A New or Improved Method of Preparing and Treating or Serving up Infusions of Tea and Coffee and other Infusions.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th May, 1887
Complete Left, 19th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 24th Feb., 1888
A New or Improved Method of Preparing and Treating or Serving
up Infusions of Tea and Coffee and other Infusions.
I HENRY FREEMAN of No. 115 Suffolk Street Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Wholesale Dealer in Coffee and Chicory and Coffee Roaster Trading as
Bottomley and Company do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows: :-
In the dispensing or retailing of infusions of tea and coffee in shops and elsewhere
the store of tea or coffee is ordinarily maintained at the desired temperature by heating
it in the urn or container. By the steeping or continuous heating to which the
infusion is subjected the aroma is in great part volatilized and a disagreeable flavour is
imparted to the infusion.
The principal object of my invention is to avoid the said steeping or continuous
heating of the tea or coffee or other infusions. 1 effect this by preparing or treating
the tea or coffee or other infusion in the manner hereinafter described whereby the
infusion retains to a large extent its original flavour. I make the infusion of tea or
coffee by pouring boiling water upon it as usual and allow the tea or coffee to steop
until the water has extracted all its essential constituents. The infusion so made is
then separated from the tea leaves or coffee grounds and is allowed to cool. The
cold tea or coffee is next stored in an urn or container from which it may be drawn
from time to time as required. The urn or container in which the tea or coffee is
stored is connected with a heating apparatus by which portions of the cold tea or
coffee as required can be rapidly heated. The heating apparatus which I employ may
consist of a worm or helical pipe or a series of straight pipes or of one or more plates
or metal surfaces heated by gas flames or other source of heat but I do not limit
myself to the use of any particular kind of heating apparatus the heating apparatus
however must be so constructed that the infusion can be passed rapidly through or
over the heated surfaces so as to heat it to the desired temperature for serving up.
In order to obtain a hot cup of tea or coffee from the storage uru containing the
cold tea or coffee it is only necessary to open communication between the storage urn
077

page_text: and the heating apparatus and permit the requisite quantity of the cold tea or coffee
to pass through the said heating apparatus. By the method described of preparing
and treating or serving up infusions the steeping or continuous heating of the
infusion in the urn or container is avoided and the infusion so prepared and
served up possesses the same or nearly the same flavour as the freshly made
infusion.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method of Preparing and Treating or Serving
up Infusions of Tea and Coffee and other Infusions.
I HENRY FREEMAN of No. 115 Suffolk Street Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Wholesale Dealer in Coffee and Chicory and Coffee Roaster, trading as
Bottomley and Company, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
In the dispensing or retailing of infusions of tea and coffee in shops and elsewhere
the store of tea or coffee is ordinarily maintained at the desired temperature by
heating it in the urn or container. By the steeping or continuous heating to which
the infusion is subjected the aroma is in great part volatilized and a disagreeable
flavour is imparted to the infusion.
The principal object of my invention is to avoid the said steeping or continuous
heating of the tea or coffee or other infusion. I effect this by preparing or treating
the tea or coffee or other infusion in the manner hereinafter described, whereby the
infusion retains to a large extent its original flavour.
I make the infusion of tea or coffee by pouring boiling water upon it as usual and
allow the tea or coffee to steep until the water has extracted all its essential con-
stituents. The infusion so made is then separated from the tea leaves or coffee
grounds and is allowed to cool. The cold tea or coffee is next stored in an urn or
container from which it may be drawn from time to time as required. The urn or
container in which the tea or coffee is stored is used in connection with a heating
apparatus by which portions of the cold tea or coffee as required can be rapidly
heated. The heating apparatus which I employ may consist of a worm or helical
pipe or a series of straight pipes or of one or more plates or metal surfaces heated

