A portion capsule for the preparation of a beverage with the aid of a beverage production machine, the portion capsule having a base element with a cavity for receiving a beverage raw material and having a capsule lid which closes the cavity, the base element includes a capsule bottom, a circumferential flange, and a capsule wall which extends from the capsule bottom to the circumferential flange, the capsule lid being fastened to the flange, the portion capsule having a feature which can be visually detected, in particular, by a detector of the beverage production machine.

A beverage preparation machine using capsules and configured to automatically recognize a type of a capsule inserted in the machine in order to adapt the beverage preparation parameters to the recognized capsule type.

A system for making beverages comprising a brewing unit (2) and a capsule (4) containing a powdered food substance (5), the capsule (4) comprising an outer casing (6) and a recognition element (11) placed inside the outer casing (6), wherein the brewing unit (2) comprises a first piercing unit (17), a lighting device (26) associated with the first piercing unit (17) for lighting the recognition element (11), a detecting device (13) configured to detect a return light radiation from the recognition element (11) and an electronic control unit, wherein, moreover, the recognition element (11) has a reading surface (12) which forms a convexity directed towards the detecting device (13).

A portion capsule for producing a beverage includes a base element having a cavity in which a beverage raw material is provided and which is closed by a membrane fastened to the base element.

The present invention provides improved spectral signature strategies for use in a wide range of product and service applications. The present invention encodes spectral signature features into one or more optical brightener compounds and/or one or more infrared absorbing compounds. Equipment is modified with appropriate ultraviolet/violet or infrared LED illumination sources and corresponding detectors, optionally optical filters, and optionally mask elements, in order to read the spectral responses. These features desirably are used in combination with one or more other luminescent taggant compounds.

Capsule for the preparation of a beverage comprising a container and a beverage ingredient contained therein, wherein the container comprises a code adapted for being identified or read by external reading means, wherein the code is arranged on the container to be read while the capsule is rotated around an axis of rotation traversing the capsule.

A system for making beverages comprising a brewing unit (2) and a capsule (4) containing a powdered food substance (5), the capsule (4) comprising an outer casing (6) and a recognition element (11) placed inside the outer casing (6), wherein the brewing unit (2) comprises a first piercing unit (17), a lighting device (26) associated with the first piercing unit (17) for lighting the recognition element (11), a detecting device (13) configured to detect a return light radiation from the recognition element (11), and supplying means for supplying hot water inside the capsule (4) inserted in the infusion chamber (3), wherein, moreover, the hot water supplying means are configured to supply the hot water inside the capsule (4) at a reading surface (12) of the recognition element (11) towards which the lighting device (26) and the detecting device (13) are directed in order to execute a cleaning step for cleaning the recognition element (11) if the capsule is not recognised.

The invention relates to a roasting and grinding apparatus for coffee beans comprising a roasting device (50) and an associated grinding device (60); the roasting device (50) being configured for receiving coffee beans of a certain type that will be roasted, the roasting device (50) comprising reading means (53) to identify the characteristics of the coffee beans dispensed to it, the roasting device (50) further comprising a control unit configuring the roasting profile of the beans according to the characteristics retrieved from the reading means (53) and/or from the characteristics of the beans in a database (51) in this control unit and/or according to the user’s input; the roasted coffee beans being dispensed into a beans container (10, 20), the beans container (10, 20) comprising programmable identification means where product parameters of the roasted coffee beans of a certain type are encoded on it by an encoder (52) in the roasting device; the grinding device (60) comprising one or more housings for receiving one or more beans containers (10, 20); the grinding device (60) comprising a reader (62) to obtain the information of the product parameters of the roasted coffee beans of the one or more beans containers (10, 20); the grinding device (60) further comprising a control unit configured to adapt the grinding size and the quantity of roasted coffee beans to be delivered from the coffee beans containers (10, 20) for obtaining a certain coffee quantity and/ or a certain coffee blend quantity from each beans container to be grinded according to these product parameters and/or according to a recipes database (64), and/or according to the user’s input. The invention further relates to a method for roasting and grinding coffee beans using a roasting and grinding apparatus as the ones described, and to the use of such a roasting and grinding apparatus.

A compacted coffee tablet, in particular a tablet of compacted roast and ground coffee beans, presenting an advantageous configuration in terms of compaction process, maintenance of shape and efficiency of coffee extraction, in particular of espresso type coffee. A beverage preparation systems including the compacted coffee tablet, and production processes thereof.

The invention concerns an apparatus (1) for brewing infusion material, said infusion material being hold in a filtering packet (2), said apparatus comprising: —a brew container (11) configured for holding water and a filtering packet of infusion material, and 10—a basket (12) configured for holding the filtering packet and configured for being hold in the brew container, and—an actuator (13) to rotate the basket inside the brew container.