Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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DESCRIPTION
Title
Beverage substance, portion capsule and method for
producing a beverage
Prior art
The present invention relates to a beverage substance
for producing a tea beverage, wherein the beverage
substance is provided to be stored in a portion capsule
and to be brewed in the portion capsule by means of hot
water being introduced under pressure into the portion
capsule, and wherein the beverage substance is
substantially granulate and comprises tea at least in
part.
Such beverage substances are generally known and are
frequently filled into portion capsules. For example,
FR 2 556 323 Al makes known a portion capsule for
producing a beverage which has a substantially
truncated-cone-shaped or cylindrical base element,
which has a hollow space, and a membrane which seals
the hollow space, a filter element being arranged
inside the hollow space, said filter dividing the
hollow space into a first region for accommodating the
beverage substance and a second region for
accommodating a beverage extract. The beverage
substance, in this case, however, comprises a coffee
powder. The portion capsule is consequently used for
producing a coffee beverage. To produce the beverage,
the portion capsule is arranged in a brewing chamber of
a brewing chamber machine in which the membrane is
perforated and an extraction liquid, in particular hot
water is brought into the first region. The beverage
substance is traversed by the extraction liquid during
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an extraction operation such that a beverage extract,
in this case a coffee beverage is formed which passes
right through filter openings in the filter element
into the second region of the hollow space. The sieving
function of the filter element prevents the beverage
substance from also passing into the second region. In
the brewing chamber, a bottom region of the portion
capsule is also perforated such that the beverage
extract is able to leave the portion capsule and, where
applicable, pass into a beverage vessel, such as for
example a coffee cup.
Over and above this, it is known to use these types of
portion capsules filled with a tea substance in order
to produce a tea beverage in an analogous manner using
the brewing chamber machine. In this connection,
however, the problem arises that a high quality tea
beverage has to be prepared in a comparatively short
brewing time. The user of such brewing chamber machines
is used to receiving a finished beverage within a
maximum of 1 to 1.5 minutes. In addition, the known
brewing chamber machines can, as a rule, supply hot
boiling water to the portion capsule for a maximum of
60 to 90 seconds. In order to produce a cup of tea, the
boiling water has to be pumped comparatively quickly
through the volume of the portion capsule. The
interaction time between the tea substance and the
boiling water is consequently comparatively short and
in particular clearly shorter than in the case of a
classic or manual brewing operation for a classic tea
beverage. The quality of the tea beverage produced in a
brewing chamber machine using a portion capsule is
consequently comparatively bad.
It is consequently the object of the present invention
to make available a beverage substance, as a result of
which the disadvantages of the prior art are avoided
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and a more efficient, quicker and more reliable brewing
operation for producing a tea beverage is achieved.
Disclosure of the invention
The object is achieved with a beverage substance for
producing a tea beverage, wherein the beverage
substance is provided to be stored in a portion capsule
and to be brewed in the portion capsule by means of hot
water being introduced under pressure into the portion
capsule, wherein the beverage substance is
substantially particulate and comprises tea at least in
part and wherein the beverage substance has an average
particle size of between 500 micrometers and 1500
micrometers.
The advantage of the beverage substance as claimed in
the invention compared to the prior art is that a
clearly more efficient, quicker and cleaner brewing of
the beverage substance is made possible. On the one
hand, the particle sizes are selected small in such a
manner that the beverage substance has a large surface
and, as a result, even in a comparatively short brewing
time, it is possible to brew the tea efficiently with a
good development of taste and aroma. On the other hand,
the particle sizes are selected large in such a manner
that the beverage substrate is able to be filtered out
of the generated tea beverage in a simple manner and
consequently the tea beverage prepared for a consumer
is not contaminated by beverage substrate nor is its
taste impaired. The term 'particulate' in particular in
the sense of the present invention means the same as
'granulate'. The average particle size comprises in
particular the D4,3-value (also referred to as the
volume median diameter of the particle) when the
beverage substance is measured using the Malvern laser
diffraction method. The Malvern Mastersizer 3000 with
Aero S dry dispersing, 4 bar dispersive pressure and a
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feed rate of between 60 and 90 has been used for this
type of measuring.
As claimed in a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, it is provided that the beverage substance
has an average particle size D4,3 of between 650
micrometers and 1320 micrometers. In a preferred
manner, the beverage substance has a proportion of
particles with a particle size greater than 500
micrometers which is between 40 percent and 90 percent
and is preferably between 50 and 80 percent. In a
particularly preferred manner, the beverage substance
has a proportion of particles with a particle size
smaller than 100 micrometers which is smaller than 10
percent and is preferably smaller than 8 percent. It
has been shown in a manner that is unexpected and
surprising to the expert that a beverage substance with
a particle distribution of this type exhibits optimum
extraction behavior. In particular, efficient
extraction and a satisfying aroma are achieved where
the amount of raw tea material used is less than in the
prior art. In particular, an extract content of between
1 and 3 percent is achieved as a result. The extract
content specifies the percentage amount of extracted
dry substance. In this connection, the amount of the
substances from the vegetable parts released during the
preparation which remain behind as a solid after drying
in the drying cabinet is divided by the amount of
vegetable parts present in the capsule. The result is
the extract content as a percentage.
As claimed in a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, it is provided that the beverage substance
has a specific swelling capacity of between 1.5 and 3
and in particular between 1.0 and 2.6. The swelling
capacity comprises in particular the specific swelling
capacity and is calculated as a quotient from the
volume of the dry vegetable parts and the volume of the
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vegetable parts swollen after the brewing process. The
defined swelling capacity advantageously enables an
optimum brewing efficiency of the beverage substance in
the portion capsule. In particular, as a result, during
the brewing operation an absorption of the water of the
beverage particles is achieved which ensures optimum
development of the tea aroma.
As claimed in a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, it is provided that the beverage substance
is thermally preheated to reduce germs. Herbal teas
are subject to a very unstable germ load. Priority
attention has been directed to enterobacters
(salmonella, coliforms) as these can result in stomach
upsets through to very serious and even fatal
illnesses. In an advantageous manner, the beverage
substance is consequently pretreated thermally in order
to reduce enterobacters, but also yeasts and moulds.
Even if the water is not boiling when it flows into the
capsule, consequently it is ensured that the few germs
still present are killed and as a result it is possible
to produce a hygienically perfect beverage.
The object of the present invention is also achieved
with a beverage substance for producing a tea beverage,
wherein the beverage substance is provided to be stored
in a portion capsule and to be brewed in the portion
capsule by means of hot water being introduced under
pressure into the portion capsule, wherein the beverage
substance is substantially granulate and comprises tea
at least in part and wherein at least 90 percent of the
beverage substance has a median particle size of
between 0.1 and 2 millimeters.
In a preferred manner, it is provided that at least 90
percent of the beverage substance has a median particle
size of between 1 and 2 millimeters. The filtering of
beverage substrate out of the tea beverage is
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particularly efficient in this connection as almost all
particles get caught in the filter and at the same
time, however, individual filter openings of the filter
are prevented from being obstructed by particles that
are too small. In terms of the present invention, the
percentage specifications relate in particular to the
percentage by mass of the particles, i.e. that those
particles of the beverage substance which have a median
particle size of between 0.1 and 2 millimeters make up
at least 90 percent of the mass of the beverage
substance. In terms of the present invention, the
particle size comprises in particular the particle
median diameter of the beverage substance. This latter
is preferably measured using a sieve analysis where the
beverage substance is sieved, for example, using a
sieve tower which is produced from several test sieves
which are stacked one on top of the other. The mesh
width of the individual test sieves, in this case,
decreases from top to bottom. For carrying out the
sieve analysis, the beverage substance is deposited
onto the topmost test sieve and is then exposed to a
defined shaking motion. The grain size distribution of
the beverage substance is determined by weighing out
the residues on the individual test sieves. To produce
the beverage substance, tea leaves, in particular after
the wilting process, are crushed, torn and/or curled
(for example by means of a mechanical CTC process) in
order to achieve the above-mentioned desired particle
size or particle size distribution. It is additionally
conceivable for wilted tea leaves to be chopped, cut
and crumbled or the like. The beverage substance is
produced, for example, by using the named CTC method,
the particle size distribution is then measured using
the above-mentioned sieve analysis method and a
decision is made by way of the analysis results
obtained as to whether further size reduction steps are
necessary or whether the desired particle size
distribution is already present.
