Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Brady on December 15, 2012 at 11:25am

Autosteam wands are perfect for locations without training programs. They are standard equipment on superautos - just push 2 buttons and you have a latte. 

They have no place or use in a quality-focused espresso bar.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Scott on December 15, 2012 at 12:58pm

We had the prototypes back in '99. They've probably changed since, but IIRC this is how if worked -

There is the normal steam valve up front, and a second electro-mechanical valve just after the boiler outlet.  There is a sensor on the back of the knob that detects the knob position, and when it's opened, the  EM valve is opened as well.  Then once the preset temperature of the milk is reached, the EM valve is closed by the CPU.  There is an NTC (negatively charged thermocouple) probe that's in the milk with the wand that communicates the milk temp to the CPU. 

This is also how the Mastrena works.  And probably every other machine with this feature.  

It really has no bearing on the quality of the steamed milk.  Barista competence, size of steam tip orifice and pressure have more to do with that.   All it does is shut off the steam at a preset temp.   I can tell you  that they can be a service issue.  The major problem being that baristas get lazy and leave the milk in the wand for extended periods after the wand has shut off.  And this leads to a clogged wand.  I probably clean 10-15 steam wands a week because of it.  This is also somewhat dependent on the shape/size of the pitcher.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Alex Bitsios on December 15, 2012 at 8:14pm

That's really helpful, thanks Scott! Do you remember if you can bypass the autosteam and continue steaming or does it always shut off?

Regards,

Alex

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Scott on December 15, 2012 at 9:22pm

Sure thing Alex.  I think I was incorrect on one part of the operation, in that you probably have to push a button to activate the autosteam feature prior to steaming.  So, in that you can bypass the feature by not pressing the button.  

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mike Sabol on December 16, 2012 at 1:50pm

You can always take the plunger out of the steam valve. That'll bypass it for sure. But then you might as well not order the auto-steam feature. Personally I think it's a PITA as it just ends up being one more electronic Doo-dad that eventually malfunctions and causes people to wring their hands that the machine is "broken". Using milk thermometers and putting the few minutes into training is really pretty easy and saves trouble and expense in the long run.

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion