Provided are surprisingly effective methods for producing uniform, cold-brew beverages (e.g., coffee, tea, fruit juice/extract, vegetable juice/extract, etc.) having an extended shelf-life, comprising: use of non-oxygen gas mixtures comprising hydrogen (to reduce or eliminate total packaged oxygen (TPO)), use of pressure/vacuum ports in brewing and/or conditioning chambers to provide chambered vacuum and/or pressure to enhance oxygen elimination, use of continuous mixing/agitation during the final conditioning phase to provide for even particulate suspension, use of a two-phase filtration system to provide for uniform tailoring of the amount and/or size of undissolved solids, and use of jacketed brewing and/or conditioning chambers for enhanced control of temperature, extraction uniformity and conditioning. Cold-brew beverages prepared by the methods, and systems for making same are provided. Beverages prepared by any method and packaged in a container and exposed therein to a non-oxygen gas mixture comprising hydrogen, and methods for making same are provided.

A tea making appliance may include a base, a particulate guide, a tea leaf container, a motorized leaf distributor, a reservoir, a water pump, a heating element, and a controller. The base may define a dispenser cavity. The particulate guide may be directed at the dispenser cavity. The motorized leaf distributor may be provided to selectively provide tea leaves to the particulate guide. The water pump may be in fluid communication with the reservoir upstream from the dispenser cavity to direct water thereto. The controller may be configured to initiate an automated brewing operation that includes receiving one or more data points regarding a physical user condition, selecting a personalized tea style based on the received one or more data points, and dispensing a predetermined tea mass of the personalized tea style automatically in response to selecting the personalized tea style.

A system and method for producing an extract from an extraction material by means of an extraction agent comprises a supply line for the extraction agent, a heating device, a brewing device for the extraction material and an extract collection container. The supply line contains a measuring element and at least one volumetric flow control element for the volumetric flow of the extraction agent. In addition, the temperature of the heated extraction agent can be measured by means of the measuring element. The system comprises a control unit, the control unit containing a dosage regime for the heated extraction agent for the brewing device. The dosage regimen can be selected by means of an input device, whereby the volumetric flow control element can be set according to the dosage regimen and is monitored via the measuring element.

Coffee makers with features for rapid and/or multiple extraction processes, and associated systems and methods, are disclosed. A representative method for brewing coffee includes placing ground coffee on a filter element of a brew chamber, directing heated water into the brew chamber and in contact with the ground coffee and, during a first phase, brewing coffee in the brew chamber without subjecting the coffee to a pressure differential of at least 150 torr between the brew chamber and a coffee chamber to which the brew chamber is coupled, the coffee chamber having a capacity of 200 mL or more. The representative method further includes, during a second phase, extracting the coffee from the brew chamber through the filter element and into the coffee chamber via a pressure differential of at least 150 torr between the brew chamber and the coffee chamber.

A method of forming frozen beverage blocks from a liquid beverage. The method may include introducing a beverage into a hot beverage reservoir of a beverage receiving subsystem to initiate the process. Next, the beverage may flow from the hot beverage reservoir of the beverage receiving subsystem into a cooling subsystem. The flow from the hot beverage reservoir into and through the cooling subsystem may be done entirely via gravity. Cool air may be blown across the cooling subsystem to cool the beverage as the beverage flows through the cooling subsystem. Upon the temperature of the beverage being measured at or below a predetermined lower threshold temperature, the beverage may be permitted to flow, via gravity, from the cooling subsystem into a cool beverage reservoir of a freezing subsystem. The freezing subsystem may be configured to convert the beverage from a liquid into frozen beverage blocks.

A cold brew coffee brewing system to prepare cold brew coffee by extraction of coffee grounds with brew water in a single-past, non-immersion extraction operation uses a tower unit with first and second receiving locations to receive a pre-infusion container for preparation of a pre-infusion mixture of coffee grounds during a pre-infusion operation and to receive an extraction vessel containing the transferred pre-infusion mixture for extraction processing to prepare cold brew coffee product, which is collected in a collection container received in the second receiving location of the tower unit. A brew control system controls operation of the water dispensing system during a cold brewing process cycle, and including a controller unit having stored therein multiple profiles for different cold-brew coffee product that may be prepared at the direction of the controller unit. A network may include multiple such cold brew coffee brewing systems connected with a central server.

An invention as provided is a method of preparing a beverage or beverage extract comprising steps of: a. providing an extraction chamber comprising an extractable beverage material, a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, and b. conveying a liquid into the chamber via the inlet and at least a portion of the liquid out of the chamber via the outlet, and c. conveying at least a portion of the liquid that has exited the chamber from step b) back into the chamber via the outlet and conveying at least a portion of the liquid out of the chamber via the inlet. wherein steps b) and c) are repeated at least twice, and wherein at least a portion of the liquid conveyed into the chamber in at least one subsequent step b), in addition to the first step b), is conveyed into the chamber for the first time.

A method of preparing a brewed beverage using a beverage brewing apparatus includes providing a flavorant, identifying a process cycle including one or more infusion cycles for preparing the brewed beverage, performing said one or more infusion cycles, wherein said performing of said one or more infusion cycles includes providing fluid to said flavorant, and varying a temperature of said fluid provided to said flavorant during a single infusion cycle of said one or more infusion cycles, or between a plurality of infusion cycles of said one or more infusion cycles.

Disclosed are processes for making cold brew beverage compositions including concentrates and apparatus for preparing cold brew beverage compositions. The disclosed processes and apparatus allow for efficient, rapid, industrial scale production of cold brew beverage compositions having improved total solid content, improved flavor stability, longer shelf-life, and adaptability to use in small volume containers.

A coffee brewing process comprising the steps of: providing a coffee brewing device, having a plurality of coffee brewing elements; providing end user criteria; selecting recipes from a remote server based upon the end user criteria, said recipes including at least one data set corresponding to said recipe; downloading the recipe and corresponding at least one data set; adjusting settings of at least one coffee brewing element based upon the data set, and so; brewing coffee using said coffee brewing device at one element.