The Procter Gamble Company

Diane H Neilson

Steven J Kirkpatrick

James P McCarthy

Edward L Whaley

Sara L Work

The invention is a method for treating coffee beans to make a better-tasting and improved aroma coffee. Green coffee beans are first partially roasted to a Hunter a-color between about 3 and about 9, under roasting conditions sufficient to increase the Hunter a-color of the beans by at least about 1.5 a-color units during the partial roasting step. The partially roasted beans are then treated with either an alkaline solution comprising water and a foodgrade base, or a coffee bean extract solution comprising water and from about 1% to about 12% coffee solids. Preferably, the partially roasted beans are treated by soaking them in the solution at a temperature between about 65.degree. F. (18.degree. C.) and about 120.degree. F. (49.degree. C.) for a time between about 2 hours and about 24 hours. Then the treated beans are roasted to a Hunter L-color between about 16 and about 24, under roasting conditions sufficient to lower the Hunter L-color of the beans by at least about 10 L-color units during the final roasting step. The invention is also a roast and ground coffee composition comprising volatile and nonvolatile coffee compounds, said volatile compounds including ketones, diketones, aldehydes, methyl esters, furans, phenolics, and substituted pyrazines, wherein the volatile compounds are present in the coffee composition so that f(d) is greater than 145, where f(d)= ##EQU1## and wherein the composition has a Hunter L-color of not more than 24.

Process for treating coffee beans to make a better-tasting coffee

The invention is a method for treating coffee beans to make a better-tasting and improved aroma coffee. Green coffee beans are first partially roasted to a Hunter a-color between about 3 and about 9, under roasting conditions sufficient to increase the Hunter a-color of the beans by at least about 1.5 a-color units during the partial roasting step. The partially roasted beans are then treated with either an alkaline solution comprising water and a foodgrade base, or a coffee bean extract solution comprising water and from about 1% to about 12% coffee solids. Preferably, the partially roasted beans are treated by soaking them in the solution at a temperature between about 65.degree. F. (18.degree. C.) and about 120.degree. F. (49.degree. C.) for a time between about 2 hours and about 24 hours. Then the treated beans are roasted to a Hunter L-color between about 16 and about 24, under roasting conditions sufficient to lower the Hunter L-color of the beans by at least about 10 L-color units during the final roasting step. The invention is also a roast and ground coffee composition comprising volatile and nonvolatile coffee compounds, said volatile compounds including ketones, diketones, aldehydes, methyl esters, furans, phenolics, and substituted pyrazines, wherein the volatile compounds are present in the coffee composition so that f(d) is greater than 145, where ##EQU1## and wherein the composition has a Hunter L-color of not more than 24.

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Fairfield, OH, United States of America

Diane H Neilson