, stem and bud through a rotorvane to produce partially macerated leaf, stem and bud; d) passing the partially macerated leaf, stem and bud twice through a CTC machine; e) drying the macerated leaf, stem and bud to yield dried macerated leaf, stem and bud; f) sorting the dried macerated leaf, stem and bud according to particle size thereby producing macerated leaf, stem and bud that is in granular form; g) combining the macerated leaf, stem and bud in granular form with maltodextrin; and h) packaging the combined granular form of macerated leaf, stem and bud in an infusion package.