A water passage structure includes a water heating device and a brewing head. The brewing head includes a drainage inlet, a water passage chamber, a drainage outlet and a water supply channel. The water passage chamber is communicated with the drainage inlet and the drainage outlet. The water supply channel is located adjacent to and isolated from the water passage chamber. The drainage inlet and a water inlet of the water supply channel are each controllable to be communicated with a water outlet of the water heating device. The water heating device can firstly discharge hot water into the water passage chamber to preheat the brewing head, and after the brewing head is preheated, the water heating device supplies hot water through the water supply channel, so as to meet the requirements of stable temperature of the first outlet water.

A tamping augur may be controlled in various ways to obtain a consistent fill height and uniformity in the distribution of coffee grinds in a portafilter.

A tamping augur may be controlled in various ways to obtain a consistent fill height and uniformity in the distribution of coffee grinds in a portafilter.

A brewing unit for an espresso and coffee machine includes a frame structure, a hand lever which is mounted on the frame structure so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation, and a brewing piston element which is operatively connected to the hand lever by means of a lever mechanism, whereby the brewing piston element, coupled to the movement of the hand lever, is movable between a first position and at least one second position along a vertical axis. The brewing piston element includes a distributor sieve which, in the second position of the brewing piston element, and together with a filter support which can be inserted into a holding device, delimits a brewing chamber, and hot pressurized brewing water is able to be introduced into the brewing chamber through the distributor sieve; the brewing piston element also includes a piston rod to which the distributor sieve is connectible. The brewing unit further includes locking means which are designed to hold the brewing piston element in at least one adjustable position along the vertical axis.

A brewing unit for an espresso and coffee machine includes a frame structure, a hand lever which is mounted on the frame structure so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation, and a brewing piston element which is operatively connected to the hand lever by means of a lever mechanism, whereby the brewing piston element, coupled to the movement of the hand lever, is movable between a first position and at least one second position along a vertical axis. The brewing piston element includes a distributor sieve which, in the second position of the brewing piston element, and together with a filter support which can be inserted into a holding device, delimits a brewing chamber, and hot pressurized brewing water is able to be introduced into the brewing chamber through the distributor sieve; the brewing piston element also includes a piston rod to which the distributor sieve is connectible. The brewing unit further includes locking means which are designed to hold the brewing piston element in at least one adjustable position along the vertical axis.

A capsule for use in an extraction machine has a frustoconical side wall, a transverse base closing one end of the side wall, an open mouth at the end remote from the base and a peripheral flange encircling the open mouth. A section of the side wall of the capsule close to the flange is thicker than the remainder of the side wall.

An air compressed coffee or tea making machine includes an air tank storing high pressure air; the air tank being connected to an air compressor for compressing external air so as to drive the high pressure air within the air tank; at least one liquid storage tank for storing liquid therein; a filtering tank installed below the air tank and connected to the liquid storage tank; a receiving tank installed below the filtering tank; the receiving tank serving for receiving coffee powders or tea powders therein. The liquid of the liquid storage tank is filled into the filtering tank; by the high pressure air from the air tank, liquid within the filtering tank suffers from a uniform air pressure and then flows to the receiving tank; as a result, the liquid is uniformly mixed with the coffee or tea powders within the receiving tank.

The present invention presents a pumping system (1) with a preheated reservoir (2), a main pump (4) for pumping a preheated liquid (3) from the reservoir (2), and pressurizing means (5) for pressurizing the reservoir (2). Preferably, the pressurizing means set an absolute pressure of 0.5 to 1 bar in the reservoir (2). The liquid (3) in the reservoir (2) can be heated up to 90 C. or more. The present invention achieves a nearly complete suppression of the phenomenon of cavitation at the main pump entrance, and thus achieves an increased pumping performance at elevated liquid temperatures.

A method for preparing cold coffee involves placing ground coffee in a maceration basket, which is mounted in a maceration tank, and subjected the coffee to maceration by recirculated flow of maceration fluid pumped under pressure by a circulating pump to a hydrating head mounted centrally to the maceration basket. Preferably the maceration basket is completely immersed in the maceration fluid.

A device for preparing cold coffee is also disclosed, the device has a maceration tank, in which a maceration basket 1 for ground coffee is operationally mounted. The maceration basket is formed as a cylinder having a hollow center column dimensioned to receive at least a portion of the hydrating head. A circulating pump circulates the maceration fluid under pressure, from the maceration tank, via the hydrating head and the ground coffee batch disposed in the maceration basket back into the maceration tank.

A liquid extract production system capable of efficiently producing a liquid extract. The system comprising an extractor for extracting a liquid extract from extraction raw materials, a liquid extract tank for storing the liquid extract, a flow path of liquid extract that connects the extractor and the liquid extract tank, a flow meter for measuring the flow rate of the liquid extract provided in the flow path, a density meter for measuring the solid content concentration of the liquid extract provided in the flow path, a solid content calculation unit for calculating the solid content included in the liquid extract that flowed through the flow path based on the measured flow rate and solid content concentration, and a liquid transfer controller for controlling the transfer of liquid extract from the extractor to the liquid extract tank based on the calculated solid content.