I make a lot of americanos on my single boiler machine, which has me filling my cup via the steam wand. But since it's a single boiler, as long as I don't put it in steam mode, it comes out at the brew temp, which is nice, however since it's a steam wand, it comes out in 2 small very high velocity streams which is slow and messy.

I had been eyeballing a machine with a dedicated hot water spout, but in my research it seems that they pull out of the steam boiler on double boiler machines. Seems to me that would be way too hot.

Wondering if anyone can share any info on this? Are there machines that don't pull hot water off the steam boiler? or maybe it's less of an issue than I'm thinking?

Hey Colin,

Welcome to HB!

You are correct that most DB/HX machines pull superheated water from the steam boiler for the hot water spout. There are precious few exceptions.

The Breville dual boiler has a dedicated hot water spout that pulls off the brew boiler and uses a micro switch to engage the pump when you open the spout.

The La Marzocco GS/3 has a mixing valve that blends the superheated boiler water with fresh water, and the temperature can be adjusted with a temperature wheel tucked away on the side of the machine.

The Decent Espresso DE1 has a dedicated hot water spout tucked behind the group head that has independent temperature control, as that machine has no boilers and heats water/steam on demand.

Nearly (but not quite) all other machines outside the SBDU (Single Boiler Dual Use) category pull from the steam boiler. General consensus is that boiler water doesnt taste great and is rarely the correct temperature for making making americanos, so a dedicated kettle is the preferred solution. I would say the 3 machines listed above are the exception to the rule and can likely be used to make tasty americanos, with the GS/3 having the caveat that you have to make them very regularly, lest the water in the boiler become saturated with minerals, as happens every time you use the steam wand. All other machines using the steam boiler for hot water have the same caveat, but their water is also boiling hot.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!

- Jake

Ok thanks for the info. Wish I had the counter top space to fit a kettle.

I haven't been really interested in the Decent espresso machines.... But this could make a difference for me.

I've had a LM Micra for about a month now, and the hot water tap draws from the steam boiler. We drink americanos primarily, and in my opinion the temp from the hot water tap is pretty much a non-issue. Yes, it's too hot to drink straight out of the tap, but within a minute or so it's fine. If it was a problem we could add a few ml from the filter faucet next to the machine to mix in some cold water but we never bother. Personally, I wouldn't base a machine purchasing decision on this factor.

Jake_G wrote:Hey Colin,
Nearly (but not quite) all other machines outside the SBDU (Single Boiler Dual Use) category pull from the steam boiler. General consensus is that boiler water doesnt taste great and is rarely the correct temperature for making making americanos, so a dedicated kettle is the preferred solution. I would say the 3 machines listed above are the exception to the rule and can likely be used to make tasty americanos, with the GS/3 having the caveat that you have to make them very regularly, lest the water in the boiler become saturated with minerals, as happens every time you use the steam wand. All other machines using the steam boiler for hot water have the same caveat, but their water is also boiling hot.
- Jake

Lets not forget the Speedster and the rest of the Kvd Westen lineup.

+1

Doh!

Thanks guys. I knew there was another line that blended, but the Speedster escaped me.

Thanks for the reminder. Steve, is yours here yet?

Jake_G wrote: Nearly (but not quite) all other machines outside the SBDU (Single Boiler Dual Use) category pull from the steam boiler. General consensus is that boiler water doesnt taste great and is rarely the correct temperature for making making americanos, so a dedicated kettle is the preferred solution.

I've also heard this repeated many times. It makes sense to me that the water would not taste good if someone is making americanos very occasionally and water has been sitting for days or weeks in the steam boiler being reheated over and over again. But if a machine is being used to make Americanos regularly I don't see how taste would be an issue. We make 4-5 americanos a day with our Micra, and I go through a full water reservoir (1.6l) every day. The Micra steam boiler is only 1.7l, so it's basically being completely flushed and refilled every day. With the rpavlis water we're using in our machine I have no issues at all with water taste, so to me it seems that this concern is very dependent on boiler size and how the machine is used. Is there something I'm missing here?

Nope, you're right on.

So long as you use the water tap regularly, I don't see how it would be an issue. I use my hot water tap for rinsing the portafilter after every shot, so I'm very comfortable using the water for tea and americanos any time the need arises.

JohnPK wrote:I've had a LM Micra for about a month now, and the hot water tap draws from the steam boiler. We drink americanos primarily, and in my opinion the temp from the hot water tap is pretty much a non-issue. Yes, it's too hot to drink straight out of the tap, but within a minute or so it's fine. If it was a problem we could add a few ml from the filter faucet next to the machine to mix in some cold water but we never bother. Personally, I wouldn't base a machine purchasing decision on this factor.

Ok this is really good to hear. Curious if the hot water coming out of the LM micra tap is a certain temperature due to machine specific plumbing? Any idea what temp it comes out at? And I'd like to compare that to the temp of other taps.