Abstract: A filter employed for the extraction of beverages is formed of a piece of material having two planar surfaces and a plurality of uniformly distributed openings extending through the piece. A plurality of nipples, equal in number to the number of openings, project from and out of at least one of the planar surfaces and extend for a distance substantially equal to the thickness between the planar surfaces of the piece of material, each nipple being associated with one of the openings through the piece of material, and each opening extends through each nipple. The openings have a shape of a truncated cone, a truncated pyramid, or a truncated tetrahedron, and each opening at the end of each nipple, which is disposed away from the planar surface from which the nipple projects, forms a minor base of the opening shape and each opening at the other planar surface forms a major base of the opening shape.

Abstract: The degree of roasting of materials roasted by application of microwaves is regulated by a system free from any energy source which receives material from a microwave roaster and retains it for a time for completing roasting and varying and regulating the final degree of roasting of the material by regulating the feed of the roasted material from the system to a quenching zone. The microwave roaster includes a horizontal rotatable tube which has baffles for transporting the material to be roasted through the tube such that it reaches a roasting temperature at the outlet of the tube for receipt by the system for achieving the desired degree of final roasting.