Apparatus and method for preparation of a beverage

Abstract

A beverage preparation machine () comprising: a brew head () for receiving in use a cartridge (), the cartridge () being of a type that comprises one or more beverage ingredients and has a code () associated with the cartridge () for determining a standard set of brewing parameters; a code reader (); an activation element (); and a controller () configured to control operation of the beverage preparation machine to prepare a beverage from the one or more beverage ingredients of the cartridge () in response to actuation of the activation element (); the controller () being configured to receive a user selection to prepare the beverage using at least a first operating mode or a second operating mode; in the first operating mode the beverage is prepared using the standard set of brewing parameters obtained at least in part from reading the code () associated with the cartridge () received in the brew head; and in the second operating mode the beverage is prepared using a modified set of brewing parameters based on, but modified compared to, the standard set of brewing parameters obtained at least in part from reading the code () associated with the cartridge () received in the brew head; wherein the activation element () comprises a single manually actuatable pushbutton, switch and/or button; and the controller () and the activation element () are configured to permit user selection of the first operating mode by a first type of actuation of the activation element () and the second operating mode by a second type of actuation of the activation element ().