Methods and systems for employing a sensor to detect disconnection of a liquid supply tank and/or a low fill level of the liquid supply tank are disclosed herein. The sensor may have an optical sensor to detect liquid, e.g., to detect a liquid level in a removable liquid supply tank and/or liquid at a pump. The optical sensor can include a body made of a resilient material and including first and second portions and an opening located between the first and second portions. The opening can be configured to receive and frictionally engage with a conduit for carrying liquid, with the first portion configured to support a light emitter and the second portion configured to support a light detector.

A system for preparing and dispensing a nitrogen-infused beverage includes a chilled water delivery subsystem, a beverage concentrate subsystem including a beverage concentrate fluidically coupled to a beverage pump, and a nitrogen delivery subsystem. The system includes a nitrogen infuser having a first input fluidically coupled to the nitrogen delivery subsystem and one other input fluidically coupled to the beverage pump. A flavor concentrate subsystem includes a flavor concentrate fluidically coupled to a flavor pump. The system also includes a kegerator tower assembly, and a flavor manifold having a first input fluidically coupled to an output of the nitrogen infuser, one other input to the at least one flavor pump, and an output fluidically coupled to an input of the kegerator tower assembly. A controller controls the beverage pump and the flavor pump. A computer coupled to a camera, and configured for instructing the controller to prepare the beverage.

A recirculation brewing process and apparatus for performing the same are disclosed. In some embodiments, the coffee brewing process comprises: a brew chamber to hold a packed chamber of coffee grounds; and a pump to force a liquid under pressure through the packed chamber of coffee grounds to extract coffee flavor from the coffee grounds into the liquid using acoustic cavitation.

A method for controlling an automatic coffee bean grinder (2) which is separate from an automatic coffee brewing machine (1) using ground coffee produced by said coffee bean grinder (2), is shown, wherein a flowmeter sniffer element (15) is located in or at a housing (3) of said coffee brewing machine (1) is capturing the water flow-through information measured by a water flowmeter (5) of said coffee brewing machine (1), and transmits the water flow-through information to a grinder control unit (26) located in the automatic coffee bean grinder (2), and the grinder control unit (26) controls the grinder module (24) as a function of the water flow-through information transmitted from said flowmeter sniffer element (15).

A beverage producing apparatus configured to produce a beverage using an extraction target as a raw material, includes: a housing configured to form an exterior of the beverage producing apparatus; a control unit configured to control each producing operation of the beverage producing apparatus; and an operation unit configured to accept an operation of an operator. The housing includes a transmissive portion configured to make an interior of the housing visible from an outside. The control unit can control each producing operation in an automatic mode or a manual mode. In the automatic mode, each producing operation is automatically controlled in accordance with a condition set in advance. In the manual mode, each producing operation is controlled in accordance with an operation for the operation unit.

A beverage manufacturing machine includes a heating mechanism, a brewing mechanism and a cooling mechanism. The heating mechanism heats up drinking water and sends the hot drinking water to the brewing mechanism. There are two brewing mechanisms for brewing a hot drink, and the hot drink in a primary cooling bushing exchanges heat with room temperature water to realize a first cooling. The drink after the first cooling reaches a secondary cooling bushing to exchange heat with a low temperature coolant to realize a second cooling to produce an iced drink. The coolant after the heat exchange enters into a coolant buffer and then reflows to a coolant container, and a compressor drives the heat exchanger to lower the temperature of the coolant. Without requiring high skill, this machine makes good-tasted beverages with appropriate concentration or original iced liquid beverage with great aroma.

A brewing module for preparing a brewed drink from a portion capsule, includes a first brewing module part and a second brewing module part, which is movable relative to a housing between a first brewing module part position and a second brewing module part position. An operating element is able to be brought manually from a first into a second operating element position, from which a movement is transmitted via a transmission mechanism into a movement of the second brewing module part. The transmission mechanism includes a cam disc that is rotatably mounted on the housing by the operating element wherein the second brewing module part is displaceable along a displacement stretch, which is fixed with respect to the housing, from a first brewing module part position into the second brewing module part position by way of the cam disc being rotated by the operating element.

A beverage dispensing device and methods for dispensing beverages are provided. In one embodiment, the beverage dispensing device includes a housing, a carbonation assembly, a carriage assembly, and one or more flavorant containers. The beverage dispensing device can also include a controller with a UI to allow a user to customize aspects of a beverage. These customizable aspects can include fluid volume, carbonation level, flavorant type, and/or flavorant amount. Based on the customized aspects of the beverage, the beverage dispensing device can dispense an amount of carbonated or uncarbonated water, and can dispense a type and amount of flavorant. Illustrative embodiments of flavorant containers are also provided.

A method and apparatus for venting a liquid supply of a beverage machine, e.g., by permanently open orifice and/or pressure relief valve. The orifice may always vent a heater tank, even while liquid is delivered to the tank by a liquid pump and/or while the tank is pressurized by an air pump to deliver liquid from the tank. A filter may be positioned between a heater tank and orifice and/or air pump. The pressure relief valve may be positioned between the liquid pump and the inlet side of the heater tank, e.g., so relatively cool water is released by the pressure relief valve when open.

A flow delivery system to deliver and monitor a liquid flow, using a pump, and a monitoring device (e.g. a flow meter) are described. A controller determines if the flow is a liquid flow or a gas flow by reducing a drive signal for the pump from a first drive signal to a second drive signal. This changes the characteristics of both the pump drive signal and the characteristics of the resulting flow. Based on the change in the characteristics, the flow is determined to be a liquid flow or a gas flow.