Pressure roasting of coffee

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR ROASTING WHOLE GREEN COFFEE BEANS AT AN INCREASED RATE IN A THREE-PART ROASTING CYCLE COMPRISING A PREHEATING PERIOD, A ROASTING PERIOD, AND A POST-HEATING PERIOD, SAID PREHEATING PERIOD OCCURRING OVER THE FIRST 1/4 TO 1/3 PART OF SAID CYCLE, SAID ROASTING PERIOD OCCURRING OVER THE NEXT 1/4 PART, AND SAID POST-HEATING PERIOD TAKING PLACE OVER THE REMAINDER OF SAID CYCLE, SAID ROASTING PERIOD BEING A CHARACTERIZED BY THE USE OF THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES IN SAID CYCLE AND BY THE FACT THAT THE MOISTURE CONTENT IS HIGHEST DURING SAID PERIOD, SAID CYCLE REQUIRING ABOUT 4 TO 9 MINUTES; WHICH COMPRISES CHARGING WHOLE GREEN BEANS TO A PREHEATING ZONE, PASSING THROUGH THE CHARGE OF BEANS HEATED AIR AT A TEMPERATURE OF 380*F. TO 410*F. AND AT SUBSTANTIALLY ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE TO PREHEAT THE BEANS TO A BEAN TEMPERATURE OF 240*F.-390*F.; FEEDING THE BEANS TO A ROASTING CHAMBER AND INTRODUCING THERETO STEAM AT A TEMPERATURE OF 370*F. TO 600*F. AND A PRESSURE OF ABOUT 200-250 P.S.I.G. TO HEAT THE BEANS IN SAID CHAMBER TO A TEMPERATURE OF 370*F. TO 350*F., THEREBY TO ROAST THE BEANS, THEN SUDDENLY RELEASING THE PRESSURE IN SAID CHAMBER AND COINCIDENTLY THEREWITH COOLING SAID BEANS BY DISCHARGING THE CONTENTS OF SAID CHAMBER INTO AN EXPANSION ZONE WHERE THE BEANS ARE COLLECTED, THEN REMOVING THE ROASTED BEANS TO A HEATED POSTHEATING ZONE AND HEATING THE SAME THEREIN AT SUBSTANTIALLY ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE BY PASSING THERETHROUGH HOT GAS MATINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 400*F. TO 600*F., THEREBY TO REDUCE THE ACIDITY OF THE ROASTED BEANS, THEN RECOVERING AS A PRODUCT ROASTED BEANS HAVING A SOLUBLE SOLIDS CONTENT OF ABOUT 30 TO 40% BY WEIGHT, SAID ROASTED PRODUCT HAVING A SOLUBLE SOLIDS CONTENT OF UP TO 10-50% BY WEIGHT HIGHER THAN CONVENTIONALLY ROASTED BEANS.