As I sit at the Decent website about to purchase a de1+ I just thought I would ask a few questions even though I've mostly made my mind up on which direction to go.

For those lucky DE1 owners did you purchase the pro steam wand? Should I work with the regular wand for a bit and order the pro wand later? Does the pro wand have the 3 hole steam wand tip or should I order that as well?

Although I'm sitting here ready to submit my order there has been only one item that I am having an issue wrapping my old school head around....pulling a shot and steaming milk at the same time. This is the way I've "grown up" with espresso, you HAVE to do both at the same time! I have searched the forums for an answer on why this is or isn't important but I haven't found one. Those same lucky de1 owners, were you apprehensive about this? I'll be honest...I'm not sure I actually want to steam while the espresso is brewing, just not as fast as I use to be.

I'm overly excited to make this purchase and would like to say thank you to all the contributors that really make this a special place to learn.

If you steam a lot, the bigger wand might be a little more convenient, but it has the same tip so there's not really any functional difference in the end result. I would also posit that the machine's steam is tuned specifically to the one hole tip, so that is the best starting place.

As for simultaneous brew/steam, I've found that the automation aspect means I can start my shot, then walk to the fridge to get milk and fill the pitcher, and by the time I'm done with that the shot has finished anyway. This wouldn't work in a shop where you have 2 minutes start to finish to get a drink out, but works fine for me at home! You may also find yourself just staring at the espresso graph and forgetting about milk until the shot is done anyway...

This is an exciting moment for you!

There is NO NEED for milk and coffee to be ready at the same time. In fact, probably most HBs, even on his site, don't have the luxury of pulling a shot and steaming milk at the same time. It's a luxury not a requirement for great milk drinks.

DO NOT hit the submit button if you are so pressed for time that steaming your milk while pulling a shot is a major determinant of your purchase.

DO hit the submit button if you want a fantastic machine and time to finish can be just a little longer.

Having worked at home with a non-volumetric/gravimetric machine and not in a production setting, I've always watched my shots. Same with steaming as is only been a pitcher a day. I've never felt a need, or even a desire to try to do both at once.

I have the three-hole tip as well as the stock one. I think the three-hole is a little smoother. Others have the opposite opinion.

I don't like the short steam arm, having been used to goosenecks. It's pretty fiddly to get the pitcher out before the auto-purge kicks in. Using steam-by-weight mitigates it some, as you don't have to rush the pitcher off the wand. I've been going back and forth in the $180 and it hasn't risen in annoyance to that level. It may be different for you if you're regularly steaming more than a pitcher a session.

Do not buy the DE scale stand. There are many better options now that are both more accurate and pose less risk to the scale itself.

As always, THANK YOU! Not 5 minutes ago I pushed that pesky "submit payment" button and away we go! I decided to wait on the pro steam wand as I'm sure there will be enough to keep me busy within the decent app. My milk drinks of choice are small cappuccinos or flat whites so steaming large quantities of milk was never a worry for me.

I did purchase the barista kit with the machine. I sold my last machine almost 10 years ago and with it all the goodies so I'm pretty much starting at zero again. Also the knock box because my wife will shoot me on sight if she sees me knocking a puck out against HER counters.

Again, can't say it enough...thank you all for the help. Big thank you to admin for helping with this post. By far the best forum I've ever been on.

Congratulations!

I think you made the right choice on not getting the wand. Note that the pro wand is too long to be able to purge into the drip tray. So you need to always be fast with a cloth to catch the auto-purge.

Jefe wrote:My milk drinks of choice are small cappuccinos or flat whites so steaming large quantities of milk was never a worry for me.

In that case, if you are pulling for more than one drink, it's not really slower because while the first shot is pulling you are pouring milk, grinding for the next shot, and doing other stuff. I use a catch cup in my MAX when when pulling shots for the three people in my family so I can grind the next shot while the current shot is running. When I am pulling 30+ shots in a row for a group, I have two portafilters I rotate.

Having said that, instead of using the time when the shot is pulling for tasks, I'm more often looking at the shot flow with a small flashlight and shot mirror. So, it's time well spent in another way.

Congratulations on the DE1!

lessthanjoey wrote:Note that the pro wand is too long to be able to purge into the drip tray.

I haven't yet announced it publicly until right now, but we have a new XL (aka "pro") steam wand design coming, that resolves that issue.

Here is a photo comparing the two models



the gooseneck bend is a different shape, and the wand now angles into the drip tray.



It also makes it easier to "ghost steam" (hands free) since the tip goes much deeper into the milk jug.



We've also revisited the silicone sleeve that goes over the wand, and the clip connector is now integrated into the steam wand instead of requiring a longer adaptor.

The bad news: due to COVID induced delays, our steam wand supplier is hugely backed up, and we are completely out of any XL steam wands (old or new design) until mid-April, when the new design arrives.

Until then, we'll be shipping XL models with the standard steam wand, and then following up a few months later with the XL steam wand in the mail. Swapping the steam wands yourself is not difficult, and there's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RPBf_wp2Io

We'll be offering the new wand at 50% off to anyone who has the older XL steam wand and prefers the new design. It will be half this price for you: https://decentespresso.com/c?s=13171+1 - more news about that in April, when I have them in stock.

Great news, thanks John.

Very nice. This was my only complaint on my XL. I really like ghost steaming, even better than brew and steam at the same time. So this is great! It's also another instance of no fear of buyer's remorse since as the product improves, current owners continue to see the benefits. Thanks!