CN117098458A

CN117098458A - Shaved coffee beans and coffee shaving method

Info

Publication number: CN117098458A
Application number: CN202280024091.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 埃里克·怀特
Original assignee: Ai LikeHuaite
Current assignee: Ai LikeHuaite
Priority date: 2021-03-25
Filing date: 2022-03-21
Publication date: 2023-11-21

Abstract

A coffee bean scraping process is utilized herein to produce scraped coffee bean products (such as coffee flakes, coffee shavings, and coffee slices) that may include clean and smooth faces and rough edges. Thanks to the scraping process described herein, scraped coffee bean products can be produced with a larger and smaller surface, resulting in a coffee product with a larger surface area to volume (SA/V) ratio, in particular when compared to coffee powder produced by a conventional millstone grinder. Thus, by optimizing these SA/V ratios, it has been observed that the coffee making potential of the coffee beans can be maximized and the SA/V variation between particles reduced, thereby producing more consistent results.

Description

Shaved coffee beans and coffee shaving method

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 63/176,476 entitled "scraped COFFEE beans and COFFEE scraping method (SHAVED COFFEE BEANS AND COFFEE SHAVING METHODS)" filed on day 4, 2021, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 63/165,968 entitled "COFFEE FLAKE, COFFEE scraping, or COFFEE fragment product (COFFEE FLAKE, COFFEE SHAVING OR COFFEE CHIP PRODUCT)" filed on day 25, 2021, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Background

1. Technical field

The present invention relates generally to the production of coffee products. More particularly, the present invention relates generally to the production of shaved coffee bean products by shaving coffee beans.

2. Description of related Art

The earliest description on coffee grinder was traced back to the origin of the Egyptian coffee when ground with a simple mortar and pestle. This was in the 15 th century, by default, people began grinding coffee using their spice grinders, which were readily available at that time. In the 17 th century, a british name called nicolas Book (Nicholas Book) has discovered the first coffee grinder in the world, and in the last 300 years many people have been working on the same basic technology for grinding coffee as they grind dried peppers, salt and other spices.

Millstone grinders are conventional grinders in the past and continue to be commonly used today. However, little progress has been made in preparing coffee beans for subsequent consumption. Thus, the variety of manual and electric machines that use rotary blade and/or burr grinding techniques to grind coffee constitute conventional grinding techniques that are currently in use.

In general, most "grinding" methods involve crushing, slicing, cutting and/or crushing the coffee beans to even smaller particle sizes to increase the surface area of accessible coffee holes. The particle size is important based on the subsequent use of ground coffee beans. For example, espresso coffee is ground very finely whereas french press is actually coarser. Typically, this is due to the time differences in which extraction occurs in these brewing techniques. Regardless of the grinding process (e.g., blade or grinder plate) or the selected brewing mode (e.g., espresso, french press, etc.), all of these techniques require repeated contact of the coffee beans with the blade and/or grinder plate teeth to produce the desired coffee grounds. In other words, the coffee beans must be crushed, sliced, cut and/or crushed multiple times during the grinding process to achieve the desired diameter measurement of the coffee grounds.

Furthermore, when the pores of the ground coffee are exposed to a solvent (such as water), they typically release amino acids (proteins), carbohydrates, fibers, minerals, antioxidants, caffeine, and/or pectin into the solvent. This process, known as "extraction", creates a number of different types of coffee beverages that are enjoyed by more than billions of people throughout the world each day. It is important to understand the order of dissolution of these compounds in coffee bean cells. Typically, fruit acids and caffeine dissolve most rapidly and produce a sour/fruity taste, while carbohydrates (mainly sugars) dissolve somewhat slowly and add sweetness/caramel taste to the resulting beverage. Subsequently, the remaining fibrous dry plant solids dissolved the slowest and added a bitter/earthy taste to the mixture.

Most coffee preferably has a balanced match of fruit and sweetness when consumed, with little bitter taste due to complexity; thus, the extraction process (removal of the grind from the water) is typically stopped before the excess fibrous soluble particles are dissolved. Typically, if a cup of coffee is described as "sour" or "weak", it will fall under the classification of "under-extracted". Alternatively, if a coffee beverage is described as "bitter" or "smoky," the trait is generally defined as "over-extracted. In general, about 70% of coffee beans are insoluble and consist of cellulose, polysaccharides, lignin and hemicellulose, as well as some proteins, minerals and lipids; so that about 30% of the coffee beans remain "potentially soluble".

Typically, coffee grounds today are often measured in terms of the diameter of the coffee grounds. The ultimate goal of both the grating disc and blade processes is to produce a consistent size range of particle sizes (diameters) to allow for a consistent extraction stage during a given brewing process, thereby increasing the ability to replicate the desired taste.

Although some of the disadvantages of conventional grinding techniques have been addressed, many of the disadvantages remain apparent. For example, the problems of the millstone grinding method are mainly due to the different crushing thresholds present within the roasted coffee beans and the large amount of contact of the coffee beans with the millstone teeth or rotating blades as the coffee beans decrease during the grinding process. More specifically, the outer endosperm of the coffee beans that is more exposed to the roasting process has a higher crushing threshold than the inner endosperm and the central cut. Because of these differences, when different portions of coffee beans are processed together by a millstone grinder (which cuts and slices by pressure via millstone teeth), the lower crush rate particles (i.e., the inner endosperm and center slit) tend to be crushed smaller than the harder roasted outer endosperm.

Additionally, the heat generated by friction during the millstone grinding can also be a problem when attempting to produce smaller particles for espresso and turkish brewing. For many of the same reasons described above, "dust or fines" are also easily generated during the small particle millstone grinding process. The teeth of the grinding disc also easily damage many of the outer holes of the coffee particles during the grinding process.

Most millstone (e.g., flat, block or cone) grinders grind the coffee beans into a range of cobblestones/block spheres for use in the brewing process. Due to the complete randomness of the multiple blade contact, blade grinders have even greater variation in particle size and shape, with increased frictional heat problems. When the blade hits it at a very high velocity, coffee beans particles are also more prone to produce coffee dust or fines because they are "crushed" rather than sliced.

Furthermore, the coffee extraction process must be understood to best understand the deficiencies of conventional coffee grinders and ground coffee beans. Typically, water can permeate and extract soluble particles from coffee bean cells that are approximately five coffee bean cell layers deep. Typically, the coffee bean cells are about 20 microns thick; thus, it is acceptable that water only permeates and extracts soluble compounds up to about 100 microns deep into any coffee grounds (i.e., about five layers of coffee cells within the surface).

