Cartridge-holder assembly, and cartridge for the preparation of a beverage, particularly coffee

A cartridge-holder assembly (1) configured to be coupled to and uncoupled from a head dispensing hot water and/or steam for the preparation of a beverage, particularly coffee, comprising a cup-shaped body (2) in which there are formed:

• an upper receptacle (3) adapted to receive a cartridge or pod (C) containing a substance (S) for the preparation of the beverage, and
• a lower duct (7) in communication with said receptacle (3) and intended to convey the beverage towards an underlying collecting container;
• wherein in said duct (7) there is provided a control valve device (9-15) including:
• a valve seat (11),
• an associated section-throttling member (12), and
• control means (13-15) capable of causing a relative movement of the section-throttling member (12) with respect to said seat (11), between a first and a second working position, to correspondingly vary the cross section of said duct (7) and the rate of the flow of said beverage between a minimum and a maximum value, respectively;
• the valve seat (11) being fixed and the section-throttling member (12) being movable, and the control means comprising a rotatable cam member (14) which acts on the section-throttling member (12) and is carried by a shaft (15) which is mounted rotatably in said body (2),
• wherein the body (2) has a handle (16) which extends along a fixed direction forming an angle with respect to the axis of said duct (7), and wherein said handle (16) is rotatable with respect to the body (2) about said direction, said shaft (15) rotates with said handle (16), and said handle (16) is coaxial with said shaft (15).