Method of producing aromatized coffee extract

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PRODUCING A SOLUBLE COFFEE PRODUCT COMPRISIG INTRODUCING STEAM AT THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF AN ELONGATED COLUMN CONTAINING A PACED BED OF ROASTED AND GROUND COFFEE PARTICLES HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE WHEREAT AT LEAST 90% BY WEIGHT OF THE PARTICLES ARE RETAINED ON A 40 MESH U.S. STANDARD SIEVE SCREEN, SAID BED HAVING A LENGTH OF AT LEAST FIVE TIMES ITS WIDTH AND A VOID SPACE BETWEEN SAID COFFEE PARTICLES SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT AN INTERNAL REFLUXING AND RECTIFICATION OF STEAM DISTILLED VOLATILE COFFEE CONSTITUENTS ALONG THE TORTUOUS PATHS BETWEEN SAID PARTICLES WHEREBY SAID STEAM CONDENSES ON AND WETS THE COFFEE PARTICLES AND GENERATES AND EXTRACTS SAID VOLATILE COFFEE CONSTITUENTS THEREFROM, CONTINUING THE SUPPLY OF STEAM TO SAID BED TO INITIATE AND MAINTAIN SAID REFLUXING AND RECTIFICATION CONDITON UNTIL ALL OF THE COFFEE PARTICLES HAVE BEEN WETTED BY STEAM AND THE REFLUX AND RECTIFICATION INTERFACE HAS REACHED THE TOP OF THE BED OF COFFEE PARTICLES AND A QUANTITY OF CO-DISTILLED VOLATILE ORGANIC ACIDS HAVE BEEN THEREBY SEPARATED FROM THE DESIRED VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS, CONDENSING SAID DESIRED VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS, THEREAFTER EXTRACTING AND REMOVING WATER SOLUBLE SOLIDS FROM SAID COFFEE PARTICLES, AND COMBINING SAID CONDENSED VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS AND THE EXTRACT CONTAINING SAID WATER SOLUBLE SOLIDS TO PRODUCE A HIGHLY FLAVORFUL WATER SOLUBLE COFFEE PRODUCT.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PRODUCING A SOLUBLE COFFEE PRODUCT COMPRISIG INTRODUCING STEAM AT THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF AN ELONGATED COLUMN CONTAINING A PACED BED OF ROASTED AND GROUND COFFEE PARTICLES HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE WHEREAT AT LEAST 90% BY WEIGHT OF THE PARTICLES ARE RETAINED ON A 40 MESH U.S. STANDARD SIEVE SCREEN, SAID BED HAVING A LENGTH OF AT LEAST FIVE TIMES ITS WIDTH AND A VOID SPACE BETWEEN SAID COFFEE PARTICLES SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT AN INTERNAL REFLUXING AND RECTIFICATION OF STEAM DISTILLED VOLATILE COFFEE CONSTITUENTS ALONG THE TORTUOUS PATHS BETWEEN SAID PARTICLES WHEREBY SAID STEAM CONDENSES ON AND WETS THE COFFEE PARTICLES AND GENERATES AND EXTRACTS SAID VOLATILE COFFEE CONSTITUENTS THEREFROM, CONTINUING THE SUPPLY OF STEAM TO SAID BED TO INITIATE AND MAINTAIN SAID REFLUXING AND RECTIFICATION CONDITON UNTIL ALL OF THE COFFEE PARTICLES HAVE BEEN WETTED BY STEAM AND THE REFLUX AND RECTIFICATION INTERFACE HAS REACHED THE TOP OF THE BED OF COFFEE PARTICLES AND A QUANTITY OF CO-DISTILLED VOLATILE ORGANIC ACIDS HAVE BEEN THEREBY SEPARATED FROM THE DESIRED VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS, CONDENSING SAID DESIRED VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS, THEREAFTER EXTRACTING AND REMOVING WATER SOLUBLE SOLIDS FROM SAID COFFEE PARTICLES, AND COMBINING SAID CONDENSED VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS AND THE EXTRACT CONTAINING SAID WATER SOLUBLE SOLIDS TO PRODUCE A HIGHLY FLAVORFUL WATER SOLUBLE COFFEE PRODUCT.