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Permalink Reply by Barry Jarrett on September 29, 2009 at 12:40pm

Fraser Jamieson said:

I'm only familiar with a few different machines, but on none of the ones I've worked with does the water in the boiler have anything to do with the water going through the group heads or coming out of the infusion tap. Yes, I know some machines work that way, I'm just saying that I've never used one.

Using a heat exchanger for the hot water wand is a fairly recent application for many manufacturers. A decade ago, there were maybe less than a handful doing it that way, and the overwhelming majority of heat exchanger machines used fresh water for the water wand, and even Marzocco used a pipe from the steam boiler for the hot water wand.

Consider yourself lucky.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Twain Ice & Coal on September 29, 2009 at 5:28pm

I really appreciate all the responses this question has received and being the obvious amateur that I am I wonder why the water used to make espresso is ok and the water from the water dispenser wand might not be???? Thanks.

Barry Jarrett said:

Fraser Jamieson said:

I'm only familiar with a few different machines, but on none of the ones I've worked with does the water in the boiler have anything to do with the water going through the group heads or coming out of the infusion tap. Yes, I know some machines work that way, I'm just saying that I've never used one.

Using a heat exchanger for the hot water wand is a fairly recent application for many manufacturers. A decade ago, there were maybe less than a handful doing it that way, and the overwhelming majority of heat exchanger machines used fresh water for the water wand, and even Marzocco used a pipe from the steam boiler for the hot water wand.

Consider yourself lucky.

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Permalink Reply by The Coffee Institute on September 29, 2009 at 8:32pm

I know this is about tea...but I wanted to add something about Americanos...
The best way to make them is with a hot water tower set to a lower temp.
Espresso is cooler than the hot water used to brew it and cooler also than the temp most hot water towers are set to.
What usually happens is the espressos more delicate and complex nuances, when combined with this hot water, are all but burned away and you are left with only the more resilient flavors...bitter flavors.
I have made and tasted many bitter Americanos until I started using cooler hot water in an effort to preserve the shot.
By and Large I would recommend the "tea" tap on an espresso machine be used for minor rinsing of spoons and pre-heating of ceramics. Hot water towers can do the rest.
-Chris Deferio

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Permalink Reply by Barry Jarrett on September 29, 2009 at 11:09pm

Mark Twain Ice & Coal said:

I really appreciate all the responses this question has received and being the obvious amateur that I am I wonder why the water used to make espresso is ok and the water from the water dispenser wand might not be???? Thanks.

Typically, in heat exchanger machines, the brew water passes through a.... heat exchanger! This is a tube through the steam boiler, through which the brew water passes, absorbing heat, and then making its way to the brew group and the coffee. There are several different configurations of these heat exchangers, btw. Since the brew water is usually under pressure (more pressure than the steam boiler), the boiling point is higher than steam boiler temperatures so the brew water never boils (except, perhaps, when exiting the showerscreen.

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