The Ascaso Steel Duo PID pleasantly surprised us in our first test. The machine from the Spanish company is a dual thermoblock. It embodies everything that makes a modern and good thermoblock espresso machine. It's not only as quick to heat as thermoblock machines are known for. It's also temperature stable and just how stable it is really surprised us in our test in early 2021. Thanks to the fast heat-up time, the machine is also very energy efficient and consumes up to three times less electricity than dual-boiler or heat exchanger espresso machines.
However, we had one point of criticism with the old model: the steaming performance of the machine left something to be desired. The Ascaso Steel Duo PID in the old version with the steam thermoblock didn't deliver enough power into the pitcher. That's exactly what the manufacturer from Barcelona has now worked on. For this reason, we've dedicated another video to the Ascaso Steel Duo PID New.
Buy Ascaso Steel Duo PID
The following specialty retailers stock the Ascaso Steel Duo PID and we can recommend purchasing a machine from these businesses. They all offer to adjust the machine's offset.
- Germany: [Partner links] Stoll Espresso, Bohnendealer, Craft Coffee Gear, Lücke Technik
- Switzerland: [Partner links] deon
- Austria: [Partner links] Bohnendealer, DieRöster
We search for specialist partners on your behalf, partners we know provide good work and good service. We maintain close contact with the retailers. These are affiliate links. If you order through this link, it doesn't cost you any more, but we receive a small commission that we reinvest in new test equipment. We continue to search for competent partners for you in the German-speaking region.
The Steaming Performance of the New Ascaso Steel Duo PID
The steaming performance of the Ascaso Steel Duo PID has been fundamentally overhauled. The manufacturer speaks of +25% power. And indeed, the machine has significantly more power when steaming. The steam pressure can now also be adjusted manually on the machine. The machine steams powerfully, heating a 0.6-liter pitcher to temperature in approximately 30 seconds. It can effectively circulate all the milk during the rolling phase.
A positive change is that the milk foam is no longer started directly via the toggle switch on the machine as it was in the old model. Instead, the switch only starts the steam thermoblock. The steaming is only initiated by turning the side wooden wheel. This eliminates another point we criticized. The steam starts by turning the wooden wheel directly and doesn't build up gradually. This was the case when the thermoblock was still started via the toggle switch.
With the new setup, we recommend first thoroughly purging the steam wand. Pressure and condensation water quickly accumulate in the wand and in the tubing, and these cause too much pressure to be blown into the milk pitcher when the steam is first started. If you're not careful, this creates many large bubbles that are difficult to rotate out.
The Ascaso Steel Duo PID still heats the milk gently. It takes approximately 30 - 35 seconds for the foam to reach temperature. During this time, even latte art beginners can go through the stretching and rolling phase without stress.
On the left the new, on the right the old Ascaso Steel Duo PID. The new version isn't the color. White is still available. New is the wooden steam wheel.
Room for Improvement of the Ascaso Steel Duo PID
With the Duo PID update, the manufacturer Ascaso has taken feedback from us and many home baristas seriously. This speaks not only well for Ascaso, but gives hope that the machine will continue to be developed further.
Even today, the Ascaso Steel Duo PID is, for me as a barista and author of this article, one of the five most interesting espresso machines for home use. If Ascaso addresses the following things, the espresso machine will rise even further in my personal ranking:
- The cup warmer still overheats and gets far too hot. I'd like to be able to simply turn it on and off.
- Due to the machine's angle, cups slide backward in the group and vibrate against each other in the group.
- The accessories are a remnant from the past. The included double basket holds just under 15 grams and the holes stop well before the rim. However, this can easily be improved with a basket upgrade.
- The included tamper works as a paperweight. Using it is guaranteed to cause frustration, as the sides look the same but are different sizes. The ergonomics aren't really user-friendly either.
- But the biggest issue is the volumetrics. The Ascaso Steel Duo PID can dispense a desired amount of brew water. First of all, this is a major advantage of the machine compared to almost all dual-boiler and other espresso machines that have to be started and stopped manually. That's why it's important to note that we're critiquing something that other machines don't even have as a feature. On the Ascaso Steel Duo PID, the expansion valve sits behind the flow meter. This means that when a certain pressure range is exceeded, water is partially diverted instead of being directed onto the coffee bed. So if your espresso changes with finer grinding and uneven preparation, it's possible that the water amount is also reduced. Your brew time will tend to remain the same. So it makes sense to look into the cup, or regularly use a scale to check whether the fill amount matches your desired brew ratio.
Notes on Espresso Extraction and Temperature
If the Ascaso Steel Duo PID is properly set up by your local specialty retailer, it reaches operating temperature in five minutes. That's a real strength of the machine. While with many espresso machines the day has to be planned around the espresso machine so it can heat up in 25 to 30 minutes, the Ascaso can also reach temperature fairly spontaneously.
