Magnetically Driven Beverage Brewing System and Method

Abstract

A coffee brewing system includes a brew vessel adapted to receive water and ground coffee to produce and store a brewed beverage. The brew vessel includes a filter and a magnet stirrer in the lower portion of the brew vessel. The magnet stirrer creates a water vortex for brewing the coffee. The used coffee grounds are allowed to settle on the filter creating a bed of used coffee grounds and the coffee is then filtered through both the bed of used coffee grounds and the filter and collected in a coffee storage container.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A coffee machine comprising a brew vessel, an input to said brew vessel for water and coffee grounds; a first outlet for brewed coffee, a filter for filtering used coffee grounds from the brewed coffee, a stirrer member in said brew vessel to mix the water and coffee grounds, said stirring member located below at least a portion of said filter. 
     
     
         2 . The coffee machine of  claim 1  in which the stirrer member creates a flow of the mixture of said water and coffee grounds substantially parallel to the surface of the filter. 
     
     
         3 . The coffee machine of  claim 1  in which the filter includes openings of approximately 35-75 microns. 
     
     
         4 . The coffee machine of  claim 1  in which the stirrer member is a magnet. 
     
     
         5 . The coffee machine of  claim 1  in which there is a second outlet for removal of the used coffee grounds. 
     
     
         6 . The coffee machine of  claim 5  including a valve which selectively opens and closes said second outlet. 
     
     
         7 . The coffee machine of  claim 1  including a base in contact with the brew vessel and a heat exchanger in said base, said heat exchanger heated or cooled by circulating water from a water source. 
     
     
         8 . A method for making coffee using a brew vessel having a stirrer member, a filter and an outlet comprising the steps of: (1) mixing water and coffee grounds in said brew vessel to create a fluidized slurry; (2) brewing the fluidized slurry; (3) substantially stopping the mixing of the fluidized slurry; (4) having the coffee grounds in the fluidized slurry settle on at least a portion of the filter creating a bed of used coffee grounds; and (5) having the coffee in the fluidized slurry then pass through the bed of settled used coffee grounds and then through a filter to an outlet. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  in which the bed of used coffee grounds includes grounds smaller than the openings in the filter. 
     
     
         10 . A coffee machine comprising a brew vessel, a means for stirring water in in the brew vessel, a source of hot water, a controller for controlling the temperature of the source of water, a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of water in the brew vessel, and a water circulation system comprising a water input into the brew vessel and a water output from the brew vessel and a pump for circulating water from said water output to the source of hot water and back into said water input.