Abstract: A beverage making appliance has a water reservoir, brewing basket and water heating and pumping device within a tower structure with the brewing basket in a top region of the tower. The brewing basket has a sloped floor and a drain hole positioned near an edge of the sloped floor, and positioned over a recess in the tower so that liquid drains from the brewing basket to the exterior of the tower. The recess in the tower is configured to receive a pitcher whereby a pitcher positioned within the recess receives liquid, in the form of a brewed beverage, from the brewing basket. A valve assembly in connection with the drain hole of the brewing basket is controllable from the exterior of the tower to regulate the flow rate of liquid from the brewing basket into the pitcher, thus altering the characteristics of the brewed beverage produced by the appliance.

Abstract: A brewing machine with brewing water flow control mechanisms for controlling flow between chambers, includes a filling chamber in fluid connection with a heating reservoir. In one aspect of the invention, a control chamber with a sealable opening is formed about a drain hole in the filling chamber so that water must flow through the control chamber to reach the reservoir, and fluid access to the control chamber is controlled by a seal which engages the opening in the control chamber. Engagement of the seal with the opening in the control chamber is controlled by operation of a lid which covers the filling chamber. In another aspect of the invention, a flow rate control valve assembly is at least partially housed within the control chamber and has a portion which is proximate to the drain hole in the filling chamber connected to the reservoir, whereby a rate of flow from the filling chamber to the reservoir is selectively controllable by adjustment of the flow rate control valve.

Abstract: A single chamber brewing device for brewing beverage has a single brewing chamber for receiving water and a brewing material such as tea, a thermally controlled heating element, and a thermally responsive valve for releasing brewed beverage from the brewing chamber into a container positionable underneath the brewing chamber. The heating element may be a heating and pumping element which pumps heated water into the brewing chamber to produce a dynamic flow within the brewing chamber to improve the brewing process.