Coffee, tea, and herbal tea maker
Herbal tea abstract
A device for hot beverages, such as coffee, tea, herbal tea,
comprises a lower container for receiving water, an upper container
for receiving brewed beverages, and a grounds holder assembly with
an injector differential system, into which coffee ground, tea leaves
and herbs are placed. The grounds are subjected to high temperature
water and steam, to extract essences and produce a beverage, such
as espresso coffee, tea, chamomile and others. The injector differential
system has an injector nozzle an injector floating piston in the
lower portion of the hollow stem. Pressurized hot water and steam
from the lower container flow through the injector nozzle, lifting
injector floating piston, at predermined high temperature and pressure,
through the holes of lower perforated plate, and then into the grounds
for brewing process. The water and stem extract of the grounds pass
through inverted funnel and it is collected into the upper cylindrical
container.
Herbal tea claims
What I claim is:
1. In a device for brewing of beverage from grounds during a brewing
cycle, the device comprising a lower container assembly having a
closed bottom and open top for receiving and heating water, an upper
container assembly for receiving brewed beverage, said upper container
assembly removably connected and hermetically sealable to said lower
container assembly, a grounds basket nested into the top of said
lower container assembly and having upper and lower perforated retention
plates permitting passage of heated water and steam therethrough
to said upper container assembly, said basket having a bottom wall
opening to a vertical hollow stem having a lower end extending proximate
to the bottom of said lower container assembly, for passage of heated
water and steam into said grounds basket, said lower container assembly
having a pressure relief valve in the wall thereof, the improvement
comprising: an injector assembly comprising a floating piston, said
floating piston being free to slide up and down in said hollow stem
and having a lower flat surface to 8 microinch finish, or finer,
said injector assembly further comprising a nozzle at the lower
end of said hollow stem, the nozzle having an orifice, preferably,
of 0.8-1.0 mm (0.32-0.039 inch) diameter and having an upper flat
surface to 8 microinch, or finer, whereby said floating piston caps
said orifice when resting on said nozzle.
Herbal tea description
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to devices used for making hot beverages
from organic substances, such as ground coffee beans, tea leaves,
and herbs in general requiring high temperature and pressure.
BACKGROUND ART
Many prior art of coffee and tea makers are available. There has
been a myriad of different type of coffee, tea, and herbs makers
throughout the last two centuries, all of which differ from the
present invention.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The objects of the instant invention are: (a) to provide a simple
device to extract essences from the coffee grounds, tea and herbs
in a quick and efficient method, producing espresso and other varieties
of coffee and tea beverages with outstanding flavor, (b) to provide
a coffee and tea maker that requires lesser amount of grounds providing
the same or improved brew strength, (c) to provide a stove top coffee
and tea maker which permits the home maker to make espresso coffee,
tea, and other herbs without the requirement for an expensive commercial
machine; (d) to provide a coffee and tea maker which can be used
easily and conveniently for commercial use;
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a
consideration of the insuring description and drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The improved maker for coffee, tea and herbal tea detailed herein
has four components, comprising an upper brewed coffee or tea container,
a lower water heating container, a coffee or tea brewing assembly
which includes a coffee or tea holder having a hollow stern into
the lower water heating container, an injector assembly which includes
an injector nozzle and an injector floating piston, nested into
the lower end of the hollow stern. The four components am threadably
assembled into a hermetically sealed unit In practice, the water
heated in the lower water heating container, generating steam, passes
through the injector nozzle orifice and forces the injector floating
piston upwards, at a predetermined pressure and temperature, which
opens the orifice of the injector nozzle, allowing the heated water
and steam to flow into the grounds, at a pulsating cycle, extracting
coffee and tea essences of outstanding flavor.
The invention simplifies the manufacture of a maker for coffee,
tea and herbs, and improves the process. (The term "grounds" in
the foregoing text is used for simplicity and it is intended to
encompass the processing of coffee grounds, tea leaves, herbs and
so forth).
The foregoing and other objects, feature and advantages of the invention
will become more apparent from the following description of the
preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating the components embodying
the invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the components with the
injector floating piston in the up position.
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the injector floating piston.
FIG. 4 is a top view of the injector nozzle.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the nominal theoretical pressure
and temperature as function of injector nozzle orifice diameter,
at constant mass of injector floating piston.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The inventive system comprises an injector nozzle and an injector
floating piston located at the bottom of the hollow stem of the
grounds holder of a coffee, tea and herbal tea maker or similar
type grounds.
FIG. 1 shows a coffee and tea maker 20 for brewing coffee of different
type and teas, which includes a lower cylindrical water heating
container 1 having a flat base of a larger diameter at the bottom
for heat efficiency, an upper cylindrical container assembly 2 a
grounds holder assembly 3 having a hollow stem 18 nested into the
lower cylindrical container 1 an injector floating piston 4 an injector
nozzle 5 having an orifice 6 nested into the hollow stem 18 upper
and lower perforated plates 7 and 8 respectively located in the
upper cylindrical container 2 and in the grounds holder assembly
3 a gasket 11 of heat, hot water and steam resistant elastomeric
material is nested in the upper cylindrical container 2 to seal
the lower water heating container 1 to allow it to be pressurized.
The injector floating piston 4 having a diameter smaller than the
inside diameter of the hollow stem 18 can slide freely up and down
into said hollow stem. The injector nozzle 5 is centered and pressed
into the lower portion of the hollow stem 18 for the water and steam
to pass only through injector nozzle orifice 6.
