I just noticed the introduction of the Brewtus III when I was perusing the Holiday Wish List and cruised over to WLL to have a look. Maybe this is old news and I haven't been paying enough attention (I've been in school for the past couple of months), but here's what I found:

It now has a PID, though I couldn't find any specs on how stable or what kind of temp resolution the PID has. I remember from Abe's original article on the Brewtus I that he concluded that the PID on his machine did not produce a significant change in the cup. I guess this will still appeal to the geekier geeks.

They've also changed the boiler insulation to a foil-type. This should have been so from the beginning, but is an obvious upgrade.

The biggest improvement I see if the option of a rotary pump with a plumb-in set-up. I keep a loose watch on the Brewtus Group over at Google and there's always someone who's doing this upgrade and there's always a bunch of folks asking about it. There have forever been rumors that WLL was going to offer a retrofit kit or some sort of mail-your-machine-to-us upgrade for owners of the older models. This of course never happened.

There's no mention of it, but from the photo on the site, it looks like the steam tip is slightly different. My Brewtus II has a rounded, single hole tip, while the one in the photo seems to have a pointer tip.

The other differences appear to be cosmetic. The machine's lid has a different style of grates and the cup rail that was added on the Brewtus II appears to have been removed again for the Brewtus III. The Brewtus III also has legs. The older versions just had little rubber nubbies on the bottom, but this one has legs that appear to lift it an inch or more off of the counter. I'm really not sure if this would be helpful or not, but it looks pretty good in the photo.

I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who's actually used this machine. How's the pressure ramp-up with the rotary pump? How's the noise level? How's the PID. How's the taste?

Yes, the Brewtus III has just arrived. They just went up on the site on Friday evening.
There are two of them and they are called the Brewtus III-R and Brewtus III-V. The Brewtus III-R has the Gicar PID and a Rotary pump. This one hooks up to water line and has a drain line. The legs are taller so that it can accommodate the drain line. If the drain line connection is not used then the shorter legs can be installed. The pump motor is mounted on a rubber mounts and is very quiet and smooth. The whole office has been using a test model for over three months and it has proven to be both dependable and the espresso is great. The Brewtus III-V has a vibration pump and the Gicar PID temperature control.
Yes, the steam tip is a brand new design. It is angled, not rounded and it is very easy to control how much air you inject into the milk. It is much easier to create the micro froth for latte art. Much more detailed information on it will be coming soon.

Todd Salzman
Whole Latte Love

A peek inside the newest Brewtus can be found here.
http://www.casabarista.nl/fileadmin/pdf/UK/Expobar_Brewtus_Rotary_UK.pdf

Thanks for the link, though it doesn't include all the improvements that WholeLatteLove describes (e.g., foil backed insulation). I also noticed that casabarista "borrowed" an image from Abe's review. Tsk, tsk.

What's the difference between the digital temp control on the Brewtus I/II and the PID on version III? I always assumed these were the same thing, with the PID maybe being a little more accurate and perhaps graceful in its return to the set temperature. If they are different, what is the real-world advantage?

Thanks!

Not 100% sure if we're talking about exactly the same machine, but there is an interesting thread over on CS:
http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1227835388

It appears that it might not be a full PID...

May depend on the country of sale?

I didn't know they were calling it the Brewtus III, or just a Brewtus II with a PID.

In any case, I have one for 2 weeks now. The only issue I had was with the stock (4 hole) tip, I found it difficult to get good results. I duly replaced it with a 2 hole isomac + adapter from Chriscoffee. Now I'm steaming great on it.



Short, and slightly inane video:




In any case - it is a full PID, a Gicar PID - the same as on the Alex Duetto.

Of course, it should be noted that mine is the EU version - and I did not get the tip described by Whole Latte Love - mine came with the standard rounded 4 hole jobby. I would be interested to try the new design though.

This Brewtus III comes at an interesting time for me. I am buying a new machine and replacing my Expobar Pulser. I also just won a Holiday Surprise at WLL.

I had all but decided on a Vivaldi of some flavor. I am going to see how easily I can run a water line to where my espresso counter is before I know if I can get the rotary or the Mini.

So now I wonder about the Brewtus. How does the E61 function with a double boiler? We see more and more machines with this basic setup. Is it basically a fashion thing and so they can use off the shelf parts? I know some people want the style but if you don't care what is the advantage from a functional perspective over the design of the Vivaldi?

-Steve

Steve,

The grouphead has nothing to do with function between a single boiler, HX, or double boiler. A non-HX single boiler will supply both the grouphead and the steam/hot water valves, whereas in a double boiler one boiler will supply the grouphead (and hot water tap, if applicable), and the other boiler (steam) will supply the steam valve.

As for which design is better, good question. I don't think you can go wrong with either machine, but there are a few differences worth mentioning (in no particular order).

- The steam boiler can be turned on as needed on the Vivaldi, not so on the Expobar (or at least that I know of)
- To run the Vivaldi on a timer you will need the optional timer device. To get around this, a few people leave the brew boiler on and turn on the steam boiler as needed.
- You already have a 58mm tamper, so you'll need to get a 53mm if you go with the Vivaldi
- I *think* the Vivaldi has a better reputation for reliability as the two vendors I talked to stressed the fact that they are near bullet-proof.
- The Vivaldi is a little more expensive, especially with your discount from WLL.
- The Vivaldi prefers to run on a 20 amp circuit but can run on a 15. The trade-off is that it will alternate power between the brew and steam boiler; the Brewtus is fine with a normal 15 amp.

You'll have a tough decision, but I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

Todd Salzman wrote:Yes, the steam tip is a brand new design. It is angled, not rounded and it is very easy to control how much air you inject into the milk. It is much easier to create the micro froth for latte art.

Todd Salzman
Whole Latte Love

Todd - Any chance this tip will be available separately, for Brewtus or Quickmill owners (like me) that would like to try an alternative tip on our no-burn steam wands?