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Advantageous developments and further developments of
the invention can be found in the sub-claims as well as
the description with reference to the drawings.
As claimed in a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, it is provided that the beverage substance
includes an anti-foaming means. In an advantageous
manner, too strong a foaming of the beverage substance
during or after the brewing operation is prevented by
the anti-foaming means. In particular when leaving the
portion capsule, the tea beverage is strongly swirled,
as a result of which large foam bubbles are formed.
These latter make it difficult to fill the tea beverage
in a proper manner into a receiving vessel, such as a
cup or a pot. The anti-foaming means comprises in
particular hydrophobic, vegetable constituents. In a
preferred embodiment, the anti-foaming means comprises
a vegetable oil. The vegetable oil is preferably
sprayed onto a grain of tea which is then filled into
the portion capsule. This has shown in a surprising and
unforeseeable manner that with a maximum proportion of
anti-foaming means of 5 percent, in a preferred manner
a maximum of 2 percent and in a particularly preferred
manner a maximum of 1.5 percent of the overall mass of
the beverage substance, foam formation is effectively
prevented and at the same time there is sufficient tea
substance in the beverage substance to generate a high
quality tea beverage. Along with the above-described
content substances, the beverage substance can also
include further aromatizing and coloring components,
such as for example sugar, caramel coloring, natural
coloring from vegetables, dried aqueous extracts from
fruit, spices and herbs, oily extracts and extract
mixtures of spices, herbs, citrus fruit peel and other
vegetables and vegetable parts, aroma substances for
rounding off, typifying and standardizing or the like.
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Said content substances, after preparation, produce a
tea beverage which corresponds to the traditionally
prepared beverage in all characteristics such as aroma,
taste, color and appearance.
As claimed in a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, it is provided that the beverage substance
comprises green tea and/or black tea. In particular,
the beverage substance comprises overall substantially
between 2 and 4 grams, in a preferred manner between
2.5 and 3.5 grams and in a particularly preferred
manner substantially 3 grams of green tea and/or black
tea.
A further object of the present invention is a portion
capsule for producing a tea beverage, said portion
capsule having a substantially closed container which
is filled at least in part with a brewing substance
which is provided for brewing, wherein the portion
capsule is insertable into a brewing chamber machine
for brewing the brewing substance and wherein the
brewing substance comprises a beverage substance as
claimed in the invention. The advantage of the portion
capsule compared to the prior art is that it is
possible to brew the beverage substance which is
located in the portion capsule in a clearly more
efficient, quicker and cleaner manner. The portion
capsule preferably has a filter element which in a
particularly preferred manner has filter openings which
have a median hole diameter of between 0.01 and 1
millimeter. The advantage of this compared to the prior
art is that there is no contamination of the tea
beverage to be produced by particles of the beverage
substance, at the same time a more efficient brewing
behavior of the beverage substance being achieved. The
high level of efficiency of the brewing operation
additionally enables in an advantageous manner a
reduction in the amount of the required beverage
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substance, as well as a high brewing speed, as a result
of which the duration of the beverage brewing procedure
is reduced. It has been shown in a surprising and
unforeseeable manner that in particular with a beverage
substance where at least 90 percent of the beverage
substance has a median particle size of between 0.1 and
2 millimeters, combined with a filter element which has
filter openings with a median hole diameter of between
0.01 and 1 millimeter, an optimum ratio between brewing
efficiency and brewing speed on the one hand and
filtration rate on the other is achieved.
