METHOD FOR EXTRACTING ESPRESSO COFFEE PARTICULARLY FROM A CARTRIDGE WITH CREMA GENERATING SEPTUM, AND BEVERAGE OBTAINABLE FROM THE METHOD

• US 20070261564A1
• Filed: 05/10/2007
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illycaffe SPA
• Original Assignee: Illycaffe SPA
• Inventors: Mastropasqua, Luca, Suggi Liverani, Furio, Van Eeden, Frans, Dellapietra, Bruno
• Granted Patent: US 9,474,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 99/279
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/002 following a specific operational sequence, e.g. for improving the taste of the extraction product
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/369 Impermeable cartridges being employed
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/4496 Means to produce beverage with a layer on top, e.g. of cream, foam or froth

Abstract

A method for extracting an espresso coffee beverage by means of an espresso coffee machine, comprising:

• a) providing an extraction chamber, which comprises a dose of roasted and ground espresso coffee and a normally-closed septum which is arranged downstream of the coffee dose;
• b) injecting hot water into the chamber, outward dispensing of the beverage being prevented through the normally-closed septum;
• c) when the water pressure reaches a preset value, the partition is opened in order to force the beverage to pass through a small orifice before it is dispensed into the cup, the size of the orifice being such as to keep the dose of coffee contained in the extraction chamber at a substantially uniform pressure along the direction of the flow of water, so that the espresso coffee beverage extracted through the orifice comprises crema.

Claims

1. A method for extracting an espresso coffee beverage by means of an espresso coffee machine, comprising:

a) a step for providing an extraction chamber, which comprises a dose of roasted and ground espresso coffee and a normally-closed septum which is arranged downstream of said coffee dose;

b) a step for injecting hot water into said chamber, outward dispensing of the beverage being prevented through the normally-closed septum;

c) an extraction step in which, when the water pressure reaches a preset value, the septum is opened in order to force the beverage to pass through a small orifice before it is dispensed into the cup, the size of said orifice being such as to keep the dose of coffee contained in the extraction chamber at a substantially uniform pressure along the direction of the flow of hot water, so that the espresso coffee beverage extracted through said orifice comprises crema.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said septum is made of elastic material and said orifice is provided directly in said septum.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said extraction chamber is a rigid cartridge which contains said dose of coffee and the septum.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said preset value is at least 6 bars or, more particularly, ranges from 6 to 9 bars.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said injection step b) is preceded by a preinfusion step, in which a preset dose of hot water is injected into said chamber for a preset time interval, keeping the septum closed.

6. The method according to claim 5, comprising a step of imbibition after said preinfusion step and before said injection step b), wherein the flow of hot water is interrupted for a second preset time interval.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, in said extraction step c), the pressure upstream of the dose of coffee ranges from 9 to 12 bars, the pressure downstream of said dose and upstream of said septum ranges from 6 to 7 bars, and the pressure downstream of said septum is atmospheric pressure.

8. An espresso coffee obtainable from the method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises crema which has a distribution of bubble diameters which is substantially uniform in the 20-150 micron interval.

9. The espresso coffee according to claim 8, wherein at least 40% of the bubbles have a diameter of more than approximately 60 microns.

11. The machine according to claim 10, wherein said control means further comprise stored instructions to perform the method according to claim 1.

10. A machine for preparing espresso coffee, comprising an extraction assembly which contains a cartridge and a normally-closed septum provided with an openable through orifice, a boiler in fluid connection to said extraction assembly, and a pump for injecting into said cartridge pressurized hot water which arrives from said boiler, said cartridge containing a dose of roasted and ground coffee, characterized in that it comprises control means which store instructions for:

injecting hot water at such a pressure as to prevent dispensing of the beverage toward the outside of the extraction assembly through the septum;

increasing the pressure of the hot water to a preset value, so as to open said orifice in order to force the beverage to pass through the orifice before it is dispensed into a cup, the size of said orifice being such as to keep the dose of coffee at a substantially uniform pressure along the direction of the flow of hot water, so that the espresso coffee beverage extracted through said orifice comprises crema.