[decent_espresso]

Lost-Wax Stainless Casting: good, but not good enough

We just received the polished, "as good as it gets" attempt from the lost-wax folks trying to make a stainless version of our drip tray. They don't think they can do better.

It's almost-but-not-quite good enough. The occasionally distortions are very noticeable due to our repeated parallels lines design.

The cross-bars certainly helped, but not enough.

So, for now, we're proceeding with the welded-wire design you can see in my recent other posting.

-john

 

[avetiso]

Do you have any updated information on when the new tablets will start shipping? I'm waiting until then to place my order.

 

[decent_espresso]

Do you have any updated information on when the new tablets will started shipping? I'm waiting until then to place my order.

Yep, I got news.

800 black tablets are ready for us to inspect (finished a few days ago), and we're going to the factory on Saturday to quality control them. Another 200 tablets are to be made in white, for the white DE1XL model, but they're not yet ready.

Photo of the engineers at the factory below, last week doing quality checks on our tablet PC boards and screens.

Just FYI, our tablets are made for us by PIPO, who are the folks who make the ARGOS and ARCHOS tablets. http://pipo.cn/En/index.php?m=Index&a=index

I'm hoping that we'll start shipping machines with them, starting at the end of next week.

-john

 

[Cyberclau]

Sorry, no. Just the DE1XL will be in white.

I thought that was the case, but... I just checked with my staff and "boss was out of the loop" ...

It turns out that as of March 2019 (around serial number 420), we transitioned to 1500W heaters. So, the past 550 machines (we just built machine 975) all have 18% more powerful heaters in them, and are just awaiting the new firmware for v1.3 (free to all) that will use the extra heating capacity.

It won't be until about March 2020 that we transition to the new Kawai heaters, which will also be 1500W. The only difference will be for us, namely that they come pre-built, rather than our needing to spend 90 minutes to build a box for each. To users, there's no difference.

-john

Hi,

1) What will be the other differences, if any, between ordering a DE1+ v1.1 in two weeks (i.e .with the new tablet) and the 1500W heater (not the pre-built version) versus ordering a v1.3 (in January?)? Other differences than the pre-built heater and the new firmware (that will be available free to all as you said).

2) Any remaining issue with the IMS screen, provided with the DE1PRO, causing cratters? What is the current and future solution? Estimated time for a permanent fix / form of the fix?

3) Is it planned in v1.3 firmware to add the option to interact/control/react in real time when pulling an espresso shot?

Thanks,

Claude

 

[avetiso]

Just placed my order for a DE1+ with the new tablet.

Just wanted to say I'm really excited for it to show up, thanks for responding in this thread to answer our questions!

 

[decent_espresso]

1) What will be the other differences, if any, between ordering a DE1+ v1.1 in two weeks (i.e .with the new tablet) and the 1500W heater (not the pre-built version) versus ordering a v1.3 (in January?)? Other differences than the pre-built heater and the new firmware (that will be available free to all as you said).

The firmware update is compatible with all machines, going back to when we launched.

I was "out of the loop" and it turns out that since March 2019 (around machine serial #420) the factory switched to 1500W heaters, and most of the v1.3 machines will have these 1500W heaters with the slow-to-assemble fiberglass/aerogel box, and around June we'll switch to the new box around the heaters.

However, the firmware controlling the heaters is still assuming 1350W, as the new firmware to take advantage of the extra wattage is not yet out. That'll come out in January, to all machines, and will give the 1500W heater folks a bit of a boost.

The bigger difference between v1.1 and v1.3 is the new group head controller. New tablets will start to ship with v1.1 machines in about 10 days. We're QCing the new batch this saturday.

2) Any remaining issue with the IMS screen, provided with the DE1PRO, causing cratters? What is the current and future solution? Estimated time for a permanent fix / form of the fix?

I don't agree that there are "problems" with the IMS screen.

I do agree that there's always room for improvement and it looks like a spacer, which two 3rd parties sell (at differing prices) improves repeatability and reduces channeling for many people. But, lots of people are very happy without the spacer. You're welcome to buy a spacer, or wait it out and see what the results of all this research is. People are still trying out different designs, and you can buy them for under £100 at any point, if you want to play with the latest stuff.

But, if you're nervous about the IMS screen and want to buy a DE1PRO, I'm happy to include the standard screen as well as the IMS, for free, and you can try both.

