Here are some results I noted on my Profitec Pro 800 which I think are roughly equal to Bosco because the groups are nearly identical. Scace thermofilter temperature measurements Profitec Pro 800

What is not similar between the Bosco and 800 is the increased amount of surface area metal of the Bosco body, and the staging reservoir, however I believe that the external group head temperature plays the greatest role in determining the brew temperature, assuming a boiler pressure of about 1.1 to 1.2 bar or boiler temperature in the range of 248°F to 252°F (120-122C).

I would recommend that you save yourself all of the trouble and expense of a Scace and digital thermometer -- it has been done for you already, and I really don't think you will need anything other than your own taste to dial in your Bosco. I have not even added a temperature strip on mine and I do not have it hooked up to my thermometer. I have a Scace that is just sitting in my drawer which I will probably never use again.

JohnB. wrote:It does on my Bosco. Be sure to do a boiling water/corrected calibration of your tc/temp meter so you know it's accurate. I use metal heat tape to hold the t/c on my group.

I surely will. Thanks.

def wrote:I would recommend that you save yourself all of the trouble and expense of a Scace and digital thermometer -- it has been done for you already, and I really don't think you will need anything other than your own taste to dial in your Bosco. I have not even added a temperature strip on mine and I do not have it hooked up to my thermometer. I have a Scace that is just sitting in my drawer which I will probably never use again.

I did go without any group temp measurements for quite a while after doing my initial Scace testing but I've found the morning group temp readings very useful since adding the t/c. This time of year the morning temp in the coffeebar area varies by the day & the group temp along with it. So is life in a 270 year old house. Seeing what the actual group temp is allows me to make any needed temp corrections for the breakfast Americano coffee du jour. It's also useful for determining when you want to pull the shot after flushing as you can watch the group temp drop back down on your meter. Perhaps I'm just spoiled by being able to select exactly what temp I want with the Speedster but I enjoy getting the temp feedback from the t/c on the Bosco.

As far as your Pro 800 readings it looks like the Bosco produces a slightly cooler shot temp for the same group temp. Not surprising considering the reservoir. Also the Bosco shot temp doesn't drop as far during the shot as your old 800.

def wrote:I would recommend that you save yourself all of the trouble and expense of a Scace and digital thermometer -- it has been done for you already, and I really don't think you will need anything other than your own taste to dial in your Bosco. I have not even added a temperature strip on mine and I do not have it hooked up to my thermometer. I have a Scace that is just sitting in my drawer which I will probably never use again.

Thank you for sharing that. I am hoping to do as JohnB suggested and just use an external thermometer to give myself a starting reference. But I agree, because you folks spent so much time doing the homework, I think you've made it much easier for others going forward. It is very much appreciated.

After a quick message to Phaedrus regarding his machine not having a nickel/chrome plated boiler, I sent an email off to Bosco to confirm. Roberta Bosco replied that their website has not been updated, and that they are in fact no longer plating the boilers as a standard. Evidently, however, they will still plate them if requested. Do any of you fine folks have an opinion one way or the other on the matter? I'm sure Bosco would have continued plating them if there were an appreciable benefit to that, and just bumped up the cost.

I'm waiting for a response to my question about cost, and shipment delay regarding the addition of plating.

[edit: The cost to plate the boiler is minimal, and will not add any delay to my shipment (I'm two weeks in to my eight to ten week wait), so I decided to have it done. According to Roberta Bosco, the plating has no benefit other than cosmetic.]

I did not know they stopped plating the boiler. I am not really certain plating has benefits outside of cosmetic purposes for the boiler. If it was a material that could easily react or corrode than I can see better justification for plating the material. Bare copper is perfectly fine I think.

Strictly cosmetic but it does look nice when you open the back. Like everyone else Bosco is looking at ways to keep the price down with rising prices for parts/services. No idea what plating costs in Italy but it's damn expensive in the U.S.

It's wild here. I was quoted $600 to redo my backsplash + drip tray for my Mercurio from my main metal guy. Thus I am just going to keep it original and bring back as much luster as possible.

I would think if I did bulk chroming it would not be this pricey but plating seems to require a heavy wallet in the US.

IamOiman wrote:It's wild here. I was quoted $500 to redo my backsplash + drip tray for my Mercurio from my main metal guy. Thus I am just going to keep it original and bring back as much luster as possible.

I would think if I did bulk chroming it would not be this pricey but plating seems to require a heavy wallet in the US.

Pricey & hard to find good quality. I see what it costs for replating bumpers & other parts on my vintage Alfa Romeo forums. With all the regulations most of the old time platers are gone. I remember visiting one plater years ago in the Providence area that had a river flowing right under part of the shop. I wonder how many barrels were emptied into that stream over the years??

I posted pictures of my copper boiler in my other thread. I think it looks nice but it does not really matter because you cannot see it with the cover on.

I think the benefit of plating is to prevent oxidation.