Comparing Different Boiler Types in Home Espresso Machines

[@Wyman642]

An excellent and much-needed, precise yet complete, overview. Thanks.

[@noj9891]

This was an excellent explanation. I'm just getting into making my own espresso and this was so very helpful! Thank you!

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Thank you for your kind words.

[@jeremiahchamberlin4499]

I’m in the market so I found the technical detail fascinating, I would have appreciated current price ranges on the various platforms, or at least how much more to move up the scale.

[@xlifewritex]

Two things you missed here. ONE, Breville and Ascaso don't use thermoblocks anymore they use THERMOCOILS. Two, Gaggia, lelit and Silvia use unhealthy aluminium, and brass boilers which are known to provide health issues from lead leeching and other forms of leeching. If you want a single boiler look for one that is STAINLESS steel inside ( not the outside). lelits higher end Elizabeth 3, Marax and The one up from their are stainless but everything below that is BRASS ( avoid at all costs ). Right now I can't justify any machine except a BREVILLE ( which i hate) and the ASCASO UNO or DUO and that is because both brands use STAINLESS steel pipes through the block - hence thermocoil. Steel doesn't erode as fast, and is better for your health. They are moving away from brass and copper boilers. Gaggia needs to dump their aluminium as that's even worse.

[@2104T34]

What’s wrong with Breville? I’m thinking of getting one

[@Youtuberkt]

which ones use stainless steel boilers on the inside?

[@Youtuberkt]

How are thermocoils different?

[@PlatinumPeasant]

I got the ascaso steel duo. Glad I chose it after this video!

[@danman281]

Well explained. No frills, just good knowledge

[@graphene1487]

"Hey! I drink coffee too! Small world. Really great meeting you." :)

[@carstenbonordstrandsrensen4448]

Hi. I am looking a lot at the Ascaso Steel duo pid. It has got features like programmable dosing, pid, programmable pre-infusion etc etc. Doesn´t that make up for the downs? I am a little confused, as I like the small footprint :-)...

[@me-espresso]

Great video. Thanks for that.

[@bliblablubb0712]

Finally someone agrees with me that single boilers duo purpose machines are going out of business. It is simply outdated, especially if you consider that thermocoils can be built to keep very accurate, consistant temperature (we will see lots of those machines soo , I believe). Many pro consumers just wont let go of the idea of owning a somewhat pro level machine like the ranchilio, which isnt pro at all. In fact, if you really wanna upgrade from a thermocoil, you got to buy a dualboiler. But then, you are in a complete different game, price-wise. So just decide, what you actually want: A modern homemachine, or a professional espressomachine.

[@mikejason3822]

Great video!

[@MikeFLHT]

Great video. Explained it all very well.Thank you.

[@kerembyl]

Thank you, it helped a lot

[@chrisjenkins1]

Great video.

[@sayedmohamad7415]

Dear Sir, I have Fiorenzato Bricoletta, semic commertial, how can I know the type of boiler of it? thanks

[@anzalone626]

Great Video ! THX for the info

[@jakevan1969]

Thank you so much. Very informative.

[@matsg2596]

Great explanation!

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Thanks!

[@achmadmuamar184]

great presentation..

[@pae2be449]

this is great information thanks sir

[@ant1.v]

Great video thank you!

[@peakkopi9411]

Great explanation. How about Saturated group head?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

The easiest way to explain a saturated group is that the group head and boiler are basically joined. In some designs this is the exactly the case; the group and boiler are one piece (like Dalla Corte, Synesso, the new Bellezza Group, etc). Some other designs like La Marzocco the group is filled (saturated) with water from the boiler. The goal of saturated groups is temperature stability, you want the temperature of the brew boiler and the group to be as close as possible and as consistent as possible as this helps a lot.

