In a method for producing milk foam, in particular for the preparation of drinks that contain milk foam in a coffee machine, a gaseous medium, in particular air, is delivered to milk conveyed, and the milk/air mixture that is formed is conveyed to an outlet for milk foam or drinks containing milk foam. The consistency of the milk foam that is produced is determined here and is monitored by a regulating process and/or is changed by a setting. Even with variable conditions of use and operation, perfect quality of the milk foam that is produced is guaranteed, in which, moreover, its consistency can be changed.

A milk frothing apparatus which includes a steam probe which consists of an inner steam tube surrounded by an outer tube spaced annularly from the inner tube with a nozzle mounted on the end of the outer tube adjacent the outlet end of the inner tube. The air gap between the inner and outer tubes insulates the outer tube from the heat generated in the inner tube during the steam cycle. By using stainless steel the milk does not stick to the cool outer tube surface and no cleaning of the outer surface of the probe is necessary. The steam itself keeps the inner surfaces of the probe clean.

The device for emulsifying a milk-based beverage for coffee machines comprising, operatively associated with one another, a main steam connector (2) for connecting to the coffee machine (3), an intake tube (5) for drawing milk from a milk container (4), a mixing body (6), a steam connector (7) with a reducing hole (8) placed between said mixing body (6) and said main connector (2), a mixing element (9) and a stabilizing element (10) associated with the mixing body (6), the main steam connector (2) comprising a first safety means (11) for the safe connection thereof to said coffee machine and second safety means (12) for the limited rotation of the head of the head (13) of the main connector (2) so as to direct the emulsified beverage into a container (14).

A system and method. The system may include a beverage machine including a pump, heater, a sensor, and a processor. The pump may be configured to pump fluid including gas or liquid. The heater may be configured to heat the fluid. The sensor may be implemented downstream of the pump and the heater. The sensor may be configured to sense a pressure, a flow rate, a steam quality, or a temperature of the heated fluid and to output sensor data including information of the pressure, the flow rate, the steam quality, or the temperature of the heated fluid. The processor may be communicatively coupled to the heater, the pump, and the sensor. The processor may be configured to: receive the sensor data; control operation of the pump or the heater; and based on the sensor data, adjust an operational parameter of the pump or the heater.

Disclosed is a device and method for cleaning a steam wand of a beverage brewing apparatus. The device includes a first reservoir, a larger elastically deformable reservoir, a scrubbing means, a first one-way valve, and a second one-way valve. The first reservoir is adapted to closely encapsulate the steam wand. The first reservoir is open at one end to receive the steam wand. The larger elastically deformable reservoir is adapted to contain a larger sterile portion of a cleaning solution. The scrubbing means adapted to mechanically loosen milk residue through a scrubbing action. The first one-way valve is operable to connect the larger elastically deformable reservoir to the first reservoir. The second one-way valve is operable to allow air to flow into the larger elastically deformable reservoir.

There is disclosed a method for forming tea using a tea material, the method includes providing a vessel comprising an internal space configured to receive a liquid, inserting a container assembly into the vessel, the container assembly configured to contain the tea material and allow the liquid to interact with the tea material when submerged within the liquid, injecting steam through a double-walled nozzle into the vessel to heat the liquid while maintaining an exterior surface of the steam nozzle below the temperature of the steam, and allowing the tea material to stew within the liquid to form the tea. There is also disclosed an apparatus for forming a tea configured to inject steam into a vessel to heat a liquid to be infused with a tea material, and a beverage cartridge for forming a tea to be deposited into the vessel.

Disclosed is a milk frothing apparatus comprising a dispensing wand, a support element for supporting the container designed to receive the milk to be frothed, a first delivery conduit configured to deliver a flow of air-steam mixture to the first inlet of the wand, a second delivery conduit configured to deliver milk to be frothed to the second inlet of the wand, a pump configured to draw milk, and connected to the second delivery conduit for delivering the milk that has been drawn into the second delivery conduit, a control unit connected to the pump and configured to control the pump. The wand comprises a first channel having a first inlet configured to receive a flow of air-steam mixture from a first delivery conduit and a first outlet configured to dispense the flow of air-steam mixture into a container designed to receive milk to be frothed, and a second channel separated from the first channel and having a second inlet configured to receive milk to be dispensed from a second delivery conduit and a second outlet configured to dispense the milk into said container.

A coffee machine makes use of a valve arrangement for controlling the coupling of a water heater outlet selectively to one of two or more outlets, such as a steam delivery nozzle, a brew chamber and a water collection unit (e.g. drip tray). The valve arrangement comprises a rotatable routing element, wherein the angular position of the routing element controls the coupling of the inlet channel to one of the outlets. The rotation is driven by rotational coupling to a brew chamber motor. This coffee machine design makes use of a single valve arrangement to provide the flow control from the water heater. This provides a compact arrangement with a low component count and simple control mechanism.

A drinks machine has an output nozzle for delivering hot water or steam, Steam is used by a milk frothing unit whereas hot water is delivered by the output nozzle directly to the exterior of the drinks machine for collection in a drinks vessel. A single nozzle is thus provided for steam or hot water delivery and there is no need for any accessory when delivering hot water. This means that there is reduced cost, fewer components to lose, and simplified cleaning, in that only per-use cleaning of the milk frothing unit is required, not the fixed parts of the appliance associated with the milk frothing unit.

A froth wand comprises a tubular wall having a steam inlet end comprising a steam inlet, a steam outlet end comprising a steam outlet separate from the steam inlet and a steam channel extending between the steam inlet and the steam outlet. The froth wand is a disposable froth wand. The froth wand can comprise a container for containing a beverage base material, such as roasted ground coffee. The tubular wall of the froth wand can comprise an air opening.