As an alternative to this, it is conceivable for the
filter element to comprise a filter felt, by way of
which a similarly optimum result can be achieved. The
material of the filter felt preferably comprises
polyester such that cost-efficient production and a
high degree of tearing resistance can be achieved. The
filter felt has, in particular, a weight per unit area
of between 100 and 2000 grams per square meter, in a
preferred manner of between 400 and 900 grams per
square meter, in a particularly preferred manner of
between 600 and 700 grams per square meter and in a
quite particularly preferred manner of substantially
650 grams per square meter. In addition, the filter
felt, at right angles to its main extension plane, has
in particular a thickness which is between 1.5 and 5.0
millimeters, in a preferred manner between 2 and 4
millimeters and in a particularly preferred manner is
substantially 2.8 millimeters. As an option, the filter
felt is realized in such a manner that, at a pressure
of 200 Pa, the filter felt has an air permeability of
between 100 and 1000 1/(dm2-min), in a preferred manner
of between 200 and 300 1/(dm2'min) and in a preferred
manner of substantially 250 1/(dre'min). The defined
filter felt makes possible in an advantageous manner a
quick, efficient and aromatic extraction of the
beverage substance without, in this connection,
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particles of the beverage substance being washed out of
the portion capsule and the beverage consequently
becoming contaminated. As an alternative to this, it is
also conceivable for the filter element to comprise a
filter fleece or filter non-woven.
The closed container preferably has a substantially
truncated-cone-shaped base element with a closed bottom
which is sealed on its side remote from the bottom with
a covering foil, wherein a hollow space for
accommodating the brewing substance is realized between
the bottom and the covering foil. In an advantageous
manner, the portion capsule as claimed in the invention
is consequently able to be used in traditional brewing
chamber machines.
A further object of the present invention is a method
for producing a tea beverage with a portion capsule,
wherein in a first method step the portion capsule is
inserted into a brewing chamber of a brewing chamber
machine, wherein in a second method step boiling water
is introduced into the portion capsule and the brewing
substance is brewed by means of the boiling water to
produce the tea beverage and wherein in a third method
step the tea beverage is discharged out of the portion
capsule. By using the portion capsule as claimed in the
invention, a tea beverage, which is higher in quality
compared to the prior art, is produced in a
comparatively short brewing time without any beverage
substrate residues.
It has been shown that the named advantages are
achieved in particular when an extract content is kept
between 1 and 50 percent, in a preferred manner between
1 and 10 percent and in a particularly preferred manner
between 1 and 3 percent. The extract content is kept in
particular by an average particle size 1D4,3 of the
beverage substance being provided between 500
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micrometers and 1500 micrometers and in a preferred
manner between 650 micrometers and 1320 micrometers
and/or the beverage substance being provided with a
proportion of particles with a particle size greater
than 500 micrometers which is between 40 percent and 90
percent and preferably between 50 and 80 percent,
and/or the beverage substance being provided with a
proportion of particles with a particle size smaller
than 100 micrometers which is smaller than 10 percent
and preferably smaller than 8 percent.
As claimed in a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, it is provided that in the first method step
an inlet opening for the boiling water and an outlet
opening for the tea beverage is generated in the closed
container of the portion capsule, wherein the closed
container is preferably perforated by perforating means
of the brewing chamber machine and/or wherein a sealing
foil which covers the inlet and/or outlet opening is
preferably removed from the closed container. The
advantage of this is that the beverage substance does
not lose or only loses an insignificant amount of aroma
during storage of the portion capsule as, prior to the
opening or producing of the inlet and/or outlet
opening, the portion capsule is substantially
hermetically sealed.