[@mgp-bct7723]

Nice 👍 Which coffee machine build in wall or cabin and blaming in , is the best one and reliable to ? Do you know would have some advice ? Thanks 🙏

[@lcy4992]

Thanks for the video. I heard people saying that there is no real/practical benefit of having a PID controller on a HX machine. Is this true and why? For a HX machine to be used the first time in the morning, how long should a cooling flush be done after warming up the machine?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

A PID on a heat exchanger machine replaced the pressurestat. There are some benefits to this. First a PID uses a solid state relay to turn the heating element on and off. SSRs have a very low rate of failure, it can be considered a non-wearing part whereas a pressurestat will eventually wear out and need to be replaced. You can also change the heat inside your boiler to raise or lower your steam pressure with ease and without having to open the machine which is another benefit. But if you are looking for direct control over your extraction temperature then I recommend a dual boiler machine with a pid.

[@jettav88]

Awesome Video!

[@GaryHuntPianoman]

which one is best for 10-15 drinks per hour

[@ballisonfargo]

On a thermoblock machine, is it necessary to "refill" the block after steaming as is required with a single boiler or can it be allowed to just cool down naturally?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

No, it's not necessary. Most modern machines have an automatic cool down feature after steaming. Regardless, with a thermoblock you don't have to worry about this step

[@xXxEmogal999xXx]

Thank you for the informative video! In a HX machine, the brew group's water loop is kept warm by the HX line and not from the boiler, correct? Is this what necessitates a cooling flush after it has been sitting for some time?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

The heat exchanger is a tube that passes through the boiler. The water inside the actual boiler is boiling hot (about 125 degrees Celsius) and the top part of the boiler has water vapor (steam). A cooling flush is necessary because the water that remains in the heat exchanger from previous use gets too hot which can result in a bitter shot. When we do a cooling flush we are just purging the water from the HX and replacing it with fresh water.

[@akankshagupta4937]

@iDrinkCoffeeCanada how about a thermocoil for heating. It is better than thermoblock but is it better than a heat exchanger?

[@Arashasadi23]

Thanks for the video About Bezzera Unica, is it heat exchanger or single boiler ?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Hi, the Bezzera Unica is a single boiler.

[@sporticon1467]

Which is the best boiler if the water you're using generally is hard? The water in Calgary it's considerably hard. I was leaning towards the new ascaso, thermablok systems but I thought another video that mentioned that their Look Lock is prone to damage from excessive scaling. Which would you recommend? Thermoblock or heat exchanger? I'm currently using the rancilio Sylvia and looking to upgrade

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Hi, the new stainless steel thermoblock from Ascaso is quite resistant to scale but I recommend using a simple solution like an in tank softener to prevent issues with any system. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[@event4216]

Resistance to scale of TB is related to material properties or also to fact there's very little water in TB pipe and after shot it's either purged or quickly evaporates (I could be wrong either way)? Now HX and DB machines are made with SS boilers - do they really scale less or SS is just cheaper than brass?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Stainless is more resistant to scale because it is much less porous than brass or copper. The scale doesn't "stick" has easily. The main reason for the switch is regulalations. Many countries are restricting the use of copper and brass in food products because of lead content. In recent years some manufacturers have been coating their copper boilers as well to reduce the possibility of lead getting into the water.

[@Youtuberkt]

what are some good prosumer thermoblock espresso machines in the

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

The Ascaso Duo is probably the best in this category. It's been quite popular and well received. The Baby T is basically a single group commercial machine, it has all commercial level components.

[@hschmid80]

Nice video, thanks! Is there any machine out there using besides stainless steel boilers pipes in stainless steel? Or are they still using copper pipes?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

The only machine I can think of that has stainless pipes is the Vesuvius from Ambient. Steel is very rigid and doesn't leave much room for play so manufacturing this way is challenging

[@hschmid80]

@@iDrinkCoffeeCanada thank you. That's a good hint, i was not aware of this.

[@yoogawi1149]

@@iDrinkCoffeeCanada I thought Breville machines are also using stainless pipes?

[@jackharington3126]

Thoughts please :) . 2019 Ascasio steel DUO vs HX like the Oscar II or something a little more expensive like the Isomac tea due?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

The Steel Duo uses a second thermoblock for steam. This solution allows for a small footprint since thermoblocks are smaller than boilers. The steam power is lower though and it takes longer to steam than it would on a heat exchanger. The price difference is also not that large between the Duo and entry level hx machines like the Magister Stella Professional which is why we don't carry the duo.

[@cameronknowles6267]

@@iDrinkCoffeeCanada can you brew and steam at the same time on a duo