Low Water Coffee And Tea Beverage Concentrates And Methods For Making The Same

Abstract

Low water liquid beverage concentrates and methods for making the concentrates are provided herein. The concentrates include a high coffee and/or tea solids content and total solids content. The amounts of water, total solids, and coffee and/or tea solids are effective to provide a low water beverage concentrate having a pH between about 3.0 to about 6.0. In some approaches, the pH of the low water beverage concentrate changes fewer than about 0.5 pH units after at least three months storage at 70° F. in a closed container. The low water beverage concentrates provide a desired flavor profile with little or no flavor degradation after storage at 70° F. in a closed container for at least about three months. Methods for making the low water beverage concentrates are also provided.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A low water liquid beverage concentrate comprising:
 about 5 to about 60 percent coffee and/or tea solids by weight of the concentrate;   about 15 to about 70 percent total solids, wherein at least a portion of the total solids are contributed by one or more of fructose syrup, glucose syrup, sucrose syrup, lactose syrup, carbohydrate syrup, honey, agave syrup, monosaccharide, disaccharide, and combinations thereof   about 15 to about 40 percent total water by weight of the concentrate; and   the amounts of coffee and/or tea solids, total solids, and water selected to provide the beverage concentrate with a water activity of about 0.6 to about 0.95 and a pH of about 3.0 to about 6.0.   
     
     
         22 . The low water liquid beverage concentrate of  claim 21 , wherein the water, total solids, and coffee and/or tea solids are included in amounts effective to provide a pH of the low water liquid beverage concentrate that changes less than about 1.0 pH units after three months storage at 70° F. in a closed container. 
     
     
         23 . The low water liquid beverage concentrate of  claim 21 , wherein the water, total solids, and coffee and/or tea solids are included in amounts effective to provide a pH of the low water liquid beverage concentrate that changes less than about 1.0 pH units after six months storage at 70° F. in a closed container. 
     
     
         24 . The low water liquid beverage concentrate of  claim 21 , wherein the water, total solids, and coffee and/or tea solids are included in amounts effective to provide a pH of the low water liquid beverage concentrate that changes less than about 0.5 pH units after three months storage at 70° F. in a closed container. 
     
     
         25 . The low water liquid beverage concentrate of  claim 21 , wherein the water, total solids, and coffee and/or tea solids are included in amounts effective to provide a pH of the low water liquid beverage concentrate that changes less than about 0.5 pH units after six months storage at 70° F. in a closed container. 
     
     
         26 . The low water liquid beverage concentrate of  claim 21 , further comprising one or more of sugar alcohol, glycerol, propylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, ethanol, triacetin, ethyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, vegetable oil, vitamin oil, and isopropanol. 
     
     
         27 . The low water liquid beverage concentrate of  claim 21 , wherein the coffee and/or tea solids comprise one or more of freeze-dried coffee, spray-dried coffee, spray-dried tea, freeze dried tea, roast coffee, instant coffee powder, instant tea powder, roasted ground coffee beans, cold brewed tea solids, cold brewed coffee solids, micro grind coffee, agglomerated coffee solids, coffee extract, tea extract, botanical extract, ground tea leaves, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         28 . The low water liquid beverage concentrate of  claim 21 , wherein the coffee and/or tea solids includes one or more of spray-dried coffee and freeze-dried coffee. 
     
     
         29 . The low water liquid beverage concentrate of  claim 21 , wherein the concentrate comprises about 10 to about 40 percent coffee and/or tea solids. 
     
     
         30 . The low water liquid beverage concentrate of  claim 21 , wherein the concentrate comprises about 10 to about 30 percent coffee and/or tea solids by weight of the concentrate. 
     
     
         31 . The low water liquid beverage concentrate of  claim 21 , wherein the concentrate further comprises up to about 5 percent high intensity, non-nutritive sweetener solids by weight of the concentrate. 
     
     
         32 . The low water liquid beverage concentrate of  claim 21 , wherein the concentrate has a viscosity of about 50 cP to about 500 cP, as measured at room temperature using a Brookfield viscometer with spindle 00. 
     
     
         33 . A method of preparing a low water liquid beverage concentrate, the method comprising:
 providing a pre-concentrate comprising coffee and/or tea solids in water; and   combining the pre-concentrate with one or more of fructose syrup, glucose syrup, sucrose syrup, lactose syrup, carbohydrate syrup, honey, agave syrup, monosaccharide, disaccharide, and combinations thereof to form a low water beverage concentrate having about 15 to about 70 percent total solids,   wherein the low water liquid beverage concentrate has a pH between about 3.0 to about 6.0, and the pH of the low water liquid beverage concentrate changes fewer than about 0.5 pH units after 3 months storage at 70° F. in a closed container.   
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the low water liquid beverage concentrate includes about 5 to about 60 percent coffee and/or tea solids by weight of the liquid beverage concentrate. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the low water liquid beverage concentrate has a total water content of about 25 to about 40 percent by weight of the concentrate. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the concentrate has a water activity of about 0.65 to about 0.85 and a pH of about 4.5 to about 5.5, wherein the pH is measured within one day of the beverage concentrate being produced and stored in a closed container at 70° F. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising adding one or more of sugar alcohol, glycerol, propylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, ethanol, triacetin, ethyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, vegetable oil, vitamin oil, and isopropanol to the combination of the pre-concentrate and one or more of fructose syrup, glucose syrup, sucrose syrup, lactose syrup, carbohydrate syrup, honey, agave syrup, monosaccharide, disaccharide, and combinations. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the coffee and/or tea solids includes one or more of spray-dried coffee and freeze-dried coffee. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the concentrate comprises about 10 to about 40 percent coffee and/or tea solids.