A New or Improved Substance or Material and Process for Preparing same for Making Beverages therefrom.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1892-Accepted, 1st Oct., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Substance or Material and Process for Preparing
same for Making Beverages therefrom.
I, SOPHIA DONATO, of 187 Harrow Road, Paddington, in the County of
London, Spinster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to a new or improved substance or material and process for
preparing the same, for making beverages, and consists in the employment of the
berries of the ebony plant "Ebenacea," say of the species "Diospyros," "Royena,"
or "Maba," a plant growing chiefly in India, Africa, and other tropical climates ;
I preferably make use of the berries of the "Royena cunifolia."
These berries containing seeds are, according to my invention, first subjected to
a preparatory treatment before a decoction or infusion can be made therefrom, such
decoction or infusion forming in combination with other substances, a new beverage
of agreeable taste and possessing restorative and refreshing properties.
In their natural state, the seeds above mentioned are enclosed in a pulp which
must be first removed by crushing the berries and then washing the seeds from the
pulp or drying the berries to be acted upon by suitable machinery or apparatus to
separate the seeds from the pulp. The seeds then appear with a skin which is of
an injurious and noxious nature, and must be carefully removed, as it possesses
toxic properties. This can be effected either by drying the seeds in any suitable
oven or drying chamber, which causes the skins to blister and crack; the skins are
then removed by subjecting them to the action of machinery such as is used for
freeing barley, rice, &c., from their skins, or by soaking the seeds in water for a
sufficient length of time, whereby the said skins are softened and can be subsequently
removed by making use of the aforesaid machinery.
After the seeds have been thus freed from their noxious skins, they are
thoroughly roasted in any suitable torrefying machine, and finally ground or
reduced into powder in any suitable manner. This powder is used to make a
decoction or infusion, and is or may be mixed with, say, coffee, chicory, figs, or
other similar products or substances, in the same manner as is now done with coffee,
cocoa, or tea, the resulting beverage being used as a refreshing and invigorating
drink, either hot or cold, or mixed if so desired in any suitable manner with coffee,
chicory, figs, or the like, prepared, for example, in the manner of the so-called
"Karlsbad" coffee.
The beverages made in the manner above described may be used hot for
breakfast or dinner and other meals, or cold for summer drinks, sugar, milk,
cream &c. being added thereto if preferred in the same manner as with tea, coffee,
and the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
The new or improved substance or material and process for preparing same from
the berries and seeds borne by the ebony plant "Ebenacea," for example by the

page_text: beverages to be used in combination with coffee, chicory, or figs or other similar
products or substances, substantially as and for the purposes herein described.
Dated this 16th day of August 1892.
BREWER & SON,
33, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for Applicant.