Fig. 1 depicts an exemplary prior art coffee grounds 10 having a diameter of 1,000 microns, with each block 12 representing a thickness of 100 microns. As shown in fig. 1, a solvent (such as water) will only be able to penetrate the top layer of the coffee grounds, rendering most of the coffee grounds unusable.

It should be noted that any penetration in the coffee grounds or beans exceeding a depth of 100 microns may occur due to erosion of the surface of the coffee grounds caused by prolonged periods of time. However, increased extraction due to erosion is often not acceptable because it can lead to poor taste characteristics of the resulting coffee beverage and limit retail appeal due to increased time. Thus, the challenge when processing coffee grounds and extraction is how to optimally maximize the yield of coffee cells within 100 microns from the surface of the coffee grounds without producing a coffee product with undesirable taste characteristics.

Furthermore, it has been observed that the extraction characteristics of coffee grounds cannot be maximized by simply producing a smaller diameter coffee grounds and exposing all the coffee bean cells to the extraction process. Coffee powders having a diameter of 100 microns or less may be considered "fines" and typically form coffee beverages that exhibit a significant amount of "bitter" taste characteristics because soluble compounds within the coffee powder dissolve faster than desired. In other words, such small diameter coffee grounds may be easily over extracted and overwhelm the taste profile of the resulting coffee beverage. Furthermore, the use of these smaller diameter coffee powders may lead to a "channeling effect" which occurs when the smaller diameter coffee powders are brought together and cause channels to form throughout the coffee powder, resulting in water contacting only a limited percentage of the coffee powder. This is why, therefore, the espresso maker has to "compact" the coffee powder in order to remove the channels and try to form a uniform bed of coffee powder. Finally, such fine diameter coffee grounds may clog coffee filters or create a significant amount of sediment within the coffee beverage itself.

Although some of the disadvantages of conventional grinding techniques have been addressed, many of the disadvantages remain apparent. For example, the problems of millstone grinding are mainly due to the different crushing thresholds present within the roasted coffee beans and the large amount of contact of the coffee beans with the millstone teeth or rotating blades as the coffee beans decrease during the grinding process. More specifically, the outer endosperm of coffee beans that are more exposed to the roasting process has a higher crushing threshold than the inner endosperm. More specifically, roasting results in a reduction of the moisture and outward flow of grease within the coffee beans, which creates a hardened layer or shell. Thus, conventional millstone grinding techniques produce inconsistent grind sizes, which may produce coffee products with unpredictable taste characteristics.

Thus, there remains a need for alternative and advanced techniques for producing coffee products for various brewing processes.

Disclosure of Invention

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a method for producing a shaved coffee bean product. Generally, the method comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the steps of: (a) Providing a starting material comprising one or more coffee beans; and (b) subjecting the initial raw material to a shaving process using the cutting element so as to produce a shaved coffee bean product comprising a plurality of shaved coffee bean particles. In addition, at least 50% of the shaved coffee bean particles include: (i) a minimum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 500 μm, (ii) a maximum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 10,000 μm, (iii) a lateral aspect ratio of 2:1 to 100:1, and (iv) a surface area to volume ratio ("SA/V ratio") of 3 to 50.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a method for producing a coffee beverage. Generally, the method comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the steps of: (a) Providing a shaved coffee bean product comprising a plurality of shaved coffee bean particles, and (b) brewing at least a portion of the shaved coffee bean product to thereby form a coffee beverage. In addition, at least 50% of the shaved coffee bean particles include: (i) a minimum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 500 μm, (ii) a maximum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 10,000 μm, (iii) a lateral aspect ratio of 2:1 to 100:1, and (iv) a surface area to volume ratio ("SA/V ratio") of 3 to 50.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a shaved coffee bean product. Typically, the shaved coffee bean product includes, consists essentially of, or consists of a plurality of shaved coffee bean particles. In addition, at least 50% of the shaved coffee bean particles include: (i) a minimum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 500 μm, (ii) a maximum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 10,000 μm, (iii) a lateral aspect ratio of 2:1 to 100:1, and (iv) a surface area to volume ratio ("SA/V ratio") of 3 to 50.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary prior art coffee grind produced by a millstone grinder;

FIG. 2 depicts the cross-sectional anatomy of a coffee bean;

FIG. 3 is a close-up depiction and halving of cell morphology within the cross-sectional anatomy of a coffee bean;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary depiction of shaved coffee bean particles in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a depiction of how the minimum lateral dimension and the maximum lateral dimension may be measured;

FIG. 6 depicts how the scraped coffee particles of example 2 are formed on a mandolin slicer;

FIG. 7 depicts how the scraped coffee particles of example 2 are formed on a mandolin slicer;

FIG. 8 depicts how the scraped coffee particles of example 2 are formed on a mandolin slicer; and is also provided with

Fig. 9 depicts exemplary shaved coffee bean particles formed during example 2.

Detailed Description

In contrast to conventional millstone grinding techniques, the present disclosure relates to a unique coffee scraping process that allows for the production of scraped coffee bean products (such as coffee flakes, coffee scrapers, and coffee slices) that may include clean and smooth faces and rough edges, as the scraping process is used to produce such products. Thanks to the scraping process described herein, scraped coffee bean products can be produced with a larger and smaller surface, resulting in a coffee product with a larger surface area to volume ratio ("SA/V ratio"), especially when compared to coffee products produced by conventional millstone mills. Thus, by optimizing these SA/V ratios, it has been observed that the coffee making potential of the coffee beans can be maximized. As will be readily appreciated by most consumers and manufacturers, the single contact shaving process described herein represents a leading revolutionary advancement in the quality and consistency of coffee products.

The drawbacks of conventional grinding techniques may be closely related to the anatomy of the coffee beans themselves. Coffee beans and their various fragments are depicted in fig. 2. As shown in fig. 2, the coffee beans include endosperm/silver skin, hard endosperm, soft endosperm, natural splits and center cuts/grooves in the soft endosperm, which may be referred to as the harder interior endosperm. These different portions within the coffee beans exhibit different chemical and cellular structures, which causes each portion to exhibit a different crush threshold. Thus, each portion within the coffee beans responds differently to conventional grinding due to the difference in crushing threshold.