3) Is it planned in v1.3 firmware to add the option to interact/control/react in real time when pulling an espresso shot?

Yes, but only with the group head controller. Older machines won't have that feature, as bluetooth does not have enough bandwidth for us to do that in a quality way.

-john

 

[decent_espresso]

​

​

Decent Coffee Cart Progress​

I've previously written about my experiments converting a $99 IKEA BROR tablet into a coffee cart. We've now moving to the next stage in our experiments.​

We're having a new tabletop made for us, with computer-controlled-CNC, so that all our coffee components fit into the table, with no sawing needed.​

My idea is that we'll sell this at our-cost-plus-shipping, and you'll put it into a IKEA BROR table that you buy locally.​

By using CNC, we'll be able to offer a few different configurations. Possibilities such as a left-hand-oriented, or right-hand-oriented layout. Or a larger BIGGER BROR version with two countersunk Decent Espresso Machines. Or with a combination countersunk steam unit/pitcher rinser instead of our simpler pitcher rinser.​

With the tabletop we chose, we greatly thickened the top, from IKEA's 8mm to 15mm for ours. We also went with pre-varnished wood, so it's ready for you to use and fairly water resistant.​

The CNC cuts are much more precise than I was able to do with a jigsaw.​

One effect of that precision is that we were able to put a wider "margin" on the right hand side, where I was intending on putting customer drinks.​

Next steps are: power stripe, cable management, receiving a Niche grinder for this project, and wiring it all up.​

-john​

 

[Slowpress]

@decent_espresso What a terrific idea!?

 

[gelious]

Hi John,

Just a crazy idea of cross-breading espresso and nitro coffee. How about trying to use nitrogen instead of atmospheric air inside the pump while pulling espresso shot? Do you think the resulting drink would have textural benefits of cold nitro drink (richer crema, cascading) and impact on flavor & taste (due to lesser oxidation)? I acknowledge that nitrogen bubbles would be escaping at much higher pace from a 98 degrees liquid - so visual effect may not be as stunning as for cold nitro but still...

Is it technically doable to connect nitro tank to a pump?

Cheers,

Oleg

 

[ashcroc]

Hi John,
Just a crazy idea of cross-breading espresso and nitro coffee. How about trying to use nitrogen instead of atmospheric air inside the pump while pulling espresso shot? Do you think the resulting drink would have textural benefits of cold nitro drink (richer crema, cascading) and impact on flavor & taste (due to lesser oxidation)? I acknowledge that nitrogen bubbles would be escaping at much higher pace from a 98 degrees liquid - so visual effect may not be as stunning as for cold nitro but still...
Is it technically doable to connect nitro tank to a pump?
Cheers,
Oleg

Doesn't the pump have water in it while pulling a shot?

 

[gelious]

Hi John,
Just a crazy idea of cross-breading espresso and nitro coffee. How about trying to use nitrogen instead of atmospheric air inside the pump while pulling espresso shot? Do you think the resulting drink would have textural benefits of cold nitro drink (richer crema, cascading) and impact on flavor & taste (due to lesser oxidation)? I acknowledge that nitrogen bubbles would be escaping at much higher pace from a 98 degrees liquid - so visual effect may not be as stunning as for cold nitro but still...
Is it technically doable to connect nitro tank to a pump?
Cheers,
Oleg

Doesn't the pump have water in it while pulling a shot?

Right you're. Then how about pre-infusing water with nitrogen?

 

[decent_espresso]

Think small​

Decent Espresso is currently at the big annual Korea Coffee Show, with 5 staffers and we're maxed all day. Shin made two Ikea BROR coffee carts, with a 1 countersink machine on a small cart, and a larger cart with two machines (2nd photo). Martin from Niche is presenting tomorrow at 3pm, at our stand.​

Shin didn't tell me what he was designing for the stand, he just got on with it. This is my first look at the backdrop.​

I don't know if Shin intentionally is making a reference to the super-famous Volksvagen mini ad that changed the advertising world, 50 years ago.​

-john​

 

[decent_espresso]

App update: favorite profiles, user-created lever profiles​

• 
  your "top 3" most used espresso profiles are now automatically labelled with a heart symbol.
  
• 
  The reason I added this, is that I find it very hard to find my favorite profiles among the long list. I hope the heart symbol helps.
  