page_text: by gas flames or other source of heat but I do not limit myself to the use of any
particular kind of heating apparatus the heating apparatus however must be so
constructed that the infusion can be passed rapidly through the worn or pipes or over
the heated surfaces so as to heat it to the desired temperature for serving up.
In order to obtain a cup of hot tea or coffee from the storage urn containing the
cold tea or coffee it is only necessary to open communication between the storage
urn and the heating apparatus and permit the requisite quantity of the cold tea or
coffee to pass through the said heating apparatus.
I will now proceed to describe in connection with the apparatus shown in the
accompanying Drawing the manner in which my invention may be carried into effect
but I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to that construction of
apparatus as other kinds may be employed for effecting the same object.
Figure 1 represents the apparatus in elevation and Figure 2 a vertical section of
the same.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both Figures.
The said apparatus consists essentially of a storage urn or container and heating
apparatus for the same together with appliances for regulating and drawing off a
measured quantity of the infusion.
For convenience of description I will describe the apparatus as used for holding
heating and serving up an infusion of tea. At the top of the urn or apparatus is a
vessel a containing the store of cold tea to be served up by the apparatus the said
vessel a
being separated from the other part of the apparatus by the bottom or
division a² and closed at top by the cover a³. Below the store vessel a and isolated
from it by the space b through which air circulates for keeping cool the infusion in
the said vessel a is a heating vessel c filled with water and heated by gas flames, lamps
or other source of heat acting upon the bottom of the said vessel c. The hot water
vessel c is filled at the funnel d situated at one side of the urn and steam may escape
from the said vessel by the pipe e at its top passing to the side of the urn or apparatus.
The hot water in the vessel c may be drawn off at the tap when required. In the
said hot water vessel c is a worm or helical pipe g through which the cold tea is passed
for heating the same: h is the delivery pipe of the worm g.
с
The store vessel a containing the cold tea and the worm or helical pipe g in the hot
water vessel c are connected together and a measured quantity of cold tea drawn from
the vessel a and passed through the worm g and heated and delivered in the following
manner. External to the body of the apparatus is a measuring cup i opening at top
by the pipe k into the store vessel a and at bottom by the pipe into the top of the
worin or helical pipe g. In the pipe is a stop cock m and in the pipe is another
stopcock n. A vent or air pipe opens into the top of the measuring cup i. The
spindles of the stopcocks m and n are coupled together by the arms p, p and
handle q and the plugs of the said stopcocks have motion in their barrels through
about a quadrant in one or other direction. The liquid ways or passages in the plugs
of the two stopcocks are so arranged that when the stopcock m is open to the cup i
the other stopcock n is closed to the cup i and the reverse. By this arrangement a
measured quantity of the cold infusion can be transferred from the store vessel a to
the measuring cupi without the said infusion passing to the worm g and the store
vessel a is cut off from the measuring cup while the contents of the said cup are
being passed through the worm g to be heated and delivered at the external delivery
pipe h in connection with the last coil of the worm.
In treating or serving up the infusion according to my invention and by the use
of the apparatus represented I proceed as follows. The storage vessel a having been
filled with the cold tea (or other cold infusion) and the water in the chamber c
having been heated to a boiling or nearly boiling temperature, the handle is turned
so as to open the stopcock m and close the stopcock n. A portion of the cold tea
from the vessel a thereby passes by the pipe and fills the measuring cup i, air
escaping by the piper and the tea is ready to be served when required. In order
to obtain a cup of hot tea the handle g is turned through a quadrant so as to close
the stop cock m and open the stopcock n. The measured quantity of cold tea in
the cup i now passes rapidly through the heated worm g by which it is heated and

page_text: is
an empty cup having been placed under the delivery pipe the heated tea is received
in the said cup. After the cup of heated tea has been thus served the handle
again turned so as to close the stopcock n and open the stopcock m when another
measured quantity of cold tea from the store vessel a passes to the cup i ready to
be served as before described. By the method described of preparing and treating
or serving up infusions the steeping or continuous heating of the infusion in the urn
or container is avoided and the infusion so prepared and served up possesses the
same or nearly the same flavour as freshly made tea or other infusion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my
invention―
The new or improved method of preparing and treating or serving up infusions of
tea and coffee and other infusions herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, the said method consisting essentially in storing cold tea or
other infusion in a storage vessel in combination with or in connection with a
heating apparatus; passing preferably a measured quantity of the cold infusion
through the heating apparatus and thereby heating it to the desired temperature
for serving up substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this Thirteenth day of January 1888.