Production of instant coffee

Claim 1

IN MAKING AN INSTANT COFFEE POWDER OF IMPROVED FLAVOR AND AROMA, THE PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES MIXING THE COFFEE IN ROASTED AND GROUND CONDITION WITH AT LEAST 5 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF WATER FOR 100 PARTS OF THE COFFEE, DISTILLING THE RESULTING MOISTENED COFFEE IN VACUO UNTIL THE TOTAL OF THE VAPORS DISTILLED AMOUNTS ON THE WET BASIS TO APPROXIMATELY 5%-30% OF THE WEIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL COFFEE USED AND NOT SUBSTANTIALLY MORE THAN THE WATER CONTENT OF THE SAID MOISTENED COFFEE, CONDENSING THE DISTILLED VAPORS AT SUCCESSIVELY LOWER TEMPERATURES WITHIN THE RANGE BEGINNING AT ABOUT 0* AND ENDING AT ABOUT -80* C. AND AT A PRESSURE OF ABOUT 4-6 MM. OF MERCURY SO AS TO CONDENSE FRACTIONALLY THE SAID VAPORS AND PRODUCE A PLURALITY OF AQUEOUS CONDENSATES INCLUDING ONE AQUEOUS CONDENSATE FRACTION THAT IS THE HIGHEST OF THE CONDENSATES IN PERCENTAGE CONCENTRATION OF ORTHO-DIKETONES, FORMING AN AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF THE COFFEE RESIDUE FROM THE SAID DISTILLING, EVAPORATING THE SAID EXTRACT TO A DRY POWDER, MIXING THE SAID ONE AQUEOUS CONDENSATE FRACTION ONLY WITH THE DRY POWDER AND DISCARDING THE OTHER FRACTIONS OF THE CONDENSED VAPORS, THE AMOUNT OF THE SAID ONE FRACTION CORRESPONDING TO NOT MORE THAN 10% OF THE TOTAL AQUEOUS CONDENSATE AND ON THE DRY BASIS TO ABOUT 0.1%-1% OF THE DRY WEIGHT OF THE SAID EXTRACT.