Fig. 3 provides a more detailed description of the orientation of the coffee bean cells within the hard endosperm and the coffee bean cells within the soft endosperm. As shown in fig. 3, the outer hard endosperm consists of wing cells and the inner soft endosperm consists of rectangular cells. Endosperm is the primary storage tissue of coffee beans. The hard outer and soft inner parts of the endosperm differ in terms of fat content, cell wall thickness and structure. These differences in properties become more pronounced during the roasting process, as water evaporates from the coffee beans and additional grease migrates to the outer edge of the hard endosperm, typically creating a hard "shell-like" surface.

It is desirable in the industry to have ground coffee products with different SA/V ratios to allow for different extraction times to produce different flavors. For example, cold soaking requires larger particles and longer extraction times to produce the desired flavor. A general feature of the coffee scraping process described herein is that it allows for the production of scraped coffee products with lower SA/V ratio variation. More specifically, the shaving process described herein may reduce the SA/V ratio variation between the resulting coffee shaves because the cross-sections of the particles are more similar. In contrast, millstone abrasives, which are typically cobblestones/blocky spheres, have a much higher SA/V ratio variation because the volume between the particles is different due to the above-described problems associated with millstone grinders. Thus, having smaller SA/V ratio variations increases the ability to replicate the desired traits of the final coffee product. Furthermore, the improved SA/V ratio of the shaved coffee product described herein allows for an increase in yield per pound of coffee beans due to maximizing the pores and cellular pathways within the shaved coffee product.

Traditionally, extraction rates have aimed at extracting 18% to 22% of potentially soluble particles from coffee cells using conventional milling and extraction methods. In contrast, the shape of the shaved coffee product described herein maximizes the SA/V ratio of the coffee beans without the high incidence of dust generation and/or unwanted heat exposure that typically occurs in conventional grinding processes. Thus, regardless of depth, the consistency of cross-sectional shape provides greater consistency from batch to batch for all types of brewing techniques, including but not limited to hand brewing, drip, espresso, french press, cold brew, capsule, or turkish.

Thus, the shaved coffee bean particles of the present disclosure seek to solve the extraction problems described above due to their higher SA/V ratio and unique physical structure. More specifically, due to the scraping process, the scraped coffee bean particles of the present disclosure may include similar structures and diameters, which may result in scraped coffee bean particles that exhibit desirable characteristics for coffee extraction. Further, the shaved coffee bean particles of the present disclosure may mitigate channeling effects due to the flat and curved shape of the shaved particles.

An exemplary shaved coffee bean particle 100 of the present disclosure is depicted in fig. 4, wherein each of the cubes 102 represents a thickness of 100 microns. As shown in fig. 4, the coffee bean cells in the shaved coffee bean particles 100 are fully exposed to extraction due to the small minimum lateral dimension (i.e., thickness) of the shaved particles. However, due to the larger maximum lateral dimension (i.e., length) of the shaved coffee bean particles 100, the shaved coffee bean particles may also avoid problems (e.g., channeling) associated with smaller diameter coffee grounds. The scraping geometry of the scraped coffee beans depicted in fig. 4 may be superior to ground coffee beans produced by conventional grinders because the scraped coffee beans may maintain the same volume and utilize a flat surface for a higher SA/V ratio. The shaved coffee bean product typically has a longer and flatter surface, as shown in fig. 4, than the ground coffee produced by conventional grinder-mills, such as those shown in fig. 1.

In general, the shaved products described herein may be produced by subjecting the initial food raw material to a shaving process with cutting elements in a shaving apparatus. While the present disclosure focuses primarily on initial food ingredients including coffee beans, it is contemplated that other shaveable food products may be present in the initial ingredients. For example, the starting material may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of one or more nuts (e.g., cashew, walnut, pecan, almond, brazil nut, pine nut), one or more pods (e.g., peanut), dried fruits (e.g., mango, blueberry, banana, apple, cherry, raspberry, raisin), or combinations thereof.

In one or more embodiments, the initial feedstock subjected to shaving may include at least 10 wt%, 25 wt%, 50 wt%, 75 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt%, 90 wt%, 95 wt% or 99 wt% coffee beans, based on the total weight of the feedstock. In certain embodiments, the starting material may be formed entirely from coffee beans.

Additionally or alternatively, in one or more embodiments, the starting material subjected to shaving may include at least 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, or 25 wt% and/or less than 90 wt%, 75 wt%, 60 wt%, 50 wt%, 40 wt%, or 30 wt% of one or more non-coffee materials, based on the total weight of the starting material. Exemplary non-coffee materials may include dried fruits (e.g., mango, blueberry, banana, apple, cherry, raspberry, and/or raisin), nuts (e.g., cashew, walnut, pecan, almond, brazil nut, and/or pine nut), date seeds, chicory root, canola, pumpkin seeds, root vegetables (e.g., artichoke), yerba mate stems, yerba mate leaves, sesame seeds, or a combination thereof. These non-coffee materials may also be shaved during the shaving process and produce shaved particles exhibiting a size range as discussed below with respect to shaved coffee bean particles. Thus, any of the foregoing property ranges (e.g., minimum lateral dimension range, maximum lateral dimension range, lateral aspect ratio, and SA/V ratio) may also be applied to shave particles formed from non-coffee materials.

In one or more embodiments, the initial feedstock may optionally be subjected to one or more pretreatments prior to the shaving process, thereby forming a pretreated feedstock. The pretreated feedstock may then be subjected to the scraping process described herein. Exemplary pretreatment may include scoring and/or soaking in a solvent (e.g., water and/or acetic acid). In general, the pretreatment may include at least a score that involves cutting a groove in the initial material (e.g., a score groove in the coffee beans), which may promote downstream breakage of the material along the score line. Scoring may be performed by any manual or automatic scoring tool or device used in the art. In various embodiments, scoring may involve cutting elongated grooves (e.g., score lines) along a maximum lateral dimension of the starting material (e.g., a maximum lateral dimension of the coffee beans) at increments of at least 50 μm, 100 μm, 150 μm, 200 μm, 250 μm, 300 μm, 400 μm, or 500 μm and/or no greater than 3,000 μm, 2,000 μm, or 1,000 μm intervals. These score lines may then be used to form the set dimensions of the stock during the shaving process. In certain embodiments, the score line may be used to define the "width" of the resulting shaved particles that form the shaved coffee product.

