The known capsules for use in known brewing machines are disposable and single-dose containers comprising an external casing, made of liquid- and gas-impermeable plastics and having the shape of a glass or a cup. In particular, the casing has a bottom wall and a side wall defining a cavity provided with an upper opening through which the product can be inserted from which the beverage can be obtained. The upper opening is hermetically sealed by a cover, typically an aluminium or plastic film sheet, so as to seal the product inside the container cavity. The capsule is perforable to allow the inflow of pressurized liquid, typically water, and the exit of the obtained beverage. In particular, the cover and the bottom wall of the casing are perforable by a suitable arrangement of the brewing machine, to allow the dispensing from the top of the pressurized liquid and the extraction from the bottom of the beverage, respectively.
A drawback of the known capsules disclosed above is that they can be used only in brewing machines provided with a special dispensing circuit comprising an extracting arrangement suitable to perforate the capsule bottom to allow the outflow of the beverage, and a duct arrangement suitable to convey the beverage to the fruition container (for example, a mug, a cup, a glass, etc.). Such a dispensing circuit makes the machine structure more complex and expensive. Furthermore, since such dispensing circuit is in contact with the dispensed beverages, it should be suitably washed after each dispensing operation, both for hygienic reasons, and not to compromise the taste and quality (organoleptic qualities) of a beverage that is subsequently dispensed (for example, an aromatic infusion dispensed after a coffee). However, a washing arrangement of the dispensing circuit is not always present in the known machines, due to their manufacturing complexity and costs.
The known brewing machines further comprise a supply circuit provided with an injection arrangement (typically, needles or sharpened nozzles) providing to perforate the cover and dispense the pressurized liquid coming from a pump and/or a boiler.
During the production operative step of the beverage, the injection arrangement can contact the product and/or the beverage, thus getting contaminated. As the dispensing circuit, the injection arrangement of the supply circuit should be suitably washed after each dispensing operation, due to hygienic reasons, and to not compromise the organoleptic properties of a beverage dispensed at a later moment.
The known capsules disclosed above allow to obtain a final product by percolation of the liquid through the initial product (typically, coffee) or by solubilization or dissolution of the initial product (for example, tea, infusions, etc.). In the latter case, the initial product has to be easily and quickly soluble, so as to avoid the formation of clots or lumps inside the capsule and/or in the fruition container.
In fact, due to the speed and the dispensing manner of the liquid inside the capsule, it is very difficult, and almost impossible, suitably dissolving products that are not much or slowly soluble and/or containing thickeners to obtain, in the fruition container, dense and meaty (for example chocolate) or viscous final products.
As it is known, such final products may be obtained starting from a product in powder or granules, soluble or freeze-dried or dehydrated, only manually by gradually adding the liquid and continuously mixing the mixture until obtaining the final product. Therefore, such products cannot be obtained automatically using the known capsules and brewing machines.