Making Coffee Taste and Smell from Chemical Ingredients
This patent describes how to create artificial coffee, including its taste and smell, by mixing separate chemical ingredients instead of brewing actual coffee beans.
Original patent title: “Coffee replicas produced from individual components”
This patent describes how to create artificial coffee, including its taste and smell, by mixing separate chemical ingredients instead of brewing actual coffee beans. Granted in 2026.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent provides materials and methods for producing coffee replicas from individual components. These replicas can include one or more volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for aroma and one or more non-volatile compounds for taste. The abstractabstractA short summary at the front of the patent describing the invention. Not legally binding.Read more → states that the coffee replicas can take various forms, such as a solution, a suspension, an emulsion, or a solid. For example, the technology could create a coffee bean replica, coffee grounds replica, or a ready-to-drink coffee beverage replica using these specific chemical building blocks.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Traditional coffee brewing methods that use roasted coffee beans as the primary source of flavor and aroma.
- Methods that rely solely on pre-existing coffee extracts or concentrates without breaking them down into individual chemical components.
- Replicas that only mimic the visual appearance of coffee without replicating its taste or smell using specific compounds.
- Processes for growing, harvesting, or processing natural coffee plants and beans.
- The creation of non-coffee-flavored beverages or food products.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The noveltynoveltyThe requirement that an invention be different from anything publicly known before its priority date.Read more → lies in reconstructing the complex sensory profile of coffee (its taste and aroma) from individual chemical components, rather than extracting it from natural beans. This approach allows for precise control over the final product's characteristics and form.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Lab-grown coffee alternatives
Customizable coffee flavorings
Ready-to-drink coffee beverages made without coffee beans
Coffee-flavored snacks and desserts
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This technology could offer new ways to produce coffee-like products without relying on traditional coffee farming, which faces challenges like climate change and supply chain issues. It might allow for more consistent flavor profiles and potentially lower production costs. This could be significant for the food and beverage industry seeking alternative, sustainable ingredient sources for coffee products.
Filed
April 12, 2024
Granted
September 15, 2026
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Companies in the food technology and alternative protein space, such as Atomo Coffee or Voyage Foods, are exploring methods to create coffee-like products without traditional beans. Large food and beverage corporations might also invest in similar research to diversify their supply chains and product offerings, especially given the patent's focus on individual components.
Market impact
This patent's technology could contribute to a future market where coffee production is less dependent on agricultural land and climate conditions. It might enable new product categories, such as highly customized coffee experiences or more sustainable ready-to-drink options. The long-term impact could be a shift in how coffee-flavored products are sourced and manufactured globally, moving towards more controlled, lab-based production.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent provides materials and methods for producing coffee replicas from individual components. These replicas can include one or more volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for aroma and one or more non-volatile compounds for taste. The abstract states that the coffee replicas can take various forms, such as a solution, a suspension, an emulsion, or a solid. For example, the technology could create a coffee bean replica, coffee grounds replica, or a ready-to-drink coffee beverage replica using these specific chemical building blocks.
The clever bit
The novelty lies in reconstructing the complex sensory profile of coffee (its taste and aroma) from individual chemical components, rather than extracting it from natural beans. This approach allows for precise control over the final product's characteristics and form.
What it does not cover
- Traditional coffee brewing methods that use roasted coffee beans as the primary source of flavor and aroma.
- Methods that rely solely on pre-existing coffee extracts or concentrates without breaking them down into individual chemical components.
- Replicas that only mimic the visual appearance of coffee without replicating its taste or smell using specific compounds.
- Processes for growing, harvesting, or processing natural coffee plants and beans.
- The creation of non-coffee-flavored beverages or food products.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
0/40
No citations yet
Claim breadth
0/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$26K – $84K
Midpoint $53K · 17.5 yr remaining · industry ×2.2
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
Concepts involved
Cite this patent
(2026). Making Coffee Taste and Smell from Chemical Ingredients (U.S. Patent No. 12,733,656). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12733656/coffee-replicas-produced-from-individual-components
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Making Coffee Taste and Smell from Chemical Ingredients cover?
This patent describes how to create artificial coffee, including its taste and smell, by mixing separate chemical ingredients instead of brewing actual coffee beans.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on September 15, 2046, when the invention enters the public domain.
What problem does this patent solve?
This technology could offer new ways to produce coffee-like products without relying on traditional coffee farming, which faces challenges like climate change and supply chain issues. It might allow for more consistent flavor profiles and potentially lower production costs. This could be significant for the food and beverage industry seeking alternative, sustainable ingredient sources for coffee products.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Traditional coffee brewing methods that use roasted coffee beans as the primary source of flavor and aroma.
Patent monitoring