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  • Cool Touch steam wand

    I have noticed during the whirlpool phase that I get little bubbles forming around the steam wand which seems to make my foam coarser than it already is.
    I have seen the cool touch wand for the brewtus for sale and was wondering if this is the way to go.
    Besides the other benefits of less burnt fingers and easier cleaning is it likely to make a difference to my milk frothing?
    Also, which steam tip comes with the cool touch wand on the brewtus 2?

    Regards
    Gavin

  • #2
    Re: Cool Touch steam wand

    Gavin,

    As far as I have seen so far, the Brewtus/Minore II is shipping with conventional 10mm wands which take a standard 10mm tip.

    There are cool touch (teflon lined) wands around- they look identical to ECM Giotto wands to me and these wands have a male tip. Giotto tips have 2 x 1.4mm holes....

    I dont see that a change in wand will make a whole heap of difference to your milk texture as both standard tips are fine for microfoam. Coffeeparts sell a replacement female 2 hole tip if you want to slow things down.

    If you are tilting your jug, I suggest that you try to level it off and instead get your milk swirling by angling the wand and leaning the back of the jug on the back of the wand to steady you...

    Interesting that the Minore was supposed to ship with cool touch wands....but I thought ECM had patented cool touch....may well be something there....

    2mcm

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    • #3
      Re: Cool Touch steam wand

      I had my Barista Minore I upgraded/repaired a few months back. In the deal I got a no burn steam wand. It doesnt take 10 mm steam tips though so I found out. Not sure what the tip size is but apparently its not meant to come off or itll lose its no burn ability. I was told this by Dean of Expobar in Melbourne who is very helpful.

      In the end I went back to the original steam wand with the 10 mm 2 hole steam tip from Coffeeparts. Still cant get the steaming right though ......

      Belinda

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      • #4
        Re: Cool Touch steam wand

        Would it be easier(better microfoam and speed) to steam with 1 hold or multiple holes?

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Cool Touch steam wand

          CoffeeKid

          I am currently using the 2 hole steam tip that came with my minore with a toothpick in one hole. I find that this gives me a better whirlpool and gives me more time, which I need at this stage. t For me the difference between unblocked and blocked is like night and day. I went through about 12 litres of milk and was not making any progress when I read about blocking the hole. My first attempt was so much better I almost laughed out loud. After about a week I am almost getting the microfoam working and in the past 2 days I have actually managed some art on my coffees. Not rosettas but at least it looks pretty(in an abstract kind of way )

          Regards
          Gavin

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          • #6
            Re: Cool Touch steam wand

            So if i need to replace a slighty dinged and ever-so-slightly bent steam wand on my expobar, I should probably avoid the no-burn???

            Does anyone have a pic of the tip on the no-burn wand? How does it perform?

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            • #7
              Re: Cool Touch steam wand

              The no burn wand ( in my humble opinion only ) is great for doing multiple cups of milk at once, ie more than 2. It is very quick and easy to burn the milk.

              If like me you only do 1 small cup of milk at once its best to go for the normal steam arm with a small holed 2 steam tip.

              But thats just my ramblings.

              http://www.wholelattelove.com/Expobar/brewtus.cfm and click on the Brewtus for a look at the no burn wand. Notice it is quite thick.

              Belinda :-)

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              • #8
                Re: Cool Touch steam wand

                So mutiple tips steam the milk faster?

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                • #9
                  Re: Cool Touch steam wand

                  Originally posted by Coffee Kid link=1157414445/0#7 date=1157615114
                  So mutiple tips steam the milk faster?
                  Yes.... but :-/

                  They require a greater volume of steam (commercial HX machines normally have four holes - and they are quite large holes)....

                  If your boiler cant maintain the pressure (1-1.5 Bar normally) then the milk texturing with more holes will be worse and the milk wont heat much faster either.

                  As a reference the standard La Cimbali 4 hole tip takes about 30 seconds for a 600ml jug whereas the two hole "coffee parts" takes well over a minute.

                  Less holes is better for small volumes on a HX if you are finding the milk is getting too hot before you can texture it properly...

                  I doubt any machine other than a HX could provide enough steam for a 4 hole!

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                  • #10
                    Re: Cool Touch steam wand

                    What about a dual boiler like the Minore?
                    I thought it matains the pressure from 1-1.5bars.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Cool Touch steam wand

                      Originally posted by Coffee Kid link=1157414445/0#9 date=1157621897
                      What about a dual boiler like the Minore?
                      I thought it matains the pressure from 1-1.5bars.

                      Not sure - depends on the size of the boiler and the capacity of the heater element to maintain pressure - that defines how much steam it can CONTINUE to produce... :-/

                      My La Cimbali has a 17 litre boiler and as soon as the pressure starts to fall it cuts in 4 KW of heating (and will run two 4 hole wands at the same time for as long as you like!!!!) Only problem- paying for the electricity?

                      The heater is probably 2-3 time larger than even the prosumer machines and the boiler is at least 5 times larger (thats a lot of water already heated to 120 deg C just waiting to turn into steam!!!!)

                      Someone with a Minore might be able to give you a more accurate answer.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Cool Touch steam wand

                        Originally posted by Coffee Kid link=1157414445/0#9 date=1157621897
                        What about a dual boiler like the Minore?
                        I thought it matains the pressure from 1-1.5bars.

                        Yes, the Minore could definitely handle a 4 hole steam tip. Ive never used one on mine but it keeps on pumping out the steam like a steam engine ;D

                        check out http://www.home-barista.com/brewtus-buyers-guide.html

                        Belinda

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                        • #13
                          Re: Cool Touch steam wand

                          Wow.. 17L and 4KW? Thats huge... isnt that more then enough?

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                          • #14
                            Re: Cool Touch steam wand

                            Originally posted by Coffee Kid link=1157414445/0#12 date=1157623295
                            Wow.. 17L and 4KW? Thats huge... isnt that more then enough?
                            Eh..... Yep ;D

                            But it is a lovely toy!! ;D

                            I chose it because:
                            It makes great coffee
                            Its a La Cimbali
                            It looks impressive
                            Used 2 group commercials go for a good price (most prefer 1 group for home use!)

                            And since its designed to make coffees non stop 24/7 steaming (even with two four hole nozzles on the wands) is no drama!!

                            Re the Minore I followed the link - thanks Belinda - and they mention that it has some recovery problems even with a two hole.... and because the brew water is drawn through the steam boiler - if the steam boiler temp drops it will affect the brew temp....

                            Id say you might get away with a four hole for one jug but you would then have to wait for it to recover before brewing (or producing more steam).....

                            The steam boiler is 1.7 L (bit smaller than my 17L ) and they comment that they would have liked a bigger element (which improves recovery time).... I can draw off 1 L of boiling water and the boiler is back up to temp/pressure in about 15 secs (basically time to reheat 1 L of cold water to 120 Deg C)....

                            Last weekend we had a party here... I was turning out 4 coffees (mostly latte and caps ) about every minute!

                            Ah I love the power of the La Cimbali (pity about the cost of running it )

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Cool Touch steam wand

                              Which model did you get?

                              So much power consumption But would be nice to play with one  :P

                              Your using it for home?!?!? Probably to big for average people to have a machine that big on a kitchen bench

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