While not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that any process requiring less contact (including single contact) with the scraping apparatus (including those utilizing blades, wires, lasers, and/or water streams) to produce a ready-to-use product should allow for faster overall production of the ready-to-use product. Further, unlike coffee grounds produced by conventional grinders, the shaved coffee beans of the present disclosure may include more consistent dimensions because the shaving process does not allow portions of the coffee beans having a lower crushing threshold to come into contact with portions that include a higher crushing threshold.

In one or more embodiments, a shaved coffee bean product may be produced by subjecting one or more initial coffee beans to a shaving process with cutting elements in a shaving apparatus. In general, in one or more embodiments, a process for producing a shaved coffee bean product may include pushing an initial coffee bean toward a cutting element, wherein the result is a single contact particle ready for infusion and a portion of the coffee bean ready to be pushed toward the cutting element again, to repeat the process until the entire coffee bean or maximum usable quantity has been processed into a plurality of single contact coffee particles ready for infusion. Alternatively, in various embodiments, the shaved coffee bean product may also be produced by moving the cutting element or shaving device towards the coffee beans.

In one or more embodiments, the cutting element may include a blade, a microtome, a millstone, a scraper, a laser, a wire, or a combination thereof. Further, in one or more embodiments, the cutting element may be made of stainless steel, ceramic (e.g., a sintered oxide such as alumina), carbon steel, hardened (red) steel, diamond, tungsten, vanadium, chromium, titanium, or combinations thereof. In certain embodiments, the cutting elements may be made of tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium, chromium, or any other high speed steel element. Additionally or alternatively, in certain embodiments, the cutting element may be made from cemented carbide prepared from a mixture of titanium, tantalum, and carbon by a powder metallurgy process. Additionally or alternatively, in yet other embodiments, the cutting element may be made of a stelloy (i.e., a nonferrous alloy consisting of cobalt, tungsten, and chromium). In still other embodiments, the cutting element may be made of glass, acrylic, polymethyl acrylate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, PET, PVC, ABS, or combinations thereof. In particular embodiments, the cutting elements may be made of Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN).

In certain embodiments, the cutting element may be a laser.

Exemplary scraping devices that may be used include those typically dedicated to scraping ice, which may include a snow (Hatsuyuki) scraper (e.g., a snow model HC-SE scraper), a Gold Medal (Gold Medal) scraper, or a snow scraper (e.g., a litter snow 2 scraper or a snow 3000 scraper). In certain embodiments, the scraping device may comprise any manual or electric cube-cutter or mineral processor. An exemplary manual slicer is a mandoline slicer.

In one or more embodiments, the initial coffee beans may be urged toward the cutting elements by centrifugal force, gravity, compressed (i.e., forced) gas (e.g., compressed air), mechanical elements, compressed liquid (e.g., water), or a combination thereof. Exemplary mechanical elements may include conveyors, ejectors, threaded dilators, inflation materials, or any other mechanical element that utilizes mechanical engineering forces.

The shaving process may be performed at various temperatures (e.g., room temperature) and atmospheric pressure. For example, the scraping process may be performed at a temperature of at least-90 ℃, -80 ℃, -70 ℃, -60 ℃, -50 ℃, -40 ℃, -30 ℃, -20 ℃, -10 ℃, -5 ℃, 0 ℃, 5 ℃, 10 ℃, 15 ℃, or 20 ℃ and/or less than 150 ℃, 140 ℃, 130 ℃, 120 ℃, 110 ℃, 100 ℃, 90 ℃, 80 ℃, 70 ℃, 60 ℃, 50 ℃, 40 ℃, or 30 ℃. The temperature of the scraping process may be affected by the condition and humidity of the coffee beans. For example, a "freeze-dried" coffee bean may utilize a cooler temperature, while a coffee bean with a higher moisture content may require a higher scraping temperature.

The initial coffee beans may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of a plurality of roasted or unroasted coffee beans. Further, the initial coffee beans may include whole or segmented coffee beans. In certain embodiments, the shaved coffee bean product may be subjected to roasting after the shaving process. The initial coffee beans may also be dried and contain less than 12% by weight water. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, the initial coffee beans may be pre-soaked with at least one solvent (such as water) and comprise a moisture content of greater than 12% by weight.

In one or more embodiments, the present disclosure generally relates to a single-contact shaved coffee bean product that may include, consist essentially of, or consist of shaved coffee bean particles (such as coffee flakes, coffee shavings, coffee slices, or combinations thereof). As used herein, "shaved coffee bean particles" refers to individual particles formed during the coffee bean shaving process. Further, as used herein, "single contact" means that the surface of the initial coffee beans is contacted only once by the scraping tool and is not subjected to multiple contacts with the scraping tool. Thus, no further cutting or damage to the shaved surface is present, regardless of the multiple blades, abrasive discs, or any other slicing process involved in the initial contact; however, a "single contact" shave will still cover shaves that have been shaved on multiple surfaces, as long as these shaved surfaces are not re-shaved or re-contacted with a shaving tool. In other words, the shaved coffee product may be the result of whole or partial coffee beans having a single contact exposure to a blade, grinder or other cutting surface that has the potential to always produce coffee particles with similar minimum cross-sectional measurements.

As used herein, "coffee flake" refers to shaved coffee bean particles that include a minimum lateral dimension of 10 μm to 500 μm. Additionally, "coffee grounds" refers to ground coffee beans particles including a minimum lateral dimension of 501 μm to 1,500 μm. Further, "coffee slice" refers to scraped coffee bean particles comprising a minimum lateral dimension of 1,501 μm to 3,000 μm.

The type of shaving apparatus, the parameters of the shaving process and the type of initial coffee beans used can greatly influence the amount of coffee flakes, coffee shavings and coffee slices that are produced during the shaving process. In general, the scraping process may form particles having relatively flat faces and rough edges.

In one or more embodiments, the shaved coffee bean product may include at least 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 35 wt%, 40 wt%, 45 wt%, 50 wt%, 55 wt%, 60 wt%, 65 wt%, 70 wt%, 75 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt%, 90 wt%, 95 wt%, or 99 wt% coffee flakes based on the total weight of the shaved coffee bean product. Additionally or alternatively, in one or more embodiments, the shaved coffee bean product may include less than 99 wt%, 95 wt%, 90 wt%, 85 wt%, 80 wt%, 75 wt%, 70 wt%, 65 wt%, 60 wt%, 55 wt%, 50 wt%, 45 wt%, 40 wt%, 35 wt%, 30 wt%, 25 wt%, 20 wt%, 15 wt%, 10 wt%, 5 wt%, or 1 wt% of coffee flakes based on the total weight of the shaved coffee bean product.

