A physical resource consuming apparatus (10, 110) including a refrigerator or a laundry treating appliance or a dishwasher or a beverage dispenser and comprising: a physical resource consuming system operating according to a cycle of operation requiring a consumption of a physical resource; a physical resource dispensing system (60, 160) coupled to the physical resource consuming system to dispense the physical resource coupled to the physical resource dispensing system and comprising: a removable component removably coupled to the physical resource dispensing system and defining a reservoir configured to hold the physical resource; a graphic provided on the removable component; and a composite defined by at least a portion of the graphic, the removable component and the physical resource, residing at different depths in the composite, the composite having optically encoded information regarding a characteristic of the physical resource contained in the reservoir; an optical reading system (70, 170) comprising: an illumination source selectively providing illumination to first and second depths of the composite when the removable component is coupled to the physical resource dispensing system; a reflectance reader configured to read the reflectance from the composite when illuminated by the illumination source at the first and second depths and provide an output indicative of the read reflectance during illumination at the first and second depths; and a controller (14, 114) operably coupled to the optical reading system to receive the output and determine at least one operating parameter of the physical resource consuming apparatus as a function of the output, characterised in that the first depth comprises one of: an upper surface of the graphic and an interior of the graphic, in that the second depth comprises one of: a surface of the removable component, an interface between the removable component and the graphic and the physical resource and in that the illumination source is a single illumination source. a physical resource consuming system operating according to a cycle of operation requiring a consumption of a physical resource; a physical resource dispensing system (60, 160) coupled to the physical resource consuming system to dispense the physical resource coupled to the physical resource dispensing system and comprising: a removable component removably coupled to the physical resource dispensing system and defining a reservoir configured to hold the physical resource; a graphic provided on the removable component; and a composite defined by at least a portion of the graphic, the removable component and the physical resource, residing at different depths in the composite, the composite having optically encoded information regarding a characteristic of the physical resource contained in the reservoir; an optical reading system (70, 170) comprising: an illumination source selectively providing illumination to first and second depths of the composite when the removable component is coupled to the physical resource dispensing system; a reflectance reader configured to read the reflectance from the composite when illuminated by the illumination source at the first and second depths and provide an output indicative of the read reflectance during illumination at the first and second depths; and a removable component removably coupled to the physical resource dispensing system and defining a reservoir configured to hold the physical resource; a graphic provided on the removable component; and a composite defined by at least a portion of the graphic, the removable component and the physical resource, residing at different depths in the composite, the composite having optically encoded information regarding a characteristic of the physical resource contained in the reservoir; an optical reading system (70, 170) comprising: an illumination source selectively providing illumination to first and second depths of the composite when the removable component is coupled to the physical resource dispensing system; a reflectance reader configured to read the reflectance from the composite when illuminated by the illumination source at the first and second depths and provide an output indicative of the read reflectance during illumination at the first and second depths; and an illumination source selectively providing illumination to first and second depths of the composite when the removable component is coupled to the physical resource dispensing system; a reflectance reader configured to read the reflectance from the composite when illuminated by the illumination source at the first and second depths and provide an output indicative of the read reflectance during illumination at the first and second depths; and a controller (14, 114) operably coupled to the optical reading system to receive the output and determine at least one operating parameter of the physical resource consuming apparatus as a function of the output, characterised in that the first depth comprises one of: an upper surface of the graphic and an interior of the graphic, in that the second depth comprises one of: a surface of the removable component, an interface between the removable component and the graphic and the physical resource and in that the illumination source is a single illumination source. an upper surface of the graphic and an interior of the graphic, a surface of the removable component, an interface between the removable component and the graphic and the physical resource and