Beverage Brewing Pouch with Pre-Blended Sweetener for Consistent Brix
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for brewing sweetened beverages, such as tea and coffee, lack consistency and accuracy due to the traditional practice of adding sugar after brewing, which results in varying sugar content and flavor profiles.
Innovation Solution
A brewing system that incorporates a brewing basket with a water-permeable sieve or mesh pouch containing a prescribed blend of beverage materials and granulated sweetener, allowing hot water to steep and dissolve the sweetener, producing a consistently sweetened concentrated beverage solution that can be diluted later.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sugar is added after brewing, then the brewing process is simple, but the sweetness consistency varies from batch to batch
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines sugar and beverage material into a single blended product that is brewed together in one step. This merging eliminates the separate step of adding sugar after brewing, ensuring consistent sweetness while maintaining operational simplicity. The blended product contains pre-measured proportions of sugar and beverage material, so users only need to add one ingredient to water.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-mixing the exact proportions of sugar and beverage material before brewing. The sugar and beverage material are blended in advance with precise measurements, so that when the user brews, the correct amount of sugar is already incorporated into the beverage material, eliminating the need for post-brewing sugar addition and ensuring batch-to-batch consistency.
2Ease of operation
If sugar is added to cool tea, then the brewing steps are separate, but the sugar does not dissolve completely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sweetening function into the brewing process itself by incorporating sugar into the beverage material blend. This eliminates the separate step of adding sugar to cool tea, and since the sugar is extracted and dissolved during the hot brewing process, complete dissolution is ensured while maintaining the simplicity of a single-step brewing operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temperature parameter timing by dissolving sugar in hot brewing water rather than in cool finished tea. The sugar is exposed to high temperature during the brewing process, ensuring complete dissolution, and then the entire mixture is cooled together, resulting in fully dissolved sugar in the final cold beverage.
3Measurement precision
If one uses a scale to measure sugar, then the Brix level is accurate, but the brewing process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-measuring and blending sugar with beverage material in precise proportions during manufacturing. This eliminates the need for users to own or use scales during brewing, as the correct amounts are already combined in the blended product. The precision is achieved in the manufacturing stage, not in the consumer brewing stage, keeping equipment simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the measurement function from the brewing process itself and relocates it to the manufacturing stage. By pre-determining the exact sugar-to-beverage-material ratios in controlled manufacturing environments with proper measurement equipment, the need for measurement devices in consumer brewing is eliminated, simplifying the brewing process while maintaining accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method ensures consistent sweetness and flavor by dissolving the sweetener in hot water during brewing, reducing the steps required and enhancing the extraction of flavors, resulting in a more reliable and accurate brewing process for sweetened beverages.
Implementation Method 1
hot water to steep and dissolve the sweetener, producing a consistently sweetened concentrated beverage solution
Implementation Method 2
hot water to steep and dissolve the sweetener, producing a consistently sweetened concentrated beverage solution
Data Source
AI summary
A beverage brewing product for brewing a sweetened beverage is disclosed which produces a sweetened beverage solution that can be mixed with a diluting liquid and which comprises at least one water permeable sieve wherein beverage material and granulated sweetener are contained. The beverage material and sweetener are brewed and dissolved during steeping in hot water to produce a sweetened beverage solution. The beverage solution, if concentrated, is then mixed with a proportioned amount of diluting liquid to make a consistently sweet beverage. This beverage brewing product may be used to produce a variety of consistently sweetened beverages, including tea, coffee, and lemonade.