• 
  My goal with the way I've implemented this, is for it to not cause you to have to think, nor be distracting or in your way. Subtle, but helpful. Hopefully.
  
• 
  if you have never used 3 different profiles, then (in this order) these 3 profiles are marked with a heart, to recommend them (especially for new users): "default", "gentle and sweet", "blooming espresso". The goal is to guide new users to the most popular profiles. But once you've used 3 profiles of your choice, the heart icon follows your choice.
  
• 
  the "top 3 profiles" is only calculated when the app starts, and is not dynamically based on your espressos in the current session. I may change that in the future and make it dynamic.
  

Also:​

• 
  I've added the "advanced lever profile" created by John Weiss and Damian Brakel's extremely popular Londinium R profile.
  
• 
  I've added Spence's popular "Dark Theme" to the built-in themes in the app, so you no longer need to manually download it. You can see it often in instagram photos of people's Decent espresso machines.
  

 

[-Mac]

I don't know how it works, but do the 'hearted' ones also stay at the top of the list?

 

[decent_espresso]

I don't know how it works, but do the 'hearted' ones also stay at the top of the list?

I decided not to do that, because profiles are currently sorted by name.

Your suggestion (and I gave this idea some thought as well) would mean that the profiles you used, as they became "top 3", would move about in the list.

I thought that'd make them harder to find instead of easier.

-john

 

[-Mac]

It wouldn't make it harder. It's pretty much how every PC/phone app in the world works (and for good reason). Favourites stay at the top and everything else is either in ascending or descending order underneath them (or as sorted in the user-specified order).

 

[decent_espresso]

DE1XL: countertop or countersunk

People often ask me if we have a version of this espresso machine that can sit on a countertop, as they don't want to cut a hole in their table. Yes, we do, it's the same model.

So... we made this very short video to show the two ways the DE1XL can be placed at your place. ?

-john

 

[decent_espresso]

I received photos this morning, of a big banquet for Heritage Radio that Ace Coffee Co ran in New York. Very nice to see a big production setting with our little espresso machines. Nice one, Charles!​

https://heritageradionetwork.org/ https://www.acecoffee.co/​

-john​

​

If you don't know HRN, their radio program on foods are really something:​

"HRN is the world's pioneer food radio station. The studio broadcasts live from two recycled shipping containers inside Roberta's Pizza, an innovative restaurant at the epicenter of Brooklyn's culinary renaissance"

​

 

[Cyberclau]

The firmware update is compatible with all machines, going back to when we launched.

I was "out of the loop" and it turns out that since March 2019 (around machine serial #420) the factory switched to 1500W heaters, and most of the v1.3 machines will have these 1500W heaters with the slow-to-assemble fiberglass/aerogel box, and around June we'll switch to the new box around the heaters.

However, the firmware controlling the heaters is still assuming 1350W, as the new firmware to take advantage of the extra wattage is not yet out. That'll come out in January, to all machines, and will give the 1500W heater folks a bit of a boost.

The bigger difference between v1.1 and v1.3 is the new group head controller. New tablets will start to ship with v1.1 machines in about 10 days. We're QCing the new batch this saturday.

I don't agree that there are "problems" with the IMS screen.

I do agree that there's always room for improvement and it looks like a spacer, which two 3rd parties sell (at differing prices) improves repeatability and reduces channeling for many people. But, lots of people are very happy without the spacer. You're welcome to buy a spacer, or wait it out and see what the results of all this research is. People are still trying out different designs, and you can buy them for under £100 at any point, if you want to play with the latest stuff.

But, if you're nervous about the IMS screen and want to buy a DE1PRO, I'm happy to include the standard screen as well as the IMS, for free, and you can try both.

Yes, but only with the group head controller. Older machines won't have that feature, as bluetooth does not have enough bandwidth for us to do that in a quality way.

-john

Hi,

Thanks for your answers! Here are a couple more :

1) Do you have a date for the v1.3 machine with the new controller head?

a) Do you have an idea of the increase in price, if any?

2) Is the refill kit compatible with the DE1+?

3) How long will it takes (approx) to pack a DE1+/DE1PRO from a plumb-in setup to the transport case?

a) Nothing else to do to have it work with the internal tank when on the move? (except to swap the drain tray for the original one without the hole)

4) For my understanding, is the bandwidth limitation of Bluetooth the real reason why not implement a direct control of the current shot with the tablet? I think it is around 3Mbps and it serves you well for exchanging data for graphing the shot in near real time. Is it not more the lagging/slow responsiveness of the protocol the real reason? I imagine going WiFi or USB will demand a more in-depth redesign.