As claimed in a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, it is provided that in the second method
step boiling water is introduced into the portion
capsule for a time period of between 30 and 100
seconds, in a preferred manner of between 50 and 80
seconds and in a particularly preferred manner of
between 60 and 70 seconds. It has been shown that an
optimum between a still justifiable brewing duration
and comparatively good brewing results can be ensured
in this way.
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The method as claimed is characterized in that the pressure of
the boiling water, the inner volume of the portion capsule, the
amount of the brewing substance arranged in the portion
capsule, the amount of the boiling water introduced into the
portion capsule in the second method step, the particle size
distribution of the brewing substance and/or the median hole
diameter of the filter element are matched to one another in
such a manner that in the third method step an amount of
between 150 and 250 millilitres, in a preferred manner between
180 and 220 millilitres and in a particularly preferred manner
of substantially 200 millilitres of tea beverage is discharged
out of the portion capsule.
In accordance with this invention there is provided a portion
capsule for producing a tea beverage, said portion capsule
having a substantially closed container which is filled at
least in part with a brewing substance which is provided for
the brewing process, wherein for brewing the brewing substance
the portion capsule can be inserted into a brewing chamber
machine, wherein the closed container has a substantially
truncated-cone-shaped base element with a closed bottom which
is sealed on its side remote from the bottom by means of a
covering foil, wherein a hollow space for accommodating the
brewing substance is realized between the bottom and the
covering foil, wherein the portion capsule has a filter
element, wherein the filter element comprises a filter felt or
a filter non-woven and in that the brewing substance comprises
a beverage substance for producing a tea beverage, wherein the
beverage substance is provided to be stored in the portion
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capsule and to be brewed in the portion capsule by means of hot
water introduced into the portion capsule under pressure,
wherein the beverage substance is substantially particulate and
comprises tea at least in part, wherein the beverage substance
has an average particle size (D4,3) of between 500 micrometers
and 1500 micrometers.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the figures
and are explained in more detail in the following description.
The figures are described purely as an example and do not limit
the general concepts of the invention.
Brief description of the figures
Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of a sectional drawing of
a portion capsule having a beverage substance as claimed in an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 shows a schematic side view of a sectional drawing of
a portion capsule as claimed in an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention during a brewing operation.
Figure 3 shows a schematic side view of a sectional drawing of
a portion capsule having a beverage substance as claimed in a
further exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
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Figure 4 shows a schematic side view of a sectional
drawing of the portion capsule as claimed in a
further exemplary embodiment of the present
invention during a brewing operation.
Embodiments of the invention
Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of a sectional
drawing of a portion capsule 1 as claimed in a first
embodiment of the present invention, the portion
capsule 1 having a substantially truncated-cone-shaped
base element 2 which is realized in the manner of a pot
and surrounds a hollow space 3. The hollow space 3 is
sealed by a covering foil 4 in the form of a membrane.
The base element 2 comprises in particular a soft or
rigid plastics material. The covering foil 4 preferably
comprises a thin plastics material or aluminum foil.
The base element 2 has a circumferential fastening
flange 20 in the region of the membrane 4, the membrane
4 being positively bonded, in particular welded or
glued, to the fastening flange 20. Inside the base
element 2 is arranged a filter element 5 which is
produced from a thermoplastic plastics material, for
example polypropylene. The filter element 5 divides the
hollow space 3 into a first region 6 and into a second
region 7. The first region 6 is provided for
accommodating a powdery beverage substance 10 which is
only illustrated schematically in the figures for
reasons of clarity. The beverage substance 10 comprises
granulated tea. The beverage substance 10 is filled,
for example, into the first region 6 and is then
compacted before the hollow space 3 is sealed by the
covering foil 4. The second region 7 serves for
accommodating and in particular for collecting a tea
beverage (not shown) during a brewing operation of the
portion capsule 1. The portion capsule 1 is provided
for the purpose of being inserted into a brewing
chamber 12 of a brewing chamber machine (not shown in
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figure 1), in which a brewing liquid (for example hot
water) is supplied preferably at high pressure to the
first region 6. Said brewing liquid interacts with the
beverage substance 10 such that a tea beverage is
formed. The filter element 5 has a plurality of filter
openings 8 and functions as a filter for the beverage,
as a result of which particles of the beverage
substance 10 are filtered out of the produced beverage.
