A machine (10) for inhibiting pathogenic agents during the preparation of beverages based on breast-milk substitutes and/or powdered products or the like is described, comprising: a water line starting from a water tank (3) and ending with at least one water outlet; at least one tank (1) for the powdered preparation, adapted to contain a powdered preparation or the like; said tank (1) being refillable; a compartment (4) adapted to at least partially accommodate said at least one tank (1); at least one hopper element (6) comprising a first inlet (12) adapted to receive the water coming out of said water tank (3) and the powdered preparation delivered by said at least one tank (1) for the powdered preparation and a delivery mouth (13) for delivering the water and preparation mixed, characterized in that: said at least one tank (1) for the powdered preparation can be removably inserted in said machine (10) for preparing a beverage; and in that said hopper element (6) can be coupled with and decoupled from the machine (10); said hopper element (6) comprising a closing element (17) operated to slide between a working position, wherein it does not allow to deliver the water and preparation mixed from said hopper element (6), and an open position, wherein the delivery of the water and preparation mixed from said hopper element (6) is allowed; said closing element (17) being connected to a control unit configured to make said closing element (17) switch from the working position to the opening position once the inner temperature of the liquid inside the hopper element (6) has exceeded a first threshold value and has dropped back down below a second threshold value, said first threshold value being equal to 70°, said second threshold value being equal to 35°.

A machine (1) for preparing a beverage from at least one ingredient (2) comprises: an ingredient processing module (30); an ingredient passage (40) for inserting an ingredient from outside such machine into the ingredient processing module; and a cover (10) forming a user-handle that is manually movable between a position covering the ingredient passage and a position uncovering the ingredient passage. The cover (10) is manually slidable, in particular translationally slidable, from the covering to the uncovering positions and/or vice versa.

Systems and methods have demonstrated the capability of rapidly cooling the contents of pods containing the ingredients for food and drinks.

A coffee and tea brewing system includes a carafe assembly including a container configured to hold the brewed coffee or tea; a brewing assembly configured to be selectively coupled to the container of the carafe assembly for brewing of coffee or tea and selectively removed from the container of the carafe assembly when serving the brewed coffee or tea, the brewing assembly comprising a mesh filter assembly configured to allow for separation of the coffee grounds or tea leaves from the brewed coffee or tea, and an agitation mechanism configured to selectively agitate the coffee grounds or tea leaves and associated brewing coffee or tea during brewing; and a heating assembly configured to support the carafe assembly and selectively add heat thereto. The agitation is through manual manipulation of a paddle adjacent the mesh filter assembly. A method of brewing coffee or tea is disclosed using the system.

An apparatus and method for brewing coffee of higher quality and better taste than any apparatus and method currently available, while also enabling users to utilize less coffee grounds per brewing cycle, thereby achieving significant cost savings for users. A basket that houses a packet of coffee grounds is housed within a carafe that stores water. The basket is fabricated so that water may enter therein and exit therefrom, and the packet of coffee grounds enables water and natural coffee oils to penetrate the packet, but does not allow coffee grounds to escape the packet. The carafe is filled with water that is gradually heated from at or around tap temperature to approximately boiling. While the water in the chamber is heated, the basket is agitated. This causes the gradually heating water to enter the basket and agitate the packet, thereby extracting natural coffee oil from the grounds stored within the packet, which creates brewed coffee. The entire brewing process may be controlled by electronic controlling means.

One embodiment of a device used for Coffee Cupping in which coffee grounds, tea or other sediment to be extracted are mixed with a liquid in a vessel with a narrow section 24 between an upper chamber 20 and a lower chamber 26. After the sediment has settled in the lower chamber, a stopper 28 (attached to a rod 30, and a handle 32) is inserted into the narrow section 24 thereby sealing off the lower chamber 26 and allowing the now sediment-free liquid in the upper chamber 20 to be poured out using the pouring spout 22, into another vessel for tasting. Alternative embodiments are described and shown.

A tea leaf chamber, having a chamber body; wherein the chamber body has a hollow cover with an opening thereof facing downwardly, and a hollow seat with an opening thereof facing upwardly; the cover covers onto the seat; a cavity that accommodates tea leaves is defined between the cover and the seat after the cover covers onto the seat; an inner bottom side of the hollow cover away from the opening thereof is disposed with a counterweight; a bottom part of the counterweight is embedded with a magnet. The tea leaf chamber has a special shape, and by means of magnetic attraction and filter holes, it can hold tea leaves to brew tea. The tea leaf chamber is multifunctional, and the many ways to connect the cover and the seat enable convenient connection, reliable mounting and dismounting between the cover and the seat, and simple operation.

A hopper cover for a dispensing machine includes an exterior side having an exterior surface and an interior side having an interior surface that defines a plurality of recesses. The plurality of recesses are configured to receive a plurality of components of the dispensing machine. Each recess of the plurality of recesses corresponds with a specific component of the plurality of components. The hopper cover is configured to cover a hopper cavity of the dispensing machine when in a first orientation and facilitate organized disassembly and reassembly of the dispensing machine when in a second orientation.

A pressurized beverage dispensing device that includes a vessel, a gas reservoir, a pressure regulation device, a primary filter, and a tap assembly. The gas reservoir is configured to supply pressurized gas within the vessel. The pressure regulation device is configured to maintain a pressure within the vessel that is above ambient pressure. The primary filter is configured to fit inside the vessel and to be removable from the vessel. The tap assembly includes a tap valve, a restrictor, and a flow straightener. The tap valve is configured to control dispensing through an outlet path. The restrictor is within the outlet path of the tap assembly and is configured to accelerate a flow of beverage to a turbulent flow. The flow straightener is within the outlet path of the tap assembly, downstream of the restrictor, and is configured to recombine, slow, and straighten the flow of beverage.

The invention concerns a dispenser (1) comprising: —a housing (2) defining an internal space (3), —a beverage preparation unit housed in the internal space, said beverage preparation unit being connected to an electric supply, —a door (4) to get access to the internal space of the housing, said door being assembled to the housing (2) by means of at least one hinge (5), said door comprising one element erecting from the internal surface of the door, said door being configured for switching off the electric supply of the beverage preparation unit when it opens, the switching off being due to the release of a mechanical and electric contact by the at least one erecting element, wherein the dispenser comprises a slider (6), said slider comprising: —a first part (61) configured for switching on the electric supply of the beverage preparation unit when the slider is translated from a first rest position to a second operative position, and —a second part (62) configured for engaging with a locking device (7) when the slider (6) is translated to the second operative position so that the slider is retained in said second operative position by the locking device, and wherein the element erecting from the internal surface of the door is configured for disengaging the second part of the slider from the locking device (7) when the door is closed.