In all case, thanks very much for your answers. It is something to have a direct channel with the founder/CEO of such an innovative coffee equipment company . This is refreshing!

Currently, I'm owing a Rocket Evo V2 HX machine with a group head thermometer. During the last two years, I have managed to get OK results, but not more than acceptable. Too many parameters to reproduce exactly the same shot (cooling flush length and start temp, rebound, GH temperature, water temperature in tank, room temperature, etc.). It is not usable by my SO (too complicated she says ). I was looking for a DB PID machine, but your machines seem more interesting. I think that once a good routine will be found and added in the machine, it'll will be easier for my SO to use it. What do you think/suggest about that (other than getting the self levering v2 tamper )? The only disadvantages right now are the slow steaming (SO = 13 ounces Latté ), the step price for Canadian market, the fact that it is hard/impossible to find a place to try these machines before buying and the lack of long term reliability data. At first, I also thought that the lack of steaming+brewing at the same time will also be problematic, but I find myself rarely doing it if I want to concentrate on the extraction (me = good at doing only one thing that need concentration at the same time ).

Anyway, congrats on your product, company innovation and your proximity with your clients/future clients.

Claude

 

[decent_espresso]

Hi,

Thanks for your answers! Here are a couple more ? :

1) Do you have a date for the v1.3 machine with the new controller head?

a) Do you have an idea of the increase in price, if any?

We're aiming for January 1st, but it'll ship when it works to my satisfaction. We're currently fiddling with different coatings for the glass, and the firmware user interface on the controller.

Price increase is about GBP300.

2) Is the refill kit compatible with the DE1+?

Yes, the refill kit works on all models

3) How long will it takes (approx) to pack a DE1+/DE1PRO from a plumb-in setup to the transport case?

Takes me about 10 minutes to set up or tear down.

a) Nothing else to do to have it work with the internal tank when on the move? (except to swap the drain tray for the original one without the hole)

Correct. If you don't plumb it, figure about 3 minutes to set up. 5 to tear down, as you want to wipe things down as you go.

Plumbed, there's some water to pour out, some tubes to avoid getting dirty, etc.

4) For my understanding, is the bandwidth limitation of Bluetooth the real reason why not implement a direct control of the current shot with the tablet? I think it is around 3Mbps and it serves you well for exchanging data for graphing the shot in near real time. Is it not more the lagging/slow responsiveness of the protocol the real reason? I imagine going WiFi or USB will demand a more in-depth redesign.

You might be thinking about Bluetooth 3.

BLE (bluetooth low energy) is Bluetooth 4, mandated on iOS, and is extremely low bandwidth.

You can send or receive 8 bytes (!!!!) 10x per second, under BLE.

Wifi and USB were not originally done because of safety compliance rules limiting what we can do. There's a reason BLE is used everywhere on kitchen stuff, and it's because it's much easier to get certified.

I think that once a good routine will be found and added in the machine, it'll will be easier for my SO to use it. What do you think/suggest about that (other than getting the self levering v2 tamper )?

Our v2 tamper, sure, but there are several excellent self-leveling tampers out there now.

Grounds distribution is super important too, as much so as tamping. I'm a big fan of the bplus tool.

The only disadvantages right now are the slow steaming (SO = 13 ounces Latté ), the step price for Canadian market, the fact that it is hard/impossible to find a place to try these machines before buying and the lack of long term reliability data. At first, I also thought that the lack of steaming+brewing at the same time will also be problematic, but I find myself rarely doing it if I want to concentrate on the extraction (me = good at doing only one thing that need concentration at the same time ).

As to long term reliability, we're now going on our 3rd year of manufacturing. You're welcome to ask other owners what their experience has been.

At the Korean Show last week, at our booth we had 3 owners, from different cafes. One makes 200 lattes a day on 1 DE1PRO, and told everyone he never has any problems.

Some people have had problems, but as a very Internet-focussed and globally oriented company, I really make sure we take care of our owners. Again, ask around, there are plenty of owners who will tell you their experience.

As to finding a place try it out, there are 975 owners out there, and if one is near you, I'm happy to hook you up. But Canada is a big place, so I'm hoping you live near a major city.

-john