This makes the Ascaso Steel Duo PID well suited to brewing very good espresso in a short time (see also recommendations for baskets and tamper).
However, all the espresso machines we tested were delivered with incorrect offset. The brew temperature deviated between 2 and 4 degrees from the displayed brew temperature. For this purpose, we measured 3 machines with calibrated thermometers.
The machine's offset must be set by your local specialty retailer. You should pay attention to this when purchasing the machine. It requires a professional Scace temperature measuring device. This measurement cannot be done with a simple thermometer at home.
In this short video, we explain how changes to the offset and steam settings can be made.
Temperature Rise When Idle
A newer finding for us is that the Ascaso Steel Duo PID overheats above the target temperature when standing idle for +15 minutes. However, it can be brought back to the target temperature by flushing.
We set the brew temperature so that it's still slightly below the target temperature at the first extraction and hits exactly the right range at the second extraction. At the third extraction, the portafilter is so thoroughly heated that the temperature is exactly 93 degrees.
These settings can be adjusted depending on your needs. As a guideline, you should consider what your preferred brew time is. We've chosen a good compromise with the temperature set here. While the first extraction is still slightly under the target, all subsequent extractions, even if the machine is on for longer, are exactly in the target range (don't forget to flush when standing idle for longer).
These two graphs show the overall very stable temperature consistency when using the KM protocol with a 1 minute interval between extractions. We measured a standard deviation of 0.75 here, which is a very good value.
Upgrades for the Ascaso Steel Duo PID
In Germany, Espressopool, as the importer of the Ascaso Steel Duo PID, offers an update service for the old Ascaso model. This will also be available from local specialty retailers.
We recommend getting different baskets and a matching tamper that fits the baskets for your machine. Your local specialty retailer can advise you. We upgrade our Ascaso with an 18 gram IMS Competition basket (DE, CH), for example.
The portafilter accepts 58 mm baskets. A tamper of the corresponding size ranges from 58 - 58.4 mm.
Also check out our own tamper, which we manufacture locally on the Lower Rhine. For the KM tamper in Germany/EU and in Switzerland go here.
Ascaso Steel Duo PID Plus in Test
Meanwhile, Ascaso has introduced the Steel Duo PID Plus. What changes compared to the basic version?
The "Plus" is an upgrade and brings some new features compared to the Ascaso Steel Duo PID basic version. The model costs about 300 dollars more and has essentially external changes.
Striking is the wooden steam lever as well as the modified drip tray. In addition, a number of better baskets are included as well as a different shower. A bottomless portafilter is also now included in the package. The only internal update is the removal of the cup warmer, which many home baristas had removed themselves with the basic version since it was completely unnecessary. The machine radiates so much heat upward that an additional cup warmer is not needed.
Included Items:
- Heavy 58mm metal tamper weighing 750 grams. Distance to basket of 1 mm (average).
- Laser-etched and well-made baskets: 7g, 14g, 18g & 21g. The baskets tend to hold slightly more.
- Blind basket and brush
- Single and three-hole shower heads
- Bottomless portafilter
- Even and well-made shower
- Modified drip tray that reduces cup movement less, but still creates noise during extraction.
The cup warmer was also removed. Many home baristas disconnected this themselves in previous models. The waste heat from the machine is sufficient to warm the cups.
Assessment of the Plus Version Upgrades
The upgrades to the Ascaso Steel Duo PID Plus are all sensible. The new equipment is high-quality and improves the machine. With the improvement to the drip tray, an improvement has been made that reduces cup movement. However, vibration is still visible and the grate wobbles in the now static drip tray. The question remains why Ascaso doesn't separate the drip grate from the machine's metal with rubber dampers to absorb the vibration.
Removing the cup warmer makes sense. However, the much bigger criticism of the resting surface is the angle. The cups gradually move backward during extraction and rattle against each other. Really frustrating because it's unnecessary. Here a design decision creates unnecessary noise.
The new steam lever is easy to grip and beautiful. Working with it definitely feels more appropriate than with the steam wheel. No improvement in machine performance is achieved through this.
The significantly better baskets are a welcome addition. They have cleanly laser-drilled holes and support more even extraction. For the tamper, a bit more flush with the rim would be desirable. The new tamper is definitely better than the tamper dumbbell included in the basic version.
Overall, the additional cost of 300 CHF/Euro for the Plus version is certainly a worthwhile investment. Apart from the portafilter lever, the main improvements can also be acquired individually for significantly less money.
Overall performance doesn't change either way. Both our renewed energy consumption measurement and temperature measurement confirm the Ascaso Steel Duo PID Plus as a very good espresso machine.
But the most urgent upgrade request remains unfulfilled: the position of the flow meter and the resulting inconsistent output volume.