The upper cylindrical container assembly 2 is composed of a lid
21 a handle 23 an integral inverted interior funnel 15 rising vertically
from the bottom of said upper cylindrical container, having at its
upper end a cap 22 which forces the flow of fluid and steam to go
downwards into the lower portion of the upper cylindrical container
assembly 2 FIG. 2.
The lower cylindrical water heating container 1 comprises a pressure
relieve valve 13 and a cylindrical top having threads extending
around the external portion of said top, which engages the threaded
bottom of the upper cylindrical container assembly 2. The upper
cylindrical container assembly 2 has the cylindrical wall extending
beyond the bottom of said container, said extended cylindrical wall
having in the internal portion a groove and threads, said groove
to receive gasket 11 and said threads to engage and tighten the
lower water heating container 1 FIG. 1.
The upper flat surface 24 of the injector nozzle 5 FIG. 4 is finished
to a surface texture of 8 microinches, or finer, to allow the lower
flat surface 25 of the floating piston 4 FIG. 3 also finished to
a surface of 8 microinches, or finer, to close the orifice 6 of
the injector nozzle 5; both injector nozzle 5 and injector floating
piston 4 are made of mental preferably of stainless steel, which
is preferable, also, for all the other components, except where
noted.
FIG. 1 and 2 illustrate the position of the injector floating piston
during the brewing cycle, FIG. 1 at the beginning of the cycle,
and FIG. 2 in the up or open position; FIG. 5 shows the nominal,
theoretical pressure/temperature-orifice diameter curve which characterizes
the injector nozzle-injector floating piston assembly of the brewer.
In accordance with the principle of this invention, the lower cylindrical
water heating container 1 is filled with water 12 for example about
150-200 ml, up to the relief valve 13 set at 4.2 kg/cm2 (60 psi
=414 kPa) maximum pressure. Grounds holder assembly 3 with injector
nozzle 5 and injector floating piston 4 is positioned in the lower
container 1 the grounds chamber 9 is filled partially, or fully,
with grounds, whether coffee, tea or herbal tea. The upper cylindrical
container assembly 2 is threadedly engaged onto the lower water
heating container 1 and tightened to form a hermetic seal. The diameter
of the injector nozzle orifice can vary, for practical purposes,
from 0.8 to 1.0 mm (0.032 -0.039 inch), the length of the orifice
is 1.5 to 2.0 times the diameter of the orifice.
The coffee and tea maker 20 is heated on a burner, or other heating
element, as steam 14 develops,hot water 12 is pushed down and forced
to enter injector nozzle 5 at the lower end, which stands off 1.0mm
from the bottom of the lower container 1 allowing sufficient clearance
for the water and stem to enter through orifice 6 forcing upwards
floating piston 4 resting on top of upper flat surface 24 of nozzle
5. When the differential pressure between the lower container 1
and the section above the upper flat surface 24 of injector nozzle
5 reaches a predetermined value or setting, the floating piston
4 for example weighing 12.1 gr, is raised at 2.46 kg/cm 2 (35 psi
=240 kPa) nominal with the injector nozzle orifice 6 having a diameter
of 0.8 mm (0.032 inch), at a temperature of 140.degree. C. (282.degree.F.),
allowing the hot water and steam to pass through stem 18 and then
through the grounds 10 in chamber 9. As the water and steam passes
through the orifice 6 floating piston 4 is pushed up against lower
plate 8 at a velocity being a function of the heat rate in the lower
container (theoretically this instantaneous velocity, at its peak,
is approximately 20 m/s), then falls downwards onto the upper flat
surface 24 of nozzle 5 thus closing the orifice 6 due to its mass
of inertia and to the force of reaction if impact on the lower surface
of the lower perforated plate 8 which does not experience, for practical
purpose, deformation, therefore no kinetic energy of the floating
piston 4 is absorbed and the impact can be considered elastic, the
coefficient of restitution is unity and there is no energy loss.
The impact is the collision of the floating piston 4 against the
lower surface of the lower perforated plate 8 the linear momentum
is practically unchanged. The pressure, a function of the heat rate
of the lower container, through the nozzle orifice 6 forces again
the floating piston 4 to raise upwards, thus opening the nozzle
orifice 6 in an oscillating cycle of opening and closing, similar
to the accelerated motion of a pendulum projected on a diameter.
The instantaneous oscillating frequency, at its peak, is in the
vicinity of 3000 cycles per second. FIG. 5 illustrates the relationship
between the pressure-temperature as a function of the orifice 6
diameter, inversely proportional, at constant mass of floating piston
4. Typically, this pressure ranges between 2.1-3.1 kg/cm2 (30-45
psi =207-310 lPa), with temperature between 120-145 .degree. C.
(250-293 .degree.F.).
In the invention, the high temperature of water and steam injected
into the grounds chamber 9 in "quantum", at a pulsation rate being
a function of the heat rate, is highly effective in extracting from
grounds of coffee, tea, herbs and other organic material, a greater
quantity of essence per unit of volume or mass than is achieved
when greater than atmospheric pressure is not employed. The high
temperature of water and steam is relatively constant during the
brewing process, it is a function of the injector pulsating system,
not a function of volume or mass of grounds compacted in the chamber,
therefore variable amounts of grounds can be used which are exposed
to equal temperature. To emphasize this concept, considering a system
without the described differential injector system, the heated water
and steam will flow through the grounds 10 in chamber 9 at 80-90
C (176-194 F), at practically atmospheric pressure, having to overcome
only the resistance of grounds, the result being rinsing grounds
with heated water.
The disclosed details are exemplary only and are not to be taken
as limitations on this invention, they should not be construed as
limiting the scope of this invention, but merely providing illustration
of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention.
Thus the scope of this invention should be determined by the appended
claims and their legal equivalents, rather than the examples given.
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