Explore how canned tea is made with advanced technology at FGC. Understanding essential processes including tea extraction, ingredient mixing, sterilization, and commercial packaging in this article.
Introduction
Canned tea has become a familiar product on supermarket shelves or convenience stores thanks to its convenience and refreshing flavor. This ready-to-drink option meets the need of consumers for quick and portable beverages while preserving the authentic taste of brewed tea. But how is canned tea produced? In this article, we will explore the key stages of canned tea processing, from brewing to packaging, and uncover the technology that helps maintain the quality and freshness of this beverage.
What is canned tea?
Canned tea is a type of ready-to-drink tea (RTD tea), similar to bottled tea but packed in aluminum cans instead of PET bottles. This beverage consists of brewed tea that has been processed, sterilized, and sealed in aluminum cans for convenient consumption and extended shelf life.
Canned tea can include a wide variety of tea types, such as green tea, black tea, oolong tea, herbal infusions, and even specialty blends like matcha or milk tea. These drinks are often sweetened or flavored with fruit extracts, herbs, or spices to cater to diverse consumer preferences. The production of canned tea requires precision to maintain the tea’s natural flavor while ensuring that it remains fresh and safe for consumption over an extended period.
The global canned tea market has seen remarkable growth, driven by growing consumer demand for convenient, healthy beverage options. Unlike traditional tea brewing, which requires time and equipment, canned tea allows you to drink it immediately while still preserving the beneficial compounds found in tea leaves, such as antioxidants and polyphenols.
In addition, the rise of canned tea can be attributed to advancements in food processing technologies, such as sterilization methods, hot filling, and aseptic techniques, which allow manufacturers to maintain the tea’s quality while meeting strict food safety standards. The portability and recyclability of aluminum cans also contribute to the increasing popularity of this beverage.
Key stages of canned tea processing at FGC
At FGC, the production of ready-to-drink tea in aluminum cans is a carefully controlled process that ensures both the safety and high quality of the products. Using Hot Fill technology, FGC preserves the tea’s freshness, flavor, and safety without using preservatives. This method fills the product at high temperatures, ensuring commercial sterility and sterilizing the packaging material in the process. Below are the key steps involved in the canned tea production process.
Tea extraction and brewing
The foundation of canned tea is high-quality tea extraction. This stage involves selecting premium tea leaves or tea blends and brewing them under controlled conditions to achieve the desired flavor and aroma. Prior to production, tea and water are carefully measured and subjected to stringent quality checks to ensure compliance with established standards.
The tea leaves are brewed in large stainless steel tanks using purified water at 89-92°C for 10 minutes. This extraction device has a continuous stirring paddle to ensure a consistent and even extraction process, creating a uniform and flavorful tea solution. After that, the tea is filtered through a vibrating sieve (250 mesh) and 50µm, 25µm bag filtration system to remove the remaining tea residue from the extract. At this time, the tea solution becomes clear and then is cooled to 12-16°C to preserve the flavor and prepare for the next stage of production.
Tea and ingredient mixing
After brewing, the tea is blended with other ingredients to create the perfect flavor. Common additives including sugar, honey, or natural sweeteners like stevia will be dissolved in the warm water (30-40°C) in a predetermined ratio. Flavors such as lemon, peach, or lychee are also added to create signature blends. This mixture is then filtered using a 60-mesh filter to remove impurities.
After completing the testing steps for physicochemical and sensory criteria, the mixture is combined with the tea liquid to create a semi-finished product. This product is then passed through a double filtration system with a 5µm filter mesh to remove any remaining impurities, ensuring it is ready for the sterilization stage.
Sterilization
This is one of the most critical steps in canned tea production. This process ensures the beverage is free from harmful microorganisms, extending its shelf life without the need for preservatives. Ultra-high temperature (UHT) processing or pasteurization is commonly used.
Here, the product is heated to a temperature between 127°C and 135°C (depending on the type of tea). This high temperature effectively sterilizes the tea, eliminating any harmful microorganisms that may be present. The tea is held at this temperature for a set time to ensure thorough sterilization. The hot fill method removes the necessity for artificial preservatives while ensuring the product remains safe and stable for an extended period.
