A professional coffee machine includes a supporting frame; a boiler; a preheater to prepare a coffee infusion having a first heat exchanger with the boiler to heat the supply water crossing the first exchanger to a first temperature T.sub.1 close or substantially equal to a second temperature T.sub.2 corresponding to the optimal temperature for a coffee infusion; a dispensing unit of the coffee infusion having a thermo-controlled heating element that brings the water released from the preheater to the second temperature T.sub.2 if T.sub.1 is lower than T.sub.2; a thermal insulator that mechanically constrains the dispensing unit to the frame; a heater for preparing a tea infusion or the like having a second heat exchanger with the boiler to heat the supply water crossing the second heat exchanger up to a third temperature T.sub.3 corresponding to the optimal temperature for preparing a tea infusion or the like.

An apparatus for filling the basket of a portafilter of an espresso machine with a predetermined dose of coffee grounds and for pressing it within the portafilter comprises a frame having a front wall, a support device for supporting the portafilter, which projects out of said front wall, and upon which the portafilter is placed, a first emplacement, configured on said support, in which said portafilter is placed for filling a predetermined dose of coffee grounds in its basket, a conduit with its opening facing said first emplacement configured on the support, a dispenser device for dispensing coffee grounds and cause a predetermined dose of coffee grounds to reach the basket of the portafilter, through said conduit, a second emplacement, configured on said support, in which said portafilter is positioned with the basket filled with the predetermined dose of coffee grounds, upon displacement thereof from said first emplacement, a pressing device for pressing the coffee grounds, mechanical means for supporting said pressing device in cantilever fashion from said frame, in a vertically aligned position above said second emplacement as well as motor means for moving it toward and away from the dose of coffee grounds contained in the basket of the portafilter.

The present invention concerns a beverage preparation machine (1) comprising: a reservoir (2) for a fluid, a brewing head (3) adapted to receive at least one ingredient capsule (100) comprising at least one beverage preparation ingredient (104), a pump (6) for pumping a predetermined volume of said fluid from said reservoir (2) to said brewing head (3), such that said fluid can be injected into said capsule (100), when said capsule (100) is received by said brewing head (3), to mix with said ingredient (104) under pressure and produce a predetermined volume of beverage, wherein the reservoir (2), the pump (6), and an inserted ingredient capsule (100) in use are in fluidic communication and form a fluid system (800), and wherein the beverage preparation machine (1) further comprises a pressure sensor (301; 302; 303; 304) adapted to measure internal pressure (P) within an ingredient capsule (100) inserted inside said brewing head (3), and a locking mechanism (401) adapted to prevent disconnection of the inserted ingredient capsule (100) from the fluid system (800) if the measured internal pressure (P) exceeds a predetermined threshold pressure value (Pt).

An espresso machine is constructed and programmed to have secondary water system. The secondary water supply works in conjunction with the coffee brewing mechanisms of the device to produce and Americano style coffee beverage. The size and strength of the resulting beverage may be pre-set, or user programmable.

The device for cleaning a filter holder of a coffee machine comprises a support body for supporting the filter holder, a motor on whose shaft scraping means are assembled for removing the used coffee grounds contained in the internal chamber of the filter holder and at least one brush with a plurality of bristles to collect the residual of said used coffee grounds not collected by said scraping means, activation means for activating the motor and controlled by the correct positioning of the filter holder adapted to receive within it the scraping means and said at least one brush, a collection member being provided for collecting the used coffee grounds extracted from the filter holder by the scraping means, the support body having a housing in which the filter holder is positioned so as to always have at least one wall of the chamber placed below the used coffee grounds and the scraping means having at least one plough blade to remove the used coffee grounds from the chamber along at least one direction different from that in which the used coffee grounds drop by gravity into the collection member.

A beverage supply apparatus includes an extractor that feeds ground coffee beans and hot water into a cylinder to extract coffee. The apparatus supplies the coffee extracted by the extractor to a cup. The extractor includes a passage constituting member having a tubular shape and disposed in such a manner as to allow its interior to communicate with an upper surface opening of the cylinder to constitute a passage of the ground coffee beans and the hot water. The passage constituting member is elastically deformed by an external force to be able to close the passage.

A brewing cavity and a coffee brewer including the brewing cavity are provided. The brewing cavity includes a brewing cavity shell and a brewing chamber having a groove with an inner diameter less than that of the brewing chamber. A side wall of the groove has a coffee outlet communicatively connected with an exterior. A bottom portion of the groove is provided with a through hole internally provided with a coffee seal ring. A pressure sealing water outlet element is fixedly mounted on an upper end surface of the groove. A filtering portion for filtering coffee is arranged above the pressure sealing water outlet element. A first sliding hole in the filtering portion, a second sealing sliding hole in the pressure sealing water outlet element and a third sealing sliding hole in the coffee seal ring are internally provided with discharge portion capable of sliding along the through hoe axially.

A coffee dispensing apparatus (200) includes a base (210) and an at least one nozzle (208). Further, base (210) and nozzle (208) are arranged such that the dispensed coffee flows via inner upstanding wall (214a) of a standard sized coffee container (212). The coffee thus collected in the container has an aesthetically improved crema.

The present invention provides a method, a device and a system for preparing a beverage from an extractable product, such as ground coffee. Said device is provided with a receptacle (2) having an inlet for the extractable product and an outlet (3) for the extracted beverage. The method includes the steps of: providing said extractable product into the receptacle (2); closing off completely the outlet of the receptacle (2); providing a pressurized fluid, such as water and/or water vapor, through the inlet on and/or in the extractable product, thereby pre-extracting the extractable product in the closed receptacle; and opening the outlet (3) when a predetermined threshold, such as a volume, pressure or time related threshold, is reached, thereby obtaining the extracted beverage.

A coffee filter includes a metallic member having a flat portion in which tapered exit regions are formed that extend from the bottom of the flat portion to vertices interior to the flat portion. The flat portion is provided with a hole uniformity enhancement region between the top of the flat portion and the exit region vertices that are interior to the flat portion. The top of the flat portion is micro-machined to remove a part of the hole uniformity enhancement region to a predetermined depth into the hole uniformity enhancement region. Holes are formed in the top of the flat portion extending from the micro-machined top of the flat portion through the hole uniformity enhancement region to the vertices of the tapered exit regions. The predetermined depth of the micro-machined top of the flat portion is selected to prevent the micro-machined top of the flat portion from meeting the tapered exit regions to promote and maintain uniformity of the holes.