The tea beverage, in this connection, passes through
the filter openings 8 into the second region 7, whilst
no particles of the beverage substrate 10 pass into the
second region 7. The second region 7 is defined by a
bottom region of the base element 2 which is pierced in
the brewing chamber 12, for example by a piercing
mandrel of the brewing chamber machine in order to
produce an outlet opening for the beverage. As an
alternative to this, it is conceivable for an outlet
opening to be formed automatically in the base region
under the pressure of the brewing liquid and/or for an
outlet opening or an outlet valve to be already
implemented in the bottom region. The outlet opening is
sealed, for example, by way of a sealing foil which is
removable by hand and is removed manually by a user
prior to inserting the portion capsule 1 into the
brewing chamber machine. The beverage substance 10 is
substantially granulate and comprises at least in part
green tea and/or black tea. However, it is equally
conceivable for the beverage substance 10 to comprise
any other sort or combination of commercially available
teas, such as, for example, fruit tea, herb tea,
peppermint tea, chamomile tea, rose-hip tea and the
like. It would also be conceivable for the beverage
substance 10 to comprise a granulate for ice tea. The
grain size distribution of the beverage substrate 10 is
selected additionally in such a manner that at least 90
percent of the beverage substance 10 has a median
particle size of between 0.1 and 2 millimeters. The
grain size distribution, in this case, is matched in
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particular to a median diameter of filter openings 8
which comprises substantially between 0.01 and 1
millimeter. The ratio between the grain size
distribution of the beverage substance 10 and the
diameter and cross section of the individual filter
openings 8, in this case, is selected in such a manner
that almost no particles of the beverage substance 10
pass from the first to the second region 6, 7 and at
the same time as quick and efficient a brewing of the
beverage substance 10 as possible is achieved. The
overall mass of the beverage substance 10 in the
portion capsule 1 preferably comprises substantially 3
grams. The beverage substance 10 additionally has an
anti-foaming means which is in particular granulate and
comprises at least one oil. The anti-foaming means, in
this case, preferably comprises a maximum proportion of
1.5 percent of the overall mass of the beverage
substance 10. It is conceivable for the beverage
substance 10 to be thermally pretreated to reduce
germs.
As an option or as an alternative to this, it is
provided that the beverage substance 10, when it is
measured using the Malvern laser diffraction method
(for example by means of a Malvern Mastersizer 3000
with Aero S dry dispersing, 4 bar dispersive pressure
and a feed rate of between 60 and 90), has an average
particle size D4,3 of between 650 micrometers and 1320
micrometers. In addition, the beverage substance 10 has
a proportion of particles with a particle size greater
than 500 micrometers which is between 50 and 80 percent
and a proportion of particles with a particle size
smaller than 100 micrometers which is smaller than 8
percent. The specific swelling capacity of the beverage
substance 10 is between 1.0 and 2.6.
Figure 2 shows a schematic side view of a sectional
drawing of the portion capsule 1 described by way of
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figure 1 during a brewing operation. The portion
capsule 1, in this case, is arranged in a brewing
chamber 12 of a brewing chamber machine which can be,
for example, a coffee machine for brewing coffee
portion capsules. The brewing chamber 12 comprises a
receiving element 13 for receiving the portion capsule
1 and a sealing element 14 for sealing the receiving
element 13. The brewing chamber 12 is movable by
axially displacing the sealing element 14 in relation
to the receiving element between a loading position
(not shown) and a brewing position shown in figure 2.
