A roasting and grinding system (100) for preparing and delivering on demand roast and ground coffee, the system having: one or more raw containers (10, 10′, 10″, etc.) having green coffee beans of the same or of different types; a roasting unit (20) receiving green coffee beans from one or more of the raw containers (10, 10′, 10″, etc.) at the time, the roasting unit (20) adapting automatically the roasting parameters to the type of green coffee beans to roast; a conservation area (30) where the roasted coffee is stored at appropriate atmosphere until it is grinded; a grinding area (40) having one or more grinding units (41, 41′, 41″, etc.) one per type of coffee to be ground, adapting automatically the grinding parameters to the type of coffee or coffee mix to be ground. The invention further relates to a raw container (10, 10′, 10″, etc.) having green coffee beans detachably connectable to a roasting and grinding system (100), and to a method for roasting and grinding coffee blends on demand using such a system.

A coffee machine makes use of a valve arrangement for controlling the coupling of a water heater outlet selectively to one of two or more outlets, such as a steam delivery nozzle and a brew chamber. The valve arrangement comprises an active valve between the inlet channel and a first one of the outlets and a passive valve downstream of the active valve from the water heater outlet, coupled to a second one of the outlets. A cam surface controls the active valve, wherein the angular position of the cam surface controls the coupling of the inlet channel to the first one of the outlets. The rotation may be driven by rotational coupling to a brew chamber motor. This coffee machine design makes use of a single valve arrangement to provide the flow control from the water heater. This provides a compact arrangement with a low component count and simple control mechanism. It also enables all valve mechanisms to be outside the water or steam flow.

A coffee machine makes use of a valve arrangement for controlling the coupling of a water heater outlet selectively to one of two or more outlets, such as a steam delivery nozzle and a brew chamber. The valve arrangement comprises an active valve between the inlet channel and a first one of the outlets and a passive valve downstream of the active valve from the water heater outlet, coupled to a second one of the outlets. A cam surface controls the active valve, wherein the angular position of the cam surface controls the coupling of the inlet channel to the first one of the outlets. The rotation may be driven by rotational coupling to a brew chamber motor. This coffee machine design makes use of a single valve arrangement to provide the flow control from the water heater. This provides a compact arrangement with a low component count and simple control mechanism. It also enables all valve mechanisms to be outside the water or steam flow.

A coffee processing apparatus (100, 200, 300) is disclosed that comprises at least one of a grinding stage (110) for grinding coffee beans (10) into ground coffee beans (20); and a brewing stage (140) for brewing coffee from ground coffee beans; the coffee processing apparatus further comprising a sensor (150) arranged to sense a total concentration of volatile organic compounds released by said coffee beans or ground coffee beans; and a controller (160) responsive to said sensor and arranged to control said grinding stage and/or said brewing stage as a function of said total concentration. Methods of controlling such a coffee processing apparatus are also disclosed.

A coffee processing apparatus (100, 200, 300) is disclosed that comprises at least one of a grinding stage (110) for grinding coffee beans (10) into ground coffee beans (20); and a brewing stage (140) for brewing coffee from ground coffee beans; the coffee processing apparatus further comprising a sensor (150) arranged to sense a total concentration of volatile organic compounds released by said coffee beans or ground coffee beans; and a controller (160) responsive to said sensor and arranged to control said grinding stage and/or said brewing stage as a function of said total concentration. Methods of controlling such a coffee processing apparatus are also disclosed.

A method and a system are disclosed for managing a brewing process in which a solution is produced by mixing a solvent with a solute and a beverage is extracted from the solution. The system includes a temperature sensor device for sensing a temperature change per unit time of the solvent to create temperature information; a first measurement device for sensing a weight increase per unit time of the beverage to create first weight information while counting the time elapsed in the brewing process to create timing information; and a computing device comparing preset standard-state information with the temperature, first weight and timing information. A warning message is displayed on the computing device to remind a brewing operator to stop brewing the beverage when any of the temperature, first weight and timing information created at a specific unit time does not match the standard-state information of the same unit time.

A method and a system are disclosed for managing a brewing process in which a solution is produced by mixing a solvent with a solute and a beverage is extracted from the solution. The system includes a temperature sensor device for sensing a temperature change per unit time of the solvent to create temperature information; a first measurement device for sensing a weight increase per unit time of the beverage to create first weight information while counting the time elapsed in the brewing process to create timing information; and a computing device comparing preset standard-state information with the temperature, first weight and timing information. A warning message is displayed on the computing device to remind a brewing operator to stop brewing the beverage when any of the temperature, first weight and timing information created at a specific unit time does not match the standard-state information of the same unit time.

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.

A coffee machine includes a brewing unit, a grinding mechanism to process coffee beans into coffee grounds that are used by the brewing unit to brew coffee, and a container for coffee beans. The container has a bottom surface with an outlet opening that leads to the grinding mechanism. The bottom surface is inclined toward the outlet opening and includes ridges extending in a direction of the outlet opening.