In one or more embodiments, the shaved coffee bean product may include at least 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 35 wt%, 40 wt%, 45 wt%, 50 wt%, 55 wt%, 60 wt%, 65 wt%, 70 wt%, 75 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt%, 90 wt%, 95 wt%, or 99 wt% of coffee grounds, based on the total weight of the shaved coffee bean product. Additionally or alternatively, in one or more embodiments, the shaved coffee bean product may include less than 99 wt%, 95 wt%, 90 wt%, 85 wt%, 80 wt%, 75 wt%, 70 wt%, 65 wt%, 60 wt%, 55 wt%, 50 wt%, 45 wt%, 40 wt%, 35 wt%, 30 wt%, 25 wt%, 20 wt%, 15 wt%, 10 wt%, 5 wt%, or 1 wt% of coffee shavers based on the total weight of the shaved coffee bean product.

In one or more embodiments, the shaved coffee bean product may include at least 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 35 wt%, 40 wt%, 45 wt%, 50 wt%, 55 wt%, 60 wt%, 65 wt%, 70 wt%, 75 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt%, 90 wt%, 95 wt% or 99 wt% coffee slices, based on the total weight of the shaved coffee bean product. Additionally or alternatively, in one or more embodiments, the shaved coffee bean product may include less than 99 wt%, 95 wt%, 90 wt%, 85 wt%, 80 wt%, 75 wt%, 70 wt%, 65 wt%, 60 wt%, 55 wt%, 50 wt%, 45 wt%, 40 wt%, 35 wt%, 30 wt%, 25 wt%, 20 wt%, 15 wt%, 10 wt%, 5 wt%, or 1 wt% coffee slices, based on the total weight of the shaved coffee bean product.

As described above, the shaving process described herein may minimize the formation of undesirable coffee fines in the shaved coffee bean product. As used herein, "coffee grounds" refers to coffee bean particles that include a minimum lateral dimension of less than 10 μm. In one or more embodiments, the shaved coffee bean product may include less than 25 wt%, 20 wt%, 15 wt%, 10 wt%, 5 wt%, 4 wt%, 3 wt%, 2 wt% or 1 wt% of coffee fines based on the total weight of the shaved coffee bean product.

Fig. 5 depicts minimum transverse dimensions ("tdmin") and maximum transverse dimensions ("tdmax") of an exemplary shaved coffee bean product. As used herein, the "maximum lateral dimension" is the largest dimension of shaved coffee bean particles as measured by a three-quarter (Mitutoyo) calibration micrometer or by using laser diffraction particle size analysis. The term "maximum transverse dimension" may also be used interchangeably with the term "length". Furthermore, as used herein, "minimum lateral dimension" means the minimum lateral dimension of the shaved coffee bean particles as measured by a three-quarter calibration micrometer or by using laser diffraction particle size analysis. The term "minimum transverse dimension" may also be used interchangeably with the term "thickness".

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product may include a particle size of at least 1 μm, 2 μm, 5 μm, 10 μm, 15 μm, 25 μm, 30 μm, 35 μm, 40 μm, 45 μm, 50 μm, 60 μm, 70 μm, 80 μm, 90 μm, 100 μm, 125 μm, 150 μm, 175 μm, 200 μm, 225 μm, 250 μm, 275 μm 300 μm, 325 μm, 350 μm, 375 μm, 400 μm, 425 μm, 450 μm, 475 μm, 500 μm, 501 μm, 525 μm, 550 μm, 575 μm, 600 μm, 625 μm, 650 μm, 675 μm, 700 μm, 725 μm, 750 μm, 775 μm, 800 μm, 825 μm, 850 μm, 875 μm, 900 μm, 925 μm, 950 μm, 975 μm, 1,000 μm, 1,100 μm, 1,200 μm, 1,300 μm, 1,400 μm, 1,500 μm or 1,501 μm. Additionally or alternatively, in one or more embodiments, at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product may include a minimum lateral dimension of no greater than 3,000 μm, 2,800 μm, 2,600 μm, 2,400 μm, 2,200 μm, 2,000 μm, 1,800 μm, 1,600 μm, 1,501 μm, 1,500 μm, 1,250 μm, 1,000 μm, 750 μm, 501 μm, 500 μm, 450 μm, 400 μm, 350 μm, 300 μm, 250 μm, or 200 μm.

In one or more embodiments, at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product may include a maximum lateral dimension of at least 50 μm, 100 μm, 150 μm, 200 μm, 250 μm, 300 μm, 400 μm, 500 μm, 600 μm, 700 μm, 800 μm, 900 μm, 1,000 μm, 1,250 μm, 1,500 μm, 1,750 μm, 2,000 μm, 3,000 μm, 4,000 μm, 5,000 μm, 6,000 μm, or 7,000 μm. Additionally or alternatively, in one or more embodiments, at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product may include a maximum lateral dimension of no greater than 20,000 μm, 15,000 μm, 10,000 μm, 9,000 μm, 8,000 μm, 7,000 μm, 6,000 μm, 5,000 μm, 4,000 μm, 3,000 μm, 2,000 μm, or 1,000 μm.

In one or more embodiments, at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product may include a width of at least 50 μm, 100 μm, 150 μm, 200 μm, 250 μm, 300 μm, 400 μm, 500 μm, 600 μm, 700 μm, 800 μm, 900 μm, 1,000 μm, 1,250 μm, 1,500 μm, 1,750 μm, 2,000 μm, 3,000 μm, 4,000 μm, 5,000 μm, 6,000 μm, or 7,000 μm. Additionally or alternatively, in one or more embodiments, at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product may include a width of no greater than 20,000 μm, 15,000 μm, 10,000 μm, 9,000 μm, 8,000 μm, 7,000 μm, 6,000 μm, 5,000 μm, 4,000 μm, 3,000 μm, 2,000 μm, or 1,000 μm. As used herein, "width" refers to a third measured dimension of the shaved coffee bean particles and may be measured by a trimodal calibration micrometer or by using laser diffraction particle size analysis. Generally, "width" refers to a lateral dimension that is greater than a minimum lateral dimension (e.g., thickness) and less than a maximum lateral dimension (e.g., length).

