A back-blush cleaning container may have a spring-biased piston that allows the container to fill with hot water when attached to a group head of the espresso machine. When the hot water of the espresso machine is turned off, the piston due to the spring urges the hot water out and back through a 3-way valve to clean the espresso machine. The backflush cleaning container also may have a steam conduit that allows steam from a steam wand of the espresso machine to clean the group head, 3-way valve and tubes. Moreover, the container may have a window which based on the position of the piston, a particular color is shown. The colors indicate whether the container is safe to remove from the group head of the espresso machine and when the container is full of water.

A system for brewing a desired portion of a beverage, such as a single-cup portion of coffee, is provided. The system may have more than one brew module. The system allows a user to quickly and easily brew a variety of types of single-cup portions of a beverage. In some embodiments, the system may brew a single-cup portion of coffee in a relatively short period of time based on a combination of certain parameters. The system may include an automatic cleaning mechanism such that a user does not need to manually clean components of a brewing machine between brew cycles. The system may also include apparatus configured to substantially prevent steam from reaching grinder components of the system. The system may also include apparatus configured to provide a precise dose of material based on, for example, volume of the material. Methods and apparatus for brewing a beverage are also disclosed.

A system for brewing a desired portion of a beverage, such as a single-cup portion of coffee, is provided. The system may have more than one brew module. The system allows a user to quickly and easily brew a variety of types of single-cup portions of a beverage. In some embodiments, the system may brew a single-cup portion of coffee in a relatively short period of time based on a combination of certain parameters. The system may include an automatic cleaning mechanism such that a user does not need to manually clean components of a brewing machine between brew cycles. The system may also include apparatus configured to substantially prevent steam from reaching grinder components of the system. The system may also include apparatus configured to provide a precise dose of material based on, for example, volume of the material. Methods and apparatus for brewing a beverage are also disclosed.

A coffee maker includes a base for supporting a coffee cup. A support arm is mounted on an upper surface of the base and extends perpendicularly to the base. The support arm includes a chamber. A holding tube extends outward from a top portion of the support arm. A reservoir securely is held by the holding tube and receives a liquid. A bracket extends outward from an intermediate portion of the support arm. A dissolution cup is supported by the bracket. A driver is mounted in the support arm and is configured to drive the reservoir to rotate. The liquid in the reservoir flow swirlingly into the dissolution cup to fully and evenly contact with surfaces of the coffee powder, thereby fully extracting the coffee powders. The liquid flows into the coffee cup after dissolving the coffee powder.

A beverage machine, in particular a coffee machine, prepares a beverage using water supplied via a fixed water connection to a hydraulic part arranged in the beverage machine and outputs the beverage at an outlet of the beverage machine. Maintenance is simplified by the fact that the beverage machine is provided with a cartridge holder which is accessible from the outside and into which a cartridge can be inserted in an exchangeable manner, the cartridge includes a cartridge connection on the inlet side and a cartridge connection on the outlet side, via which, in the inserted state of the cartridge, water supplied to the beverage machine via the fixed water connection flows through the cartridge and is thereby filtered and/or enriched with additives.

A beverage-making apparatus includes a water supply heater configured to heat water; an ingredient supplier connected to the water supply heater through a water supply channel; a container connected to the ingredient supplier through a first channel; a first valve configured to regulate a flow through the first channel; and a beverage extractor connected to the first channel at a location between the ingredient supplier and the first valve.

A beverage-making apparatus includes a water supply heater configured to heat water; an ingredient supplier connected to the water supply heater through a water supply channel; a container connected to the ingredient supplier through a first channel; a first valve configured to regulate a flow through the first channel; and a beverage extractor connected to the first channel at a location between the ingredient supplier and the first valve.

A cooking environment is described for allocating power between multiple cooking systems and providing a calculated amount of energy to a cooking system. The cooking systems can each include a receptacle and a heating/cooling element to heat a product within the receptacle. A controller can receive requests for power from the cooking systems. Based on the requests for power, the controller allocates an amount of time within a time period in which the heating/cooling elements of each cooking system receive electrical energy. The controller can also allocate specific intervals within the time period in which the heating/cooling elements receive electrical energy.

A cooking environment is described for allocating power between multiple cooking systems and providing a calculated amount of energy to a cooking system. The cooking systems can each include a receptacle and a heating/cooling element to heat a product within the receptacle. A controller can receive requests for power from the cooking systems. Based on the requests for power, the controller allocates an amount of time within a time period in which the heating/cooling elements of each cooking system receive electrical energy. The controller can also allocate specific intervals within the time period in which the heating/cooling elements receive electrical energy.

The invention relates to a knock box (10) for knocking off coffee grounds from a portafilter. the knock box (10) having a base (16) and walls (18) extending away from the base (16) for laterally delimiting the interior space of the knock box (10). The knock box (10) lias an impact surface (20) located in the area of the walls (18) of the knock box (10).