Process and means to make aromatic infusions

A process for infusing aromatic infusable particulate substances, such as coffee and tea, comprising:

• confining the substance in an elongated water permeable and filtering container capable of moving vertically for immersion in a liquid that is principally water;
• said container in a state of immersion having a flat bottom, the infusable aromatic substance becoming a saturated and self-compacted infusable mass upon immersion;
• the volume relationship between the inside of the container and said saturated self-compacted infusable mass is such that the volume of said infusable mass is not greater than one half of the total volume of the container in an operating immersed state so that the container contains, in a vessel containing liquid to be infused, a liquid mass of not less than double the volume which the infusable mass achieves when it is saturated, not dispersed and self-compacted inside the container, the infusable substance being provided in such a quantity that, in a state of saturated mass and spontaneously compacted in the infusion liquid and inside the container, it is capable of achieving a smaller thickness in height than its minimum critical thickness of irreversible self-compactness, such smaller thickness, which is of reversible self-compactness, corresponding to all spontaneous states of thickness at or under which the mass of infusable substance maintains its natural capacity for the state of saturation and immersion in the infusion liquid while allowing the particles of the substance to separate as a result of the dynamic action of the infusion liquid when the liquid enters into the container through the walls and bottom of the container on the container being immersed in the liquid;
• submerging the container containing said infusable substance in a vessel having a sufficient quantity of hot infusion liquid to obtain an infusion of a desired concentration, and effecting successive admissions and drainages of the infusion liquid in the container to promote the corresponding self-decompactness and reversible self-compactness of the infusable substance mass until a desired degree of concentration of the infusion is obtained in said vessel.