Ground roast coffee tablet

Abstract

A ground roast coffee tablet which is capable of being brewed in a conventional automatic drip coffee maker, and which exhibits sufficient strength to withstand all aspects of manufacture, handling, packaging, transport without breakage but also readily disintegrates when contacted with hot water during brewing, is made by subjecting conventional ground, roasted coffee to a multi-step compaction process in which at least two compression steps are carried out in the same compaction die.

1 . A free-standing coffee tablet for use in an automatic drip coffee maker (ADC), the coffee tablet having been made by a multi-step compaction process in which at least a first compression and a separate second compression are carried out in the same compaction die in such a manner that the coffee tablet obtained exhibits a hardness of at least about 40N (Newtons), a friability of no greater than about 6%, and readily disintegrates when contacted with hot water during brewing in the ADC. 
     
     
         2 . The coffee tablet of  claim 1 , wherein ten (10) of the tablets, unbroken, are capable of brewing with 1420 ml of water in an ADC having a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec a consumable coffee beverage having an absorbance per gram of >0.07. 
     
     
         3 . The coffee tablet of  claim 1 , wherein a compaction force of the first compression is ˜50% to ˜75% of a compaction force of the second compression. 
     
     
         4 . The coffee tablet of  claim 1 , wherein the tablet contains sufficient coffee solid to make only a standard serving of brewed coffee. 
     
     
         5 . The coffee tablet of  claim 1 , wherein the tablet comprises greater than 99% coffee. 
     
     
         6 . The coffee tablet of  claim 1 , wherein the tablet has a mass of about 1.9-3.5 g. 
     
     
         7 . The coffee tablet of  claim 1 , wherein ten (10) of the tablets, unbroken, are capable of brewing with 1420 ml of water in an ADC having a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec a consumable coffee beverage having a brew solids level of from about 0.3% to about 1.3%. 
     
     
         8 . The coffee tablet of  claim 1 , wherein approximately 26-30 grams of the tablets, unbroken, are capable of brewing with 1420 ml of water in an ADC having a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec a consumable coffee beverage having an absorbance value of about 1.7-2.5. 
     
     
         9 . The coffee tablet of  claim 1 , wherein when approximately 26 to 30 g of coffee tablets are brewed in an ADC having a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec using approximately 1420 g of water, the ratio of coffee solids extracted during an initial 250 g of brewed coffee to the coffee solids extracted during a subsequent 250 g of brewed coffee immediately following the initial 250 g of brewed coffee is approximately 0.30-0.55. 
     
     
         10 . The coffee tablet of  claim 1 , wherein the first compression has a compression dwell time<25 milliseconds, and wherein the second compression has a compression dwell time<25 milliseconds. 
     
     
         11 . The coffee tablet of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a pressure of the first compression is ˜50% to ˜60% of a pressure of the second compression, with the second compression being carried out at a pressure of >˜84.8 MPa and <˜169.7 MPa;   the tablet exhibits a hardness of at least about 50 N, a friability of no greater than about 3.5%, and a density of ≧0.95 g/cm 3 ;   the tablet comprises greater than 99% coffee, is essentially free of a binder, and has a mass of about 1.9 g to about 3.5 g; and   approximately 26-30 grams of the tablets, unbroken, are capable of brewing with 1420 ml of water in an automatic drip coffee maker having a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec a consumable coffee beverage having: (a) a brew solids level of from about 0.3% to about 1.3%; (b) a yield of at least about 26%; (c) a brew absorbance of at least about 1.6; and (d) a ratio of absorbance of an initial 250 g portion of brewed coffee to an absorbance of a subsequent 250 g portion of brewed coffee immediately following the initial 250 g portion of approximately 0.33-0.57.   
     
     
         12 . A process for producing a coffee tablet comprising subjecting ground roast coffee to a multi-step compaction process including a pre-compression step and a subsequent main compression step, the pre-compression step being carried out at a lower compaction force but in the same compaction die as the main compression step so as to produce a coffee tablet exhibiting a hardness when dry of at least about 40 N (Newtons), a friability when dry of no greater than about 6%, and readily disintegrates when contacted with hot water during brewing in the ADC. 
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein ten (10) of the tablets, unbroken, are capable of brewing with 1420 ml of water in an ADC having a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec a consumable coffee beverage having an absorbance per gram of >0.07. 
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein a compaction force of the first compression is ˜50% to ˜75% of a compaction force of the second compression. 
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein the tablet contains sufficient coffee solid to make only a standard serving of brewed coffee. 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein the tablet comprises greater than 99% coffee. 
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein the tablet has a mass of about 1.9-3.5 g. 
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein ten (10) of the tablets, unbroken, are capable of brewing with 1420 ml of water in an ADC having a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec a consumable coffee beverage having a brew solids level of from about 0.3% to about 1.3%. 
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein approximately 26-30 grams of the tablets, unbroken, are capable of brewing with 1420 ml of water in an ADC having a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec a consumable coffee beverage having an absorbance value of about 1.7-2.5. 
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein when approximately 26 to 30 g of coffee tablets are brewed in an ADC having a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec using approximately 1420 g of water, the ratio of coffee solids extracted during an initial 250 g of brewed coffee to the coffee solids extracted during a subsequent 250 g of brewed coffee immediately following the initial 250 g of brewed coffee is approximately 0.30-0.55. 
     
     
         21 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein the first compression has a compression dwell time<25 milliseconds, and wherein the second compression has a compression dwell time<25 milliseconds. 
     
     
         22 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein:
 a pressure of the first compression is ˜50% to ˜60% of a pressure of the second compression, with the second compression being carried out at a pressure of >˜84.8 MPa and <˜169.7 MPa;   the tablet exhibits a hardness of at least about 50 N, a friability of no greater than about 3.5%, and a density of ≧0.95 g/cm 3 ;   the tablet comprises greater than 99% coffee, is essentially free of a binder, and has a mass of about 1.9 g to about 3.5 g; and   approximately 26-30 grams of the tablets, unbroken, are capable of brewing with 1420 ml of water in an automatic drip coffee maker having a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec a consumable coffee beverage having: (a) a brew solids level of from about 0.3% to about 1.3%; (b) a yield of at least about 26%; (c) a brew absorbance of at least about 1.6; and (d) a ratio of absorbance of an initial 250 g portion of brewed coffee to an absorbance of a subsequent 250 g portion of brewed coffee immediately following the initial 250 g portion of approximately 0.33-0.57.   
     
     
         23 .- 172 . (canceled)