In the loading position, the receiving element 13 and
the sealing element 14 are at a spacing from one
another along the axial direction 100 such that the
portion capsule I can be inserted into the brewing
chamber 12 or can be arranged along the axial direction
100 between the sealing element 14 and the receiving
element 13. The sealing element 14 is then moved along
the axial direction 100 in the direction of the
receiving element 13 such that the flange 20 is clamped
between the edge of the receiving element 13 and the
sealing element 14 and consequently a closed brewing
chamber 12 is formed. In addition, the receiving
element 13 has a mandrel 15 and the sealing element 14
has a plurality of perforating tips 16. When the
brewing chamber 12 is closed, the bottom region of the
portion capsule 1 is perforated by means of the mandrel
15 and the covering foil 4 is perforated by means of
the perforating tips 16. The sealing element 14 has a
liquid feed opening 17, through which the brewing
liquid is fed to the first region 6 of the portion
capsule 1 in the form of pressurized, hot or cold
water. The boiling water, in this case, is introduced
into the portion capsule 1 for a time period of between
60 and 70 seconds. The brewing liquid, in this case,
passes into the portion capsule 1 through the
perforation holes, which are generated in the covering
foil 4 by means of the perforation tips 16. The brewing
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liquid interacts with the beverage substance 10 inside
the first region 6, as a result of which a tea beverage
is formed or brewed which passes through the filter
openings 8 of the filter element 5 into the second
region 7. The tea beverage is additionally directed out
of the second region 7 through the output hole, which
is generated by means of the mandrel 15 in the bottom
region, and is then supplied to a beverage vessel (not
shown), such as, for example, a tea cup or teapot. In
particular, an amount of substantially 200 milliliters
of tea beverage is supplied to the beverage vessel in
one single brewing operation. The extract content, in
this connection, is in particular between 1 and 3
percent. Once the brewing operation has been completed,
the sealing element 14 is moved away from the receiving
element 13 again such that the used portion capsule 1
can be removed or automatically ejected and the brewing
chamber machine, where applicable, can be filled with a
new portion capsule 1.
Figure 3 shows a schematic side view of a sectional
drawing of a portion capsule 1 having a beverage
substance 10 as claimed in a further exemplary
embodiment of the present invention, the portion
capsule 1 being substantially the same as the portion
capsule 1 illustrated in figure 1 and the only
difference being the filter element 5 realized as a
filter felt. The beverage substance 10 corresponds in
particular to the beverage substance 10 described in
conjunction with figures 1 and 2.
The material of the filter felt preferably comprises
polyester. The filter felt has a weight per unit area
of between 600 and 700 grams per square meter and in
particular of substantially 650 grams per square meter.
The thickness of the filter felt at right angles to its
main extension plane is substantially 2.8 millimeters.
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PCT/EP2012/001124
At a pressure of 200 Pa, the filter felt preferably has
an air permeability of substantially 250 1/dm2'min.
Figure 4 shows a schematic side view of a sectional
drawing of the portion capsule 1 described by way of
figure 3 during a brewing operation, the mandrel
piercing the capsule bottom from below - similar to as
in figure 2. In the present example, however, the
mandrel tip enters into the filter felt such that the
beverage is able to flow out of the portion capsule 1.
The extract content, in this connection, is also in
particular between 1 and 3 percent. It is also
conceivable for the mandrel tip to pierce the filter
felt completely and/or for the filter felt to be lifted
up slightly in the region of the mandrel tip. An
efficient flowing-out of the beverage is made possible
by means of the cross flow inside the filter felt
(parallel to the main extension plane of the filter
felt), the individual particles of the beverage
substance being filtered out through the filter felt
and consequently not contaminating the beverage as it
flows out.
CA 02829709 2013-09-10
WO 2012/123106 - 19 -
PCT/EP2012/001124
List of references
1 Portion capsule
2 Base element
3 Hollow space
4 Covering foil
5 Filter element
6 First region
7 Second region
8 Filter openings
10 Beverage substance
10' Brewing substance
11 Tea beverage
12 Brewing chamber
13 Receiving element
14 Sealing element
15 Mandrel
16 Perforating tips
17 Liquid feed opening
20 Flange
100 Axial direction
