FLUIDIZED BED COFFEE ROASTER

摘要

A fluidized bed coffee roaster controls air flow and/or temperature to maintain a desired time-temperature roast profile. The roaster may also provide a two stage quenching cycle for rapidly cooling roasted coffee beans to ambient temperature. In a first stage of the quenching cycle unheated air is passed through the roasted beans while they are still in the roasting chamber of the fluidized bed roaster. In a second stage of the quenching cycle which is carried out outside of the roasting chamber, in a fluidized bed quenching station, unheated air is flowed through, and fluidizes, the roasted coffee beans cooling them to ambient temperature.

主权项

1. A fluidized bed coffee roaster providing a controlled roast profile, said roaster comprising:
a roasting chamber including an air-permeable member which is supported in said chamber and which is operable to support a volume of coffee beans thereupon; an air inlet disposed so as to introduce a stream of air into said chamber through said air-permeable member so as to pass through and fluidize said volume of coffee beans; an air outlet disposed so as to direct said stream of air out of the chamber after it has passed through the volume of coffee beans; a blower operable to provide said stream of air; an air duct operatively connecting said blower with the air inlet of the chamber so as to direct the stream of air from the blower to the inlet; a heater associated with the air duct at a point downstream of the blower and upstream of the roasting chamber, said heater, when activated, being operable to heat the stream of air; a roast temperature sensor disposed downstream of said heater, and operable so as to sense the temperature of the stream of air and generate a roast control signal corresponding thereto; and a controller which is in operative communication with the roast temperature sensor, the blower, and the heater, said controller being operable to selectably independently activate and deactivate the heater and/or blower, said controller having a roast profile electronically stored therein, said roast profile comprising a plurality of data points defining said roast profile, each point corresponding to a particular time and temperature; said controller being further operative, on a periodic basis to:
read a roast control signal value;correlate said roast control signal value with said roast profile; andcontrol the operation of said blower and/or heater so as to maintain the temperature of said volume of coffee beans in accord with said roast profile.