In one or more embodiments, at least 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product may exhibit a transverse aspect ratio of at least 2:1, 4:1, 6:1, 8:1, 10:1, 12:1, 14:1, 16:1, 18:1, or 20:1 and/or not greater than 1,000:1, 500:1, 400:1, 300:1, 200:1, 100:1, 75:1, 50:1, 40:1, 30:1, 20:1, or 10:1. As used herein, "transverse aspect ratio" means the ratio of the maximum transverse dimension of the shaved coffee bean particles to the minimum transverse dimension of the particles.

As discussed above, shaved coffee bean products including coffee flakes, coffee shavings, and coffee slices may have at least one easily identifiable surface and may be described as flat, concave, convex, or a combination thereof. While not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the scraping process allows for the production of a scraped coffee product having an optimized geometry that allows for maximizing access to coffee cells during the brewing/extraction phase. In one or more embodiments, the shaved coffee bean product (including coffee flakes, coffee shavings, and coffee slices) may include at least 1, 2, 3, or 4 planar, concave, convex, or a combination thereof surfaces.

Further, as discussed above, shaved coffee bean products including coffee flakes, coffee shavings, and coffee slices may include an optimal SA/V ratio. Furthermore, the shaved coffee bean particles may exhibit less variation in the SA/V ratio than a similar volume of coffee grounds. In one or more embodiments, at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of the scraped coffee particles forming the scraped coffee product may comprise at least 0.1m ² /g、0.2m ² /g、0.3m ² /g、0.4m ² /g、0.5m ² /g、0.6m ² /g、0.7m ² /g、0.8m ² /g、0.9m ² /g、1.0m ² /g、1.1m ² /g、1.2m ² /g、1.3m ² /g、1.4m ² /g、1.5m ² /g、1.6m ² /g、1.7m ² /g、1.8m ² /g、1.9m ² /g、2.0m ² /g、2.1m ² /g、2.2m ² /g、2.3m ² /g、2.4m ² /g、2.5m ² /g、2.6m ² /g、2.7m ² /g、2.8m ² /g、2.9m ² /g、3.0m ² /g、3.1m ² /g、3.2m ² /g、3.3m ² /g、3.4m ² /g、3.5m ² /g、3.6m ² /g、3.7m ² /g、3.8m ² /g、3.9m ² /g、4.0m ² /g、4.1m ² /g、4.2m ² /g、4.3m ² /g、4.4m ² /g、4.5m ² /g、4.6m ² /g、4.7m ² /g、4.8m ² /g、4.9m ² /g、5.0m ² /g、5.1m ² /g、5.2m ² /g、5.3m ² /g、5.4m ² /g、5.5m ² /g、5.6m ² /g、5.7m ² /g、5.8m ² /g、5.9m ² /g、6.0m ² /g、6.1m ² /g、6.2m ² /g、6.3m ² /g、6.4m ² /g、6.5m ² /g、6.6m ² /g、6.7m ² /g、6.8m ² /g、6.9m ² /g or 7.0m ² /g and/or not more than 40m ² /g、30m ² /g、20m ² /g、15m ² /g or 10m ² BET specific surface area per gram, as measured by using the BET method. The BET specific surface area may be measured using a cell distribution measuring device such as the Nova 4200e analyzer of the instrument company (Quantachrome Instruments) of us Kang Da.

In one or more embodiments, at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product may include a thickness of 0.5mm ^-1 、1mm ^-1 、2mm ^-1 、3mm ^-1 、4mm ^-1 、5mm ^-1 、6mm ^-1 、7mm ^-1 、8mm ^-1 、9mm ^-1 、10mm ^-1 、11mm ^-1 、12mm ^-1 、13mm ^-1 、14mm ^-1 、15mm ^-1 、16mm ^-1 、17mm ^-1 、18mm ^-1 Or 19mm ^-1 Or 20mm ^-1 And/or not greater than 50mm ^-1 、40mm ^-1 、30mm ^-1 Or 25mm ^-1 As measured using laser diffraction particle size analysis.

It should be noted that the above percentages with respect to the scraped coffee bean particles refer to the weight percentages of the scraped coffee bean particles relative to the total weight of the scraped coffee bean particles. For example, "at least 10%" of the shaved coffee bean particles means at least 10% by weight of the shaved coffee bean particles, based on the total weight of all shaved coffee bean particles.

Additionally or in the alternative, in one or more embodiments, at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product may comprise:

a minimum lateral dimension of 1 μm to 500 μm, 50 μm to 500 μm, 75 μm to 500 μm, 100 μm to 500 μm, 150 μm to 500 μm, 175 μm to 500 μm, 10 μm to 450 μm, 50 μm to 450 μm, 75 μm to 450 μm, 100 μm to 450 μm, 150 μm to 450 μm, 175 μm to 450 μm, 50 μm to 300 μm, 75 μm to 300 μm, 100 μm to 300 μm, 150 μm to 300 μm, 175 μm to 300 μm, 50 μm to 250 μm, 75 μm to 250 μm, 100 μm to 250 μm, 150 μm to 250 μm or 175 μm).

A maximum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 10,000 μm, 200 μm to 10,000 μm, 500 μm to 10,000 μm, 50 μm to 7,000 μm, 200 μm to 7,000 μm, 500 μm to 7,000 μm, 50 μm to 5,000 μm, 200 μm to 5,000 μm, 500 μm to 5,000 μm, 50 μm to 3,000 μm, 200 μm to 3,000 μm, 500 μm to 3,000 μm, 50 μm to 2,000 μm, 200 μm to 2,000 μm or 500 μm to 2,000 μm;

a transverse aspect ratio of 2:1 to 100:1, 2:1 to 40:1, 2:1 to 20:1, 2:1 to 10:1, 4:1 to 100:1, 4:1 to 40:1, 4:1 to 20:1, or 4:1 to 10:1; and/or

3mm ^-1 To 50mm ^-1 、5mm ^-1 To 50mm ^-1 、8mm ^-1 To 50mm ^-1 、10mm ^-1 To 50mm ^-1 、11mm ^-1 To 50mm ^-1 、12mm ^-1 To 50mm ^-1 、3mm ^-1 To 30mm ^-1 、5mm ^-1 To 30mm ^-1 、8mm ^-1 To 30mm ^-1 、10mm ^-1 To 30mm ^-1 、11mm ^-1 To 30mm ^-1 Or 12mm ^-1 To 30mm ^-1 SA/V ratio of (c).

