new domobar super about 2 weeks old. I noticed my steam smelled like metal so today I filled up a cup with water from the boiler and it had the stench of metal, let it cool and took a sip and it was like taking poison into my mouth, took an hour for it to dissipate from my mouth. I figure my boiler has had about 3-4 cycles of water through it. If the water has this much stench and metal in it then surely it must be unhealthy or even dangerous? Is this normal? Should I just keep draining and filling the boiler until the smell stops? Not sure what to do, is it just 'new car smell'?
thanks

You are probably getting the plastic taste from the water reservoir. I noticed the same thing on my test machine. I put some detergent in it and filled it with water then let it soak for a day. That helped quite a bit but it took a couple of weeks for it to fully dissipate. Most pour over machines have that issue, new plastic water tank tastes like plastic for a little while.

I have no idea why they would use a plastic tank in these machines considering the cost you would think a stainless tank would be standard. I am not sure if it's a plastic taste, it seemed clearly metallic to me but maybe the plastic creates a metallic taste who knows.

Like Dave's, the tank water was quite awful from the evaluation model that I received. Jim at 1st-line explained it was because ours came directly from the factory by air (!) versus the leisurely boat ride large shipments enjoy, during which they air out. I used another tank until I ran it through the dishwasher a few times.

Anyway, taste test the water directly from the tank and water exiting the grouphead. If they're good, then mega-flushing the boiler through the tap should cure the steam boiler. If not, I would treat the problem with a routine descale under the assumption it's manufacturing crude.

*update

I have detergent washed the holding tank, took my time and did a few washes and many rinses and the wife and i could no longer smell anything from the holding tank. I then flushed the boiler out at least twice and about halfway through the 2nd flush we could no longer smell anything in the boiler water. That's a relief but I am wondering if it sits for a while will the smell come back. I'll do another smell test in about an hour..

This is a question rather than an advice, it would have to be confirmed first.

I sometimes use white vinegar to descale the Europiccola, and think it could also help to get rid of the initial metallic taste - i replace the water then switch on the machine until the boiler feels hot, flush the group a little then wait overnight, before cleaning everything and running water through till there are no noticable traces of vinegar left.

Could someone comment if this is an effective method to quicker get rid of the factory taste in new machines, including E61s?

I would also like to know if one must expect different pressure and temperature with the use of vinegar. I do not dare to wait till the pressurestat responds, always switch off before that.

I'm glad this question has come up and would be interested if others have had these sorts of problems. When I first got my Europiccola, I descaled the boiler. The inside was gleaming and I was pleased but for several days, the shots tasted awful. They tasted very coppery and in fact you could smell it in the water. After a few days, that taste disappeared but it was a bit scary. Could this be the same issue and has anyone else encountered it? Is there a better way of doing the descaling to avoid that?
Sam.

Also, was wondering how much copper could potentially leak from these boilers into drinks initially or long term? IIRC copper has been linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Not a good combo as I'll be shaking violently trying to drink my espresso then forgetting if it was any good..

jeffg wrote:Also, was wondering how much copper could potentially leak from these boilers into drinks initially or long term?

You originally asked about the Vibiemme Domobar Super, which is a heat exchanger espresso machine. One claimed advantage of HX machines is the water is "fresher" because it goes from tank to HX to brew head exit in a few seconds versus sitting in a dedicated brew boiler for an indeterminate time. I don't recommend drinking the water from an HX machine's steam boiler unless you flush it frequently. It's no different than emptying / refilling a kettle before making tea so the water doesn't taste stale.

jeffg wrote:IIRC copper has been linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Not a good combo as I'll be shaking violently trying to drink my espresso then forgetting if it was any good..

I don't follow medical journal publications, but I believe it's been linked to aluminum, not copper.

Do you take a multi-vitamin? I have had difficulty finding one with less than 1,000mg of copper. Even if you drink from the boiler, and use distilled water, you would have a very tough time trying to get anywhere near that amount of copper from your espresso machine. Ingesting metals from your espresso machine is simply not a worry, especially if common sense is employed (such as keeping things clean, using properly treated water, regular flushing, etc.)

The strong tastes may also come from the lubricants used on the safety valves on the boiler(s). For example, Wholelattelove recommends lubing the vacuum valve with a spritz of WD40. How can that not taint the taste of the water from the boiler?

Mark