Machine (10) for preparing a beverage starting from a dry food substance (S), preferably in grains or beans (C), comprising a hopper (15) to contain the dry food substance (S) and provided with a lower aperture (25) for the outlet of the dry food substance (S). A grinding device (16) is disposed below the lower aperture (25) to grind the dry food substance (S) and transform it into an aromatic blend (M) in powder form. A central control unit (20) is able to control the grinding device (16) and a user interface (43) is connected to the central control unit (20).

The invention relates to a device for feeding coffee powder (a) into a brewing chamber of a coffee machine, comprising a brewing chamber container (1) having a filling opening (2) for receiving and brewing the coffee powder (a) and a feeding apparatus (3) for feeding the coffee powder (a) into the brewing chamber container (1) through the filling opening (2). By means of a shaking apparatus (4), which is coupled to the brewing chamber container (1), the brewing chamber container (1) is set vibrating during and/or after the filling with coffee powder. As a result, the coffee powder put into the brewing chamber container is compressed and evened out and, in particular, the coffee powder is prevented from piling up in the form of hills as the coffee powder is put into the brewing chamber container.

The present disclosure includes an extraction assembly for use in an automatic espresso brewer. The extraction assembly includes components and methods for controllably extracting espresso beverage from a quantity of brewing substance. The components, assemblies, and methods facilitate improved control and operation of the extraction assembly and improve the reliability of the extraction assembly. The brewing substance is compacted between a pair of opposing pistons. Compacting force is monitored through at least one sensor carried on the extraction assembly to provide a signal to a controller. A predetermined compacting force may be programmed into the system for all brewing cycles or dependent upon the brewing substance used. The pair of pistons operates relative to a brew chamber for use in the espresso extraction process. The pistons provide compacting force and boundaries within the chamber and facilitate removal of a spent brewing substance puck at the end of the brewing cycle. Compacting force is monitored at the start of the brewing process and a predetermined force is required before the brewing process can be started. During the brewing process compacting force can be maintained and controllably adjusted. A variety of sensor methods and locations can be used to detect and monitoring compacting force.

A beverage producing unit includes an infusion chamber with a first infusion chamber portion forming a receptacle for receiving a beverage preparing product and is configured to be movable between a loading position, where the first infusion chamber portion is arranged under a product-loading hopper, and a brewing position, where the first infusion chamber portion is configured to co-act with a second infusion chamber portion to close the infusion chamber. A scraper is arranged and configured to level a product heap projecting from the receptacle during movement of the first infusion chamber portion from the loading position towards said brewing position. The receptacle has a top edge surrounding a receptacle inlet aperture. The top edge is provided with a projection extending from the top edge and configured to prevent product from falling out of the receptacle when passing under the scraper.

A system and method for brewing and dispensing beverages may use customer profiling to select beverages to be produced and presented to a given customer and/or messages to be displayed to the customer, based on customer-specific information stored on a loyalty card, in a local system, or remotely. A user interface mechanism may receive input identifying the given customer. A controller may select a base drink recipe dependent on the customer's identity, and may initiate production of a beverage using the selected drink recipe. Each drink recipe may specify an amount of water, coffee, flavorings, dairy, and/or other ingredients, and may be further customizable to add or remove ingredients and/or to change an amount thereof, based on received user input. The stored customer-specific information may include a customer identifier, account information, a purchase history, a message history, drink recipes, and/or an email address for each of a plurality of customers.

Within a brewing unit for a coffee machine, a brewing chamber, which is arranged in a pivotable brewing cylinder, can be filled with ground coffee powder by using a filling device. For the purpose of introducing the coffee powder, the brewing chamber has a filling opening. With the aim of avoiding undesired deposits of grounds in the region of the upper side of the brewing unit, and also of improving levels of hygiene, a projection extends in the filling direction outside the brewing chamber, wherein the projection is such that the exit region of the filling device is introduced with the formation of an interspace between the projection and a side wall of the exit region such that the projection substantially fully surrounds the exit opening of the exit region. Coffee powder supplied in the filling device drops from the exit opening of the exit region, directly through a through-opening of the projection and the filling opening, into the brewing chamber without striking against the projection.

In a device for feeding coffee powder into a brewing chamber of a coffee machine, the brewing chamber comprises a brewing chamber container (1) having a filling opening (2) for receiving the coffee powder (a) and a feeding apparatus (3) for feeding the coffee powder into the brewing chamber container through the filling opening (2). By means of a shaking apparatus (4), the coffee powder fed into the brewing chamber is levelled. Thereby, the coffee powder is prevented from piling up in the form of hills during the coffee powder is filled into the brewing chamber.

The invention concerns a full automatic coffee machine (100) comprising: a brewing chamber (1), an upper piston (2), a lower piston (3) movable inside said brewing chamber (1), wherein the brewing chamber and/or the upper piston are relatively movable between a first closed position configured for compacting coffee during brewing and the second closed position is configured for not compacting coffee during brewing, a pressurized hot water fluid system comprising at least a water supply (101), a water heating device (104) and a water pump (102) wherein said system is connected to the water inlet (13) of the coffee extraction unit, wherein the fluid supply system comprises a pressure bypass valve (107) downstream the water pump and wherein the predetermined threshold pressure of the fluid dispensed by said pressure bypass valve is adjustable, and wherein the full automatic coffee machine comprises a control system configured: to move the brewing chamber and/or the upper piston to the first closed position or to the second position for brewing coffee powder, and to adjust the predetermined threshold pressure of the fluid dispensed by the pressure bypass valve to a first predetermined threshold pressure, respectively to a second predetermined threshold pressure, when the brewing chamber and/or the upper piston is moved to the first closed position, respectively to the second position.

A hybrid coffee machine can include a boiler configured to heat water from a water supply line, a brew group fluidically coupled to the boiler, and a dispensing subsystem fluidically coupled to the brew group. The coffee machine is operable in an automatic mode and in a manual mode. In the automatic mode, coffee grinds are automatically deposited into the brew group and heated water from the boiler is transmitted through the brew group to brew the coffee. The coffee is then dispensed into a receptacle via the dispensing subsystem. In the manual mode, the heated water from the boiler is transmitted through the dispensing subsystem to a portafilter to brew the coffee. The portafilter is removably coupled to the dispensing subsystem.

A brewing unit for an automatic machine to make coffee beverages includes a brewing chamber closed at the lower part by a first piston and at the upper part, on the opposite side, by a second piston, a first inlet duct for the heated water, and a first outlet duct for the beverage, communicating respectively with an inlet side and with an outlet side of the brewing chamber, and a filtering element disposed in the brewing chamber.