Preparing Tea With The Aid Of A Tea Pad And A Coffee Maker

• US 20080089982A1
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Douwe Egberts BV (Mondelez International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Douwe Egberts BV (Mondelez International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Perton, Maria, de Vries, Joost, Brouwer, Gustaaf
• Application Number:
  US11/660,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20080089982A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/77
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/0615 with special arrangements for making tea or the like, e.g. where the infusion liquid is kept a certain time in the filter before flowing out
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/0621 with means for varying the infusion outflow velocity, e.g. for brewing smaller quantities
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/0678 Means to separate the cartridge from the bottom of the brewing chamber, e.g. grooves or protrusions
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/407 with ingredient-containing cartridges; Cartridge-perforating means
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8043 Packages adapted to allow liquid to pass through the contents B65D85/808 takes precedence; filters or reusable cartridges for coffee or tea makers, not used as packages A47J31/06
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8046 Pods, i.e. closed containers made only of filter paper or similar material

Abstract

A tea pad (1) for preparing tea, more particularly at least one consumption unit of tea, with the aid of a coffee maker (2), while the coffee maker is provided with a holder (4) for receiving at least one pad filled with a product to be extracted, and means (22) for pressing hot water under pressure through the pad for obtaining an extract while, preferably, the applied pressure of the water is 1-2 bar, the pad being provided with a covering (26) such as filtering paper which is at least partly transmissive to a liquid such as water and which is at least virtually non-transmissive to tea while the covering comprises at least one space which is at least partly filled with tea.

Claims

1. A tea pad for preparing tea, more particularly at least one consumption unit of tea, with the aid of a coffee maker, wherein the coffee maker is provided with a holder for receiving at least one pad filled with a product to be extracted, and means for pressing hot water under pressure through the pad for obtaining an extract while, preferably, the applied pressure of the water is 1-2 bar, the pad being provided with a covering such as filtering paper which is at least partly transmissive to a liquid such as water and which is at least virtually non-transmissive to tea, while the covering comprises at least one space which is at least partly filled with tea.

2. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea pad has a flat form.

3. A tea pad according to claim 2, wherein the tea pad has the form of a disc.

4. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea in the space forms a tea bed with a flat form.

5. A tea pad according to claim 4, wherein the tea bed has the form of a disc.

6. A tea pad according to claim 4 wherein that the tea bed has a greatest diameter of 30-55 mm.

7. A tea pad according to claim 6, wherein the tea bed has a greatest diameter of 35-45 mm.

8. A tea pad according to claim 4, wherein the tea bed has a greatest height which is smaller than 10 mm.

9. A tea pad according to claim 8, wherein the tea bed has a greatest height which is smaller than 7 mm.

10. A tea pad according to claim 4, wherein the tea bed has a greatest height which is greater than 2 mm.

11. A tea pad according to claim 10, wherein the tea bed has a greatest height which is greater than 3 mm.

12. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the covering is provided with a top sheet and a bottom sheet interconnected by their circumferential edges, while the interconnected circumferential edges form a sealing seam, each sheet being manufactured from a material such as filtering paper which is at least partly transmissive to a liquid such as water and which is at least virtually non-transmissive to tea.

13. A tea pad according to claim 12, wherein the sealing seam has a width which is greater than 4 mm.

14. A tea pad according to claim 13, wherein the sealing seam has a width which is greater than 5 mm.

16. A tea pad according to claim 13, wherein the sealing seam has a width which is smaller than 10 mm.

17. A tea pad according to claim 12, wherein the sealing seam has a size of 5-12 mm.

18. A tea pad according to claim 17, wherein the sealing seam has a size of 5-10 mm, more particularly of 6-10 mm.

19. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea pad is filled with 1-6 gr of tea, more particularly with 1-2.5 gr of tea.

20. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea pad is filled with an amount of tea which is smaller than approximately 1.9 gr of tea.

21. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea pad is filled with 1-4 gr of black tea, more specifically with 1 2.5 gr of black tea.

22. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea pad is filled with 1-4 gram of fruit tea, more specifically with 1-2.5 gram of fruit tea.

23. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea pad is filled with 1-4 gram of green tea, more specifically with 1-2.5 gram of green tea.

24. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea pad is filled with 1-6 gram of rooibos tea, more specifically with 1.5-5 gram of rooibos tea.

25. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea pad is filled with 1-6 gram of tea in the form of herb mixture, more specifically with 1-5 gram of herb mixture.

26. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea pad is filled with 6-11 grams of components provided with a tea comprising also spices and/or aromas, while the components further comprise a milk powder, and sugar and/or sweeteners for preparing Chai-tea.

27. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the components comprise 1.5-3 grams of tea.

28. A tea pad according to claim 26, wherein the components comprise 3.5-6.5 grams of sugar or a comparable equivalent of sweeteners or a comparable equivalent of a combination of sweeteners and sugar.

29. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the volume of the tea is 60-90% of the volume of the space in the tea pad in which the tea is included.

30. A tea pad according to claim 29, wherein the volume of the tea is 75-85% of the volume of the space in the tea pad in which the tea is included.

31. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea pad is filled with 3-8 ml of tea.

32. A tea pad according to claim 30, wherein the tea pad is filled with 4-7 ml of tea.

33. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea comprises rooibos tea which may be supplemented with aromas and/or fruit parts.

34. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea comprises a herb mixture on the basis of various blends of herbs which may be supplemented with aromas and/or fruit parts.

35. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea comprises a fruit tea on the basis of a black tea blend which may be supplemented with aromas and fruit parts.

36. A tea pad according to claim 33, wherein 2-8 volume percent of the tea consist of the aromas and 1-2 volume percent of the tea consists of fruit parts.

37. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea also comprises spices and/or aromas while in the tea pad, further, sugar and/or sweeteners are included and milk powder for preparing a Chai-tea.

38. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea comprises particles with a size of 0.1-1.2 mm, more particularly of 0.24-0.96 mm.

39. A tea pad according to claim 38, wherein the tea comprises particles with a size of 0.2-0.85 mm, more particularly of 0.36-0.84 mm.

40. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea pad comprises tea with particles having a size which is greater than 0.8 mm and/or particles having a size which is smaller than 0.35 mm.

41. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea pad comprises tea with a coarseness which is greater than PD and smaller than OP.

42. A tea pad according to claim 1, wherein the tea comprises at least a first type of tea and a second type of tea, while a size of the particles of the first type of tea differs from the size of the second type of tea.

43. A tea pad according to claim 42, wherein the size of the particles of the first type of tea is smaller than 0.5 mm, more specifically smaller than 0.35 mm.

44. A tea pad according to claim 42, wherein the size of the particles of the second type of tea is greater than 0.6 mm, more specifically greater than 0.8 mm.

45. A tea pad according to claim 12, wherein a first sheet of the two sheets, viewed at least partly from outside the tea pad, is of convex design.

46. A tea pad according to claim 45, wherein a second sheet of the two sheets, viewed at least partly from outside the tea pad, is of flat or convex design.

59. A method according to claim 47, wherein use is made of a tea pad according to any one of the preceding claims 1-46.

60. An assembly of a holder comprising an inside space formed by a bottom and an upstanding sidewall of the holder, a pad received in the holder which pad is filled with a product to be extracted, and a lid bounding the inside space of the holder with which the holder is closed off, the holder being provided with an outflow path which begins in the bottom of the holder and ends outside the holder for dispensing the extract while, in use, hot water is fed to the holder and is pressed through the pad for obtaining the extract which, then, leaves the pad and, thereupon, leaves the inside space and the holder via the outflow path, wherein the pad is a tea pad according to claim 1.

61. An assembly according to claim 60, wherein a tea bed of the tea pad has a greatest height which is smaller than a greatest height of the inside space.

62. An assembly according to claim 61, wherein the tea bed of the tea pad has a greatest height which is at least 10% and preferably at least 20% smaller than the greatest height of the inside space.

63. An assembly according to claim 60, wherein the tea pad has a width which corresponds at least virtually with a width of the inside space.

64. An assembly according to 60, wherein the outflow path is provided with a flow restriction so that, in use, a pressure drop across the tea pad is smaller than a pressure drop across the outflow path.

65. An assembly according to 60, wherein the inside space has a diameter of 40-60 mm while a tea bed of the tea pad has a diameter of 35-45 mm.

66. An assembly according to 60, wherein the bottom is provided with at least one outflow opening and grooves extending towards the at least one outflow opening.

67. An assembly according to 60, wherein the tea pad rests on the bottom of the holder and reaches over the bottom adjacent the upstanding sidewall of the holder.

68. A coffee maker provided with a holder of the assembly according to 60, wherein the coffee maker is provided with a flow restriction that can be switched on and off, upstream of the holder for preparing tea with a tea pad in the holder using the flow restriction and for preparing coffee with a coffee pad in a different holder for the coffee pad without using the flow restriction.

69. A coffee maker provided with a holder of the assembly according to 60, wherein the coffee maker is provided with a flow restriction upstream of the holder for preparing tea with a tea pad in the holder.

15. (canceled)

47. A method for preparing tea, more particularly at least one consumption unit of tea, with the aid of a coffee maker, while the coffee maker is provided with a holder for receiving at least one pad which is filled with a product to be extracted, the holder being provided with at least one outflow path and means for pressing hot water under pressure through the pad for obtaining an extract which leaves the holder via the outflow path, wherein at least one tea pad is placed in the holder of the coffee maker, which tea pad is provided with a covering such as filtering paper which is at least partly transmissive to a liquid such as water and which is at least virtually non-transmissive to tea while the covering comprises at least one space which is filled with tea.

48. A method according to claim 47, wherein with the aid of the coffee maker hot water is supplied to the at least one tea pad at a pressure of 1-2 bar.

49. A method according to claim 47, wherein a pressure drop across the at least one tea pad is 0.1-0.2 bar.

50. A method according to claim 49, wherein a pressure drop across the outflow path is greater than a pressure drop across the at least one tea pad.

51. A method according to claim 47, wherein 100-170 ml of hot water is pressed through the at least one tea pad for preparing a consumption unit of tea.

52. A method according to claim 47, wherein the temperature of the hot water is 88-95 0 C.

53. A method according to claim 47, wherein one consumption unit of tea of 100-170 ml extract is prepared while per consumption unit of tea one tea pad is used.

54. A method according to claim 47, wherein the holder comprises an inside space formed by a bottom and an upstanding sidewall, while the inside space has a greatest height of at least 6 mm and preferably at least 8 mm.

55. A method according to claim 47, wherein the holder comprises an inside space formed by a bottom and an upstanding sidewall while a tea bed of the tea pad in dry condition in the holder has a greatest height which is at least 10% and more particularly at least 20% smaller than the greatest height of the holder.

56. A method according to claim 47, wherein for 20-40 seconds, the hot water is pressed through the at least one tea pad.

57. A method according to claim 47, wherein the pressure drop of the hot water in the coffee maker upstream of the tea pad and/or downstream of the tea pad is greater than the pressure drop across the tea pad itself.

58. A method according to claim 47, wherein the holder comprises an inside space formed by a bottom and an upstanding sidewall, while the tea pad in dry condition has a width which corresponds at least virtually with a width of the inside space.