Provided is a coffee roasting apparatus including a roasting portion formed in a tubular shape having a predetermined length along an advancing direction and formed to have an inner space having a set temperature to roast coffee beans; a conveying portion formed to pass through the roasting portion from the front to rear thereof and installed to be rotatable from the inside to outside of the roasting portion to repeatedly rotate along the same trajectory; and a supply portion installed at an upper side of the conveying portion at the front of the roasting portion to supply coffee beans so that one or more coffee beans continuously fall onto the conveying portion.

A system/method of steam cleaning a roaster bowl, such as one used in a roasting/glazing apparatus, in which an electronic technique is employed to determine, during cleaning, whether water is boiling within the roaster bowl. The method entails adding water into a roaster bowl having sugar adhered thereto and placing a cover on top of the roaster bowl. A steam vent is formed between the cover and the roaster bowl. The method further comprises heating the roaster bowl and then electronically determining whether the water within the roaster bowl has reached a boiling point (i.e., is boiling). After electronically determining that the water is boiling, the water remains boiling for an amount of time sufficient to cause the internal surface of the roaster bowl and the cover to be properly steam cleaned. The water in the roaster bowl (with sugar dissolved therein) is then poured out.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to identifying initial roasting degree of coffee beans. A method for identifying an initial roasting degree of coffee beans disclosed. The method comprises steps of measuring information indicating temperature change of the coffee beans while the coffee beans are roasted; and identifying the initial roasting degree of the coffee beans at least partially based on the measured information. Corresponding apparatus and computer program product are disclosed as well.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to identifying initial roasting degree of coffee beans. A method for identifying an initial roasting degree of coffee beans disclosed. The method comprises steps of measuring information indicating temperature change of the coffee beans while the coffee beans are roasted; and identifying the initial roasting degree of the coffee beans at least partially based on the measured information. Corresponding apparatus and computer program product are disclosed as well.

The invention concerns an apparatus for roasting coffee beans comprising: a vessel (1) to contain coffee beans, a heating device (12) to heat coffee beans contained in the vessel, a control system (180) operable to control the heating device and configured to apply a roasting recipe (R) providing the temperature T.sub.@t1, T.sub.@t2, . . . to be applied at discrete successive times t.sub.1, t.sub.2, . . . , respectively, wherein for a customised quantity m of coffee beans introduced inside the vessel, the control system is configured to obtain at least the quantity m of coffee beans introduced inside the vessel, and the control system is configured to get access to at least one series of roasting recipes (R.sub.i, R.sub.i+1, . . . ) adapted to the roasting of different successive pre-determined quantities (M.sub.i, M.sub.i+1, . . . ) of beans of same type and to said pre-determined quantities Mi, Mi+1, . . . , and based on said accessible series of roasting recipes (R.sub.i, R.sub.i+1, . . . ) adapted to the roasting of different successive pre-determined quantities (M.sub.i, M.sub.i+1, . . . ) of beans of same type and based on said obtained quantity m of coffee beans introduced inside the vessel, the control system is configured to determine the roasting recipe (R) to be applied on said obtained quantity m of coffee beans introduced inside the vessel.

An apparatus for roasting coffee beans includes: a vessel to contain coffee beans, a heating device to heat coffee beans contained in the vessel, and a control system operable to control the heating device and configured to apply a roasting recipe (R) providing the temperature T.sub.@t1, T.sub.@t2, . . . to be applied at discrete successive times t.sub.1, t.sub.2, . . . , respectively. For a customised quantity m of coffee beans introduced inside the vessel, the control system is configured to obtain at least the quantity m of coffee beans introduced inside the vessel. The control system is configured to access at least one series of roasting recipes (R.sub.i, R.sub.i+1, . . . ) adapted to the roasting of different successive pre-determined quantities (M.sub.i, M.sub.i+1, . . . ) of beans of same type and to the pre-determined quantities Mi, Mi+1, . . . , and based on the accessible series of roasting recipes (R.sub.i, R.sub.i+1, . . . ) adapted to the roasting of different successive pre-determined quantities (M.sub.i, M.sub.i+1, . . . ) of beans of same type. Based on the obtained quantity m of coffee beans introduced inside the vessel, the control system is configured to determine the roasting recipe (R) to be applied on the obtained quantity m of coffee beans introduced inside the vessel.

A roasting and glazing apparatus comprising a roaster housing, a roaster bowl disposed within the roaster housing for receiving a mixture of nuts and sugar, an agitator rotatably mounted within the roaster bowl for mixing the mixture, and a heater controlled to selectively heat the roaster bowl. The agitator includes at least two blades for mixing the nut/sugar mixture during a roasting or glazing operation. The agitator also includes a central hub and each of the blades extends from the central hub and includes a respective substantially vertical component and a respective horizontal component. Each horizontal component has a bottom surface that is disposed adjacent to the floor of the roaster bowl, and the bottom surface extends upward from its front edge to its rear edge at a relief angle of at least 5 relative to the roaster bowl floor. The agitator with such structure is able to prevent/minimize build-up of sugar from the underside of its blades, which in turn prevents blade seizure during operation, among providing other benefits. Each blade may also beneficially have a top surface that extends from the front edge to the rear edge at substantially a 30 angle relative to the roaster bowl floor to provide enhanced mixing and other benefits.

An agricultural product treatment system. A preferred embodiment of the invention includes a truncated conical section which has a small diameter at one end in fluid communication with a conduit array conveying particulate matter from the DT. An open large diameter end of the structure is axially coextensive and coaxial with an expanded diameter conduit portion.

A roaster for roasting articles includes a containing device, an air supplying device, a first separating device, and a collector device. The containing device defines a roasting chamber. The air supplying device generates a heated air stream that flows into the roasting chamber. The first separating device has a shell unit disposed above the containing device, and a first separating member disposed in the shell unit and configured such that impurities which are carried along with the heated air stream are filtered out from the heated air stream. The collector device is connected to the shell unit for collecting the impurities filtered out from the heated air stream.

A roaster for roasting articles includes a containing device, an air supplying device, a first separating device, and a collector device. The containing device defines a roasting chamber. The air supplying device generates a heated air stream that flows into the roasting chamber. The first separating device has a shell unit disposed above the containing device, and a first separating member disposed in the shell unit and configured such that impurities which are carried along with the heated air stream are filtered out from the heated air stream. The collector device is connected to the shell unit for collecting the impurities filtered out from the heated air stream.