Coffee composition

1. A process of producing grains of coated roasted coffee grounds, the process comprising:

heating a mixture of a coating composition having at least one component with a glass transition temperature from about 30° C. to about 60° C. and roasted coffee grounds to a temperature of about 35° C. to about 65° C. and which has to be above the glass transition temperature of the at least one component in the coating composition and below a melting point of the coating composition so that the coating composition forms a coating on at least some of the roasted coffee grounds without the roasted coffee grounds undergoing further roasting during the heating;

cooling the mixture to provide grains comprising roasted coffee grounds having a coating of the coating composition formed on at least some of the roasted coffee grounds where a density of the coating composition after coating is substantially equal to a density of the coating composition before coating; and

wherein the coating composition comprises one or more component(s) selected from the group consisting of instant coffee, a coffee extract, a tea extract, a dairy product, a sweetener, a nutritional supplement, and mixtures thereof.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the coating composition comprises instant coffee.

3. A process of producing grains of coated roasted coffee grounds, the process comprising:

heating a mixture of a coating composition having at least one component with a glass transition temperature from about 30° C. to about 60° C. and roasted coffee grounds to a temperature of about 35° C. to about 65° C. and which has to be above the glass transition temperature of the at least one component in the coating composition and below a melting point of the coating composition so that the coating composition forms a coating on at least some of the roasted coffee grounds without the roasted coffee grounds undergoing further roasting during the heating;

cooling the mixture to provide grains comprising roasted coffee grounds having a coating of the coating composition formed on at least some of the roasted coffee grounds where a density of the coating composition after coating is substantially equal to a density of the coating composition before coating;

wherein the coating composition comprises one or more component(s) selected from the group consisting of instant coffee, a coffee extract, a tea extract, a dairy product, a sweetener, a nutritional supplement, and mixtures thereof; and

wherein the glass transition temperature of the at least one component is measured by Differential Scan Calorimetry.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein the temperature to which the mixture is heated is 5 to 30° C. greater than the glass transition temperature, as measured by Differential Scan Calorimetry.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the heating is carried out in an atmosphere that is free from oxygen.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the coating composition comprises particles, and wherein a mean particle size of the coating composition is half or less of a mean particle size of the roasted coffee grounds.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the weight of the coating composition to the roasted coffee grounds is from about 1:1 to about 1:1000.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the coating composition is a mixture of components including the at least one component having the glass transition temperature between about 30° C. and about 60° C. and at least another component having a glass transition temperature greater than the temperature to which the mixture of the coating composition and the roasted coffee grounds is heated.

9. The process of claim 8 , wherein the component having the glass transition temperature greater than the temperature to which the mixture is heated has a mean particle size less than half of a mean particle size of the component having the glass transition temperature between about 30° C. and about 60° C.

10. The process of claim 9 , wherein the component having the glass transition temperature between about 30° C. and about 60° C. is selected from one of the group consisting of the coffee extract, the tea extract, and mixtures thereof, and the component having the glass transition temperature greater than the temperature to which the mixture is heated is selected from one of the group consisting of the dairy product, the sweetener, the nutritional supplement, and mixtures thereof.

11. A process of producing grains of coated roasted coffee grounds, the process comprising:

heating a mixture of a coating composition having at least one component with a glass transition temperature from about 30° C. to about 60° C. and roasted coffee grounds to a coating temperature of about 5° C. to about 30° C. greater than the glass transition temperature of the at least one component in the coating composition without exceeding 65° C. and being below a melting point of the coating composition so that the coating composition forms a coating on at least some of the roasted coffee grounds and so that the roasted coffee grounds do not undergo further roasting during the heating;

cooling the mixture to provide grains comprising roasted coffee grounds having a coating of the coating composition formed on at least some of the roasted coffee grounds where a density of the coating composition after coating is substantially equal to a density of the coating composition before coating; and

wherein the coating composition comprises one or more component(s) selected from the group consisting of instant coffee, a coffee extract, a tea extract, a dairy product, a sweetener, a nutritional supplement, and mixtures thereof.

12. The process of claim 11 , further comprising pretreating the coating composition prior to heating and coating by exposing the at least one component of the coating composition to humidity such that a glass transition temperature is from about 30° C. to about 60° C.

13. The process of claim 11 , wherein the coating composition is a mixture of components including the at least one component having the glass transition temperature between about 30° C. and about 60° C. and at least another component having a glass transition temperature greater than the temperature to which the mixture of the coating composition and the roasted coffee grounds is heated.

14. The process of claim 13 , wherein the component having a glass transition temperature greater than the temperature to which the mixture is heated has a mean particle size less than half of a mean particle size of the component having a glass transition temperature between about 30° C. and about 60° C.

15. The process of claim 14 , wherein the component having a glass transition temperature between about 30° C. and about 60° C. is selected from one of the group consisting of the coffee extract, the tea extract, and mixtures thereof, and the component having a glass transition temperature greater than the temperature to which the mixture is heated is selected from one of the group consisting of the dairy product, the sweetener, the nutritional supplement, and mixtures thereof.