As mentioned above, shaved coffee bean products, in particular shaved coffee bean particles (e.g. coffee flakes, coffee shavings and coffee slices), may exhibit an optimal porosity for coffee brewing. In one or more embodiments, at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product may include at least 0.001cc/g, 0.002cc/g, 0.003cc/g, 0.004cc/g, 0.005cc/g, 0.006cc/g, 0.007cc/g, 0.008cc/g, 0.009cc/g, or 0.01cc/g and/or a total of no more than 0.5cc/g, 0.4cc/g, 0.3cc/g, or 0.2cc/gTo->Pore volume in diameter as measured by a pore distribution measuring device such as the Nova 4200e analyzer of the instrument company of us Kang Da.

In one or more embodiments, the shaved coffee bean product may include at least 10 wt%, 25 wt%, 50 wt%, 75 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt%, 90 wt%, 95 wt% or 99 wt% shaved coffee bean particles, based on the total weight of the product. In certain embodiments, the shaved coffee bean product may be formed entirely from shaved coffee bean particles.

Additionally or alternatively, in one or more embodiments, the shaved coffee bean product may include at least 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, or 25 wt% and/or less than 90 wt%, 75 wt%, 60 wt%, 50 wt%, 40 wt%, or 30 wt% of one or more shaved particles from non-coffee materials, based on the total weight of the initial raw materials. As described above, these shaved particles may be derived from exemplary non-coffee materials, such as dried fruits (e.g., mango, blueberry, banana, apple, cherry, raspberry, and/or raisin), nuts (e.g., cashew, walnut, pecan, almond, brazil nut, and/or pine nut), date seeds, chicory root, mustard seed, pumpkin seed, root vegetables (e.g., artichoke), yerba mate stems, yerba mate, sesame seed, or combinations thereof. These shaved particles from non-coffee material may also be defined by any of the above-described property ranges (e.g., minimum lateral size range, maximum lateral size range, lateral aspect ratio, and/or SA/V ratio) associated with shaved coffee bean particles. Thus, the above-described ranges for scraping coffee bean particles may also apply to scraping particles from non-coffee materials.

Thus, the resulting shaved coffee product can be used directly in a number of coffee brewing processes to produce a premium coffee beverage. Brewing techniques that may be used with the shaved coffee product may include, but are not limited to, drip, hand-brewing, french press, espresso, cold brew, ice, capsule, or Turkish with expected variations in taste and overall characteristics.

The brewing process has many variables and particle volume size (e.g., surface area) has been a major consideration. As described above, the scraping process described herein allows for the production of scraped coffee bean products that exhibit many of the optimal geometries and volumes desired for brewing processes. It has been observed that the shaved coffee bean product allows maximizing the extraction efficiency in most, if not all, coffee brewing techniques due to its optimal geometry and SA/V ratio.

Due to the optimal geometry contained in the scraped coffee bean product shown above, which will include coffee flakes, coffee shavings and coffee slices, the scraped coffee bean product may allow for certain efficiencies not obtainable by conventional ground coffee during coffee brewing. For example, the use of shaved coffee bean products may increase the coffee yield per pound of coffee beans (relative to conventional ground coffee) and may reduce the amount of water required to produce the coffee product (due to the optimal SA/V ratio). Because of their increased surface area, shaved coffee bean products may have fewer internal cells that absorb water, but are unable to release water back into the final product. This can be measured by the post-extraction weight of the spent coffee grounds and the total volume of consumable coffee produced.

Furthermore, due to their unique geometry, shaved coffee bean products can increase the flavor within the coffee beverage produced therefrom, particularly during the "compaction" process. Generally, particles with flatter sides have a better ability to redirect water flowing through or around the particles than spherical objects. While not wanting to be bound by theory, the increased resistance and friction created when water flows through flatter particles results in more flavor being extracted from the coffee cells.

Additionally, due to their unique geometry, shaved coffee bean products may allow for less sediment generation due to less fines generation (relative to conventional grinding techniques) during the shaving process. The fewer fines that end up as sediment, the greater the likelihood that the last portion of the coffee beverage consumed by the consumer will taste better, as the presence of these fines may increase the bitter taste in the coffee beverage (due to over-extraction of fines during the brewing process and continuous extraction in the beverage).

The invention may be further illustrated by the following examples of embodiments thereof, although it will be understood that these examples are included merely for purposes of illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention unless specifically indicated otherwise.

Examples

Comparative example 1

In this experiment, the crushing threshold and the friability threshold of the different components of roasted coffee beans were evaluated. Crush threshold was analyzed using a VTSYIQI (VTS-100) digital dynamometer and the analysis was performed with columbia Supreme medium depth roasted coffee beans (mountain member store brand). First, the coffee beans are separated into different parts (i.e., the outer hard endosperm, the inner soft endosperm, and the inner hard endosperm/center cut) using a knife and pick. The different parts of the coffee beans (i.e. the outer hard endosperm, the inner soft endosperm and the inner hard endosperm/central slit) are then placed on the sheet of paper. Pressure was applied with the tip attachment of the digital dynamometer until fracture and two readings were recorded. The first reading is the pressure at which the initial fracture occurred and the second reading is the number of particles into which the original particles broken, which is an indication of brittleness. The test was completed on 20 coffee beans.

Table 1 below provides the average breaking force rate and the average number of particles formed for each coffee portion.

TABLE 1

Coffee portion	Average force rate at breakage	Average number of particles formed
			External hard endosperm	4.38lbs	2.7
Inner soft endosperm	2.75lbs	3.7
			Inner hard endosperm	3.48lbs	2.3

The breakage rate and friability properties described above indicate that different pieces of coffee beans can be processed in an inconsistent manner when subjected to conventional millstone grinding. More specifically, when these coffee bean fragments are processed together during the millstone grinding process, the destructive grinding may more easily crush the softer endosperm fraction with lower breakage rate. Thus, due to these structural differences within the fragments of the coffee beans, the fracture rate will be different between different layers in the coffee beans. Thus, when subjected to the grinding process, the inner portion of the coffee beans is eventually substantially smaller than the outer portion.

