Patent ID: 7232585

Claim:
A method of preparing a green tea extract having a natural green color comprising performing the following steps at a temperature condition of about 50° C. or less: a) combining a quantity of fresh-picked green tea leaves or leaf fragments from a camilla sinensis plant with an amount of cold water having a temperature of about 25° C. or less that is sufficient to provide a mixture of leaves and water having a ratio of from about 1:0.01 to about 1:40 by weight; b) pulverizing the leaves or leaf fragments in the mixture and maintaining the mixture for an amount of time sufficient to release intracellular material from the leaf cells into the water to create an aqueous extract component, and a leaf residue component; c) removing the leaf residue component from the aqueous extract component; and d) drying the aqueous extract component to a solid or semi-solid state having a green tea chlorophyll content of from about 0.1% w/w to about 5.0% w/w which provides the extract with a the natural green color and having a polyphenol content of from about 15% w/w to about 95% w/w, of which greater than 80% is retained in the extract after storage for 12 months.