An assembly for frothing milk, including an air supply assembly including an air channel having an air inlet and a downstream end. The assembly also includes a fluid channel extending from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet. The fluid channel subsequently includes an air inlet emanation point to which the downstream end of the air channel is connected, a frothing unit including a pump and a flow-through heating unit. The flow-through heating unit bounds a heating unit fluid channel that is a part of the fluid channel and has a small thermal mass and a steep temperature profile.

The production method of hot milk with or without froth, with a Venturi effect emulsifying device suitable for sending, into a mixing chamber, a flow of steam so as to aspirate, by Venturi effect, milk and air or only milk, comprises a production cycle of hot milk with froth and a production cycle of hot milk without froth being carried out by supplying an equal flow of steam of equal duration into a mixing chamber having equal volume, equal conformation and equal inlet section of the milk but a different outflow section of the milk.

Various beverage preparation systems and methods are disclosed. The beverage preparation system can include a container assembly configured to receive beverage, such as a milk. The container assembly can be removably engaged with a base. The container assembly can be temporarily removed from the base to facilitate transport of the beverage residing therein. The container assembly can be configured to receive a flow of steam, air, or additional gasses and vapors when the container assembly is mounted on the base.

The beverage appliance of the present invention includes a venturi having a steam inlet and a milk inlet. The steam inlet and milk inlet each include a solenoid valve configurable between an open state and a closed state. The solenoid valves are electrically coupled to a processor and are controllable through first and second switches. In operation, upon activation of the first switch, the solenoid valves are controlled to their open states to deliver milk and steam to the venturi to produce frothed milk. When a desired amount of frothed milk has been dispensed, the user deactivates the first switch and the processor controls only the milk inlet solenoid valve to its closed state. The steam inlet solenoid valve remains in its open state for a predetermined amount of time such that a burst of steam only is forced through the venturi and distribution lines to purge them of milk.

Heat transfer device (10) for heating a fluid or a fluid foam on demand comprising a path (30) through which the fluid or the fluid foam circulates and at least one layer (11) made of a thermally conductive material, the path (30) being in contact with the layer (11) in such a way that when the layer (11) is heated it transmits heat to the fluid or fluid foam as it circulates through the path (30), wherein the path (30) and the part of the layer (11) in contact with said path (30) are detachably configured so that they are made accessible for being cleaned.

The invention relates to a beverage system (100) for providing beverage recipes comprising a foamable fluid unit (10) and one or more beverage units (200, 202), wherein the foamable fluid unit (10) is configured to provide a fluid and/or a foamed fluid directly into a container (12), the fluid system in the fluid unit (10) being continuously refrigerated up to the fluid delivery outlet during the preparation and during stand-by of the system (100); and wherein the beverage units (200, 202) are configured to dispense a beverage over the fluid and/or foamed fluid dispensed, without this beverage passing through any refrigerated area of the foamable fluid unit (10). The foamable fluid unit (10) comprises one or more fluid outlets (13, 13′) delivering the fluid and/or foamed fluid directly into the container (12), the beverage units (200, 202) comprising one or more separate beverage outlets (14, 14′) delivering the beverage over the fluid and/or foamed fluid into the container (12).

The coffee machine (1) with a system for emulsifying and heating milk comprises a body (2) having a coffee dispenser (3) and a device (4) for emulsifying and/or heating milk having a carafe (6) for containing the milk and a lid (7) for closing the carafe (6), means (8) for conveying the steam generated inside the coffee machine, to a Venturi tube (9) present in the lid (7) so as to emulsify and/or heat the milk inside said lid, the device (4) being provided with detection means (12) for detecting the presence of milk in the carafe (6) so as to interrupt the dispensing of milk when said carafe (6) is completely empty.

A filter element for filtering milk in a milk frother, comprising a plate-shaped porous main body, having a first side at which the milk can enter the porous main body, a second side at which the milk can exit from the porous main body, and a lateral side connecting the first and second sides, wherein the surface of the first side is less rough than the surface of the second side, and wherein the first side and the second side are different from one another.

A milk frother/heater for a milk supply circuit in a beverage vending machine has a plastic hollow body made of one or more undismountably coupled parts and integrally has a first appendage defining a milk inlet to receive either smooth milk or a milk-air mixture, a second appendage defining a steam inlet to receive steam, and a third appendage defining a milk outlet to deliver cold or hot, smooth or frothed milk. The body internally defines a mixing chamber, and the milk inlet, the steam inlet and the milk outlet internally define a milk inlet passage, a steam inlet passage, and a milk outlet passage, respectively, in fluidic communication with the mixing chamber. The mixing chamber has an axis and includes a first closed axial end and a second axial end, opposite the first axial end, at which the steam inlet passage and the milk outlet passage end up. The milk inlet passage either ends up directly in the second axial end in the mixing chamber or merges with the steam inlet passage upstream from the mixing chamber.

Beverage supply apparatus (100) has milk tank (3), milk flow path (L3) connecting the milk tank to beverage delivery port (10), first pump (7), air flow path (L6) to supply air via its connection portion (Z1), and third pump (9). The apparatus drives the third pump to supply air to the milk flow path, and drives the first pump to thereby deliver and supply a mixed beverage of milk and air from the beverage delivery port. The apparatus includes path (L7) for releasing a portion of the air flowing through the air flow path., one end portion of which is connected to release point (Z8) which is a predetermined portion of the air flow path between a beverage flow path side end portion (location of a connection portion (Z6)) and the third pump. The other end portion thereof is open to the outside.