Filling in aluminum cans
The aluminum cans are cleaned and sterilized before filling to eliminate contaminants. After being washed, the cans are sent to the filling machine, where they are filled with the product while kept at a hot temperature. An automatic system ensures that filling stops if the pasteurization temperature is not reached, ensuring the product remains safe and high-quality. After filling, can lids will be provided, and the finished product will be seam-sealed immediately in less than 10 seconds.
The product passes through Filtech/Tapton equipment, which identifies and removes cans with insufficient fill levels. Next, the cans go through an inverse conveyor system. This step ensures the can lids are sterilized using the high temperature of the product inside. Then, the code, production date, and expiration date are printed on the bottom of the can according to factory standards. The finished cans are then cooled to a temperature of less than 38°C using a water cooling system to ensure product safety and quality before packaging.
Packaging
Once cooled, the finished cans are dried and sent through an auto sleeving machine to apply labels. Any cans with defective labels are removed by inspectors. After labeling, the cans are packed into cartons, with each carton containing 24 cans. The finished product boxes are then stacked onto pallets and transferred to the warehouse, where they are stored under the proper conditions, and ready for distribution to consumers.
Canned tea from FGC
FGC (Future Generation Company Limited) is one of the pioneering enterprises applying modern technology in the production of ready-to-drink tea in Vietnam. Equipped with hot filling and canning lines from Krones, we are proud to create high-quality products with delicious and flavorful tastes. Currently, our canned teas such as lemongrass peach tea, honey kumquat tea, and winter melon tea,… have been widely distributed in the market and are loved by consumers.
Peach lemongrass tea
Peach lemongrass tea is the combination of tea leaves, peach, and lemongrass flavor, creating a beverage with fantastic taste as well as extraordinary health benefits. Blending the inherent sweetness of peaches with the soothing aroma of lemongrass, this tea becomes thirst-quenching on hot days. It is also one of our best selling in the domestic market.
Kumquat honey tea
Kumquat honey tea attracts consumers with its unique aroma and fantastic taste of natural kumquat fruit, honey, and green tea leaf extract. Using honey, a natural sweetener, this tea is loved for its gentle and rich taste. Along with a myriad of health benefits, it is among the best beverages for convenience and a health-related choice.
Winter melon tea
Winter melon tea combines familiar ingredients from traditional medicine: green tea and winter melon. This refreshing drink is known for its cool, soothing taste, supporting detoxifying and calming effects on the body. As a result, it is especially popular during festivals, providing a cooling relief while promoting well-being.
Besides these products, we provide OEM/Private Label Services, allowing customers to customize products in both flavor and packaging. If you are looking for an OEM partner, feel free to reach out to us for detailed advice and solutions.
- Mail: info@vietnam-tea.com
- Phone: +84 24 73 000 125/ +84 24 73 063 369
Conclusion
The production of canned tea is a sophisticated process that combines traditional brewing methods with cutting-edge technology to preserve delicious flavor and prolong shelf life. From selecting the finest tea leaves to brewing, blending, sterilizing, and packaging, every step is designed to deliver a high-quality and safe beverage. As consumer demand for convenient, healthy beverages continues to grow, manufacturers must maintain high standards while innovating to meet changing market preferences.
About Future Generation Co., Ltd
Future Generation Company Limited is one of the largest beverage suppliers in Vietnam, with 26 years of experience in production and export. FGC is equipped with modern machines such as Krones Hotfill and TetraPak Aseptic, ensuring high-capacity production. FGC strives to achieve our mission to become Vietnam’s leading healthy beverage company. Our factories also meet international standards such as ISO, HACCP, etc. In addition, we constantly innovate our machinery system, strengthen production capacity, and increase productivity.
FGC also provides Private Label Services. With this service, we can help customers research and formulate beverages, design product label packaging, and create their own brands. This is an ideal solution for small and medium enterprises. Moreover, FGC provides free samples for customers to test before bulk orders. We also ensure delivery as fast as possible.
Contact
Address: R4 building, Office Quarter 02, Royal City, 72A Nguyen Trai St., Thanh Xuan Dist., Hanoi.
Phone: +84 24 73 000 125/ +84 24 73 063 369
Mail: info@vietnam-tea.com
Website: https://oem-fgc.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fgcvietnamtea
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fgcvietnamtea/
Alibaba.com: https://fgcvietnam.trustpass.alibaba.com/