Example 2

The extraction properties of the coffee grounds are compared to the shaved coffee beans of the present invention by forming a coffee beverage from the coffee grounds and the shaved coffee beans of the present invention and testing the resulting Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in the resulting beverage. For both tests, medium depth roasted coffee beans (mountain member store brand) from Columbia Supreme were used to produce ground coffee and shaved coffee beans. Ground coffee was made using the Baratza Encore grinder using its optimal settings. Meanwhile, as shown in fig. 6 to 8, scraped coffee beans are manually formed by scraping the coffee beans on a mandoline slicer. As shown in fig. 6-8, coffee beans 202 are placed on a mandolin slicer 200 and brought into contact with a slicer blade 204 to form scraped coffee bean particles 206. Fig. 9 depicts an exemplary depiction of a produced shaved coffee bean particle.

Forming a coffee beverage from one gram of coffee grounds and one gram of scraped coffee bean particles by: (i) placing the coffee grounds and particulates in an aerops coffee machine, (ii) adding two ounces of 195°f water to the aerops, (iii) allowing the coffee to brew for 30 seconds, and then (iv) activating the aerops within a period of 10 seconds. Thus, the coffee grounds and the scraped coffee particles were exposed to water for about 40 seconds. Myron is then used The Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of the resulting liquid dripped through an aerops filter was evaluated by Ultrameter II.

The coffee beverage produced from the ground coffee had a TDS of 666.1ppm, whereas the coffee beverage produced from the shaved particles had a TDS of 734.6 ppm. Thus, the higher TDS associated with coffee beverages produced from shaved coffee particles suggests that the unique geometry of the shaved particles together with the high SA/V ratio exhibit excellent extraction properties relative to finely ground coffee powder using conventional coffee grinders. In other words, this shows that the coffee bean cells in the shaved particles are more easily used for extraction than the coffee powder.

Definition of the definition

It should be understood that the following is not intended to be a unique list of defined terms. Other definitions may be provided in the foregoing description, for example, when the context accompanies the use of the defined terms.

The terms "a," "an," and "the" as used herein mean one or more.

As used herein, the term "and/or" when used in a list of two or more items means that any one of the listed items can be used alone or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be used. For example, if a composition is described as comprising components A, B and/or C, the composition may comprise only: only A; only B; only C; a combination of A and B; a combination of A and C, a combination of B and C; or a combination of A, B and C.

As used herein, the term "comprising" is an open transition term for transitioning from a subject matter recited before the term to one or more elements recited after the term, where the one or more elements listed after the transition term are not necessarily the only elements that make up the subject matter.

As used herein, the term "having" has the same open-ended meaning as "comprising" provided above.

As used herein, the term "comprising" has the same open-ended meaning as "comprising" provided above.

Numerical range

The present specification uses numerical ranges to quantify certain parameters relating to the invention. It should be understood that when numerical ranges are provided, these ranges should be construed as providing literal support for claim limitations that recite only a lower limit to the range, and claim limitations that recite only an upper limit to the range. For example, a numerical range of 10 to 100 provides literal support for claims reciting "greater than 10" (without an upper limit) and claims reciting "less than 100" (without a lower limit).

The claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments

The preferred forms of the invention described above are to be used as illustration only, and should not be used in a limiting sense to interpret the scope of the present invention. Modifications to the above-described exemplary embodiments may be readily made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the doctrine of equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of the present invention as it pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for producing a shaved coffee bean product, the method comprising:

(a) Providing a starting material comprising one or more coffee beans; and

(b) Subjecting the initial raw material to a shaving process using cutting elements in order to produce the shaved coffee bean product comprising a plurality of shaved coffee bean particles,

wherein at least 50% of the scraped coffee particles comprise-

(i) A minimum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 500 μm,

(ii) A maximum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 10,000 μm,

(iii) A lateral aspect ratio of 2:1 to 100:1, and

(iv) 3 to 50 surface area to volume ratio ("SA/V ratio").

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subjecting of step (b) is performed in a scraping apparatus.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the scraping apparatus comprises a manual scraper or an electric scraper.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least 70% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product include a minimum transverse dimension of 50 μιη to 300 μιη.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least 70% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product include a maximum transverse dimension of 150 μm to 7,000 μm.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least 70% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product exhibit a transverse aspect ratio of 4:1 to 40:1.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least 70% of the scraped coffee bean particles forming the scraped coffee product comprise 5mm ^-1 To 40mm ^-1 As measured using laser diffraction particle size analysis.

8. A method for producing a coffee beverage, the method comprising:

(a) Providing a shaved coffee bean product comprising a plurality of shaved coffee bean particles, wherein at least 50% of said shaved coffee bean particles comprise-

(i) A minimum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 500 μm,

(ii) A maximum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 10,000 μm,

(iii) A lateral aspect ratio of 2:1 to 100:1, and

(iv) Surface area to volume ratio ("SA/V ratio") of 3 to 50; and

(b) Brewing at least a portion of the scraped coffee bean product in the presence of water to form the coffee beverage.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the brewing comprises a drip process, a hand brewing process, a french press process, an espresso process, a cold brew process, an ice coffee process, a capsule process, or a turkish process.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the shaved coffee bean product is formed via a shaving apparatus.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the scraping apparatus comprises a manual scraper or an electric scraper.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein at least 70% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product include a minimum transverse dimension of 50 μιη to 300 μιη.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least 70% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product include a maximum transverse dimension of 150 μιη to 7,000 μιη.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least 70% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product exhibit a transverse aspect ratio of 4:1 to 40:1.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein at least 70% of the scraped coffee bean particles forming the scraped coffee product comprise 5mm ^-1 To 40mm ^-1 As measured using laser diffraction particle size analysis.

16. A shaved coffee bean product comprising a plurality of shaved coffee bean particles, wherein at least 50% of said shaved coffee bean particles comprise:

(i) A minimum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 500 μm,

(ii) A maximum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 10,000 μm,

(iii) A lateral aspect ratio of 2:1 to 100:1, and

(iv) 3 to 50 surface area to volume ratio ("SA/V ratio").

17. A shaved coffee bean product according to claim 16, wherein at least 70% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product comprise a minimum lateral dimension of 50 μm to 300 μm.

18. A shaved coffee bean product according to claim 17, wherein at least 70% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product comprise a maximum lateral dimension of 150 μm to 7,000 μm.

19. The shaved coffee bean product of claim 18, wherein at least 70% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product exhibit a transverse aspect ratio of 4:1 to 40:1.

20. A shaved coffee bean product according to claim 16, wherein at least 70% of the shaved coffee bean particles forming the shaved coffee bean product comprise 5mm ^-1 To 40mm ^-1 As measured using laser diffraction particle size analysis.