Patent ID: 7047870

Claim:
An apparatus for preparing and dispensing a brewed beverage, comprising: a plumbing system for delivering water to a brew head; a receptacle for receiving and positioning a quantity of a beverage component below the brew head; and a selector switch and associated control logic for controlling operation of said plumbing system, wherein the selector switch allows for the selection of one of the following discrete options— a first option in which the plumbing system and control logic causes a first predetermined volume of water to be delivered to the brew head without significant interruption and distributed over the beverage component, creating the brewed beverage with a first desired strength, which is then dispensed into a container positioned below said receptacle, or a second option in which the plumbing system and control logic causes a second predetermined volume of water to be delivered to the beverage component, then terminates water flow for a first predetermined time period, and then resumes and continues to deliver water without significant interruption until the first predetermined volume of water has been delivered to the brew head and distributed over the beverage component, creating the brewed beverage with a second desired strength that is greater than the first desired strength, which is then dispensed into the container positioned below said receptacle.