The Ascaso Steel Duo Plus has quickly become a common sight on many kitchen counters and coffee bars in homes around the world.
WHY?
Well, where do I begin?!
It’s been three months since getting my hands on the Ascaso Steel Duo Plus and in this time I have quickly found myself becoming more and more impressed with this compact, stylish and well-built home espresso machine.
And when it comes in at a great price-point of $2,000 USD / $2,700 CAD, you could say that’s the “crema on top”. Honestly, there are few other machines in this price point that I would recommend more highly than the Ascaso Steel DUO PLUS.
For those unfamiliar with the Ascaso name they trace their coffee history back to the mid 1950’s in Spain where espresso was quickly gaining in popularity. Since their humble beginnings this Barcelona-based company has grown exponentially resulting in a strategic distribution partnership with Espresso Parts beginning in 2020.
The Ascaso Steel Duo Plus is the latest evolution of their wildly popular Ascaso Steel DUO machine. Following on the success of the Steel DUO, the “plus” edition packs even more punch with unparalleled advancements, modern innovations, along with aesthetically pleasing design choices that make this a machine great fit for anyone’s budget and brew-bar.
In a post I recently shared to my Instagram, I shared about six key points that have impressed me over the past few months of having this machine on my coffee bar.
1. SMALL FOOTPRINT: The team at Ascaso have packed quite a bit of tech into a relatively small space. If you’re like me and you’ve got a smaller space, this machine doesn’t leave you compromising.
2. FEATURE RICH: I was genuinely surprised to see how many features this machine has. I love the PID, Joystick steam valve, competition shower screen, walnut wood accents & more!
3. QUICK HEATUP: If you don’t have a lot of time in the morning before rushing off to work, this machine is ready to go in minutes to make your Americano or Latte. From powering on to pulling shots it’s less than 5mins!!!
4. AESTHETICALLY PLEASING: If you’re going to spend money on an espresso machine it might as well look good on your countertop. With multiple colour options and gorgeous wood accents this is gonna be a conversation starter.
5. IT MAKES GREAT ESPRESSO: Because at the end of the day, isn’t this why you’re buying it?! I have been very impressed with the coffee I’ve made with this machine. You will to.
For those of you reading this, and noticing the earlier generation of the DUO PLUS you might be wondering what some of the key differences are and which machine is right for you. While I can only speak to the incredibly positive experience I have had with my machine, here are some of the key differences (besides just price) between the original and second-generation models.
Personally, some of my favourite advancements included with the new model are the Joystick Steam Wand level which gives a much better grip and feel when steaming your milk for that cappuccino or latte. Providing a gorgeous wood accent to the machine as well, this was a great choice to include wiht the new edition. Speaking of steaming, Ascaso now provides 1-hole and 3-hole steam wand tips giving you maximum control over steaming your milk. The steam thermoblock packs a punch with great steam capacity to handle a small cappuccino all the way to a large latte. And tucked under the grouphead—where you might not notice—is a competition shower screen ensuring even water flow and distribution every single shot.
Each machine continues to feature their digital PID display giving users a wide variety of controls over numerous features of the machine. The adjustable OPV (over-pressure valve) gives those who really like to nerd-out the ability to adjust the brewing pressure to pull a 6-bar, or 9-bar shot, whatever you like. But I think the feature that I have really enjoyed is the volumetric programming setting. This allows users to dial in a shot with specific timing and parameters, pull that shot, and have the machine consistently replicate that exact shot time and time again. Set it and forget it! How nice does that sound.
So…this all sounds quite nerdy. But how does it perform in a real world scenario? This past holiday season, with family in town, I was making close to a dozen drinks each morning between all my family members…and the Ascaso Steel DUO PLUS handled this with no issues! I could crank out shot after shot, steam milk, make lattes, americanos, etc all without compromising quality.
Even recently I had a friend swing by my house for just a few minutes and asked if I could make them a drink. OF COURSE!
They could only stay for about 10 minutes and so I turned on my machine, and with its thermoblock technology the machine was up to temp in under 3 minutes, where I was then able to pull a shot, steam the milk and send them on their way. Unlike other boiler-based machines which can take considerably longer to heat up, this machine is ready in minutes, and that is something that I absolutely love. So did my friend.
So is the Ascaso Steel DUO PLUS the machine for you?! Well, I have say that I really have been impressed with the quality of this machine, and the quality of espresso it makes. And I feel like at the end of the day, that’s what really matters. You get A LOT for A LITTLE when it comes to value for dollar with this machine. Built well, looks great, and pulls incredible espresso. That seems like a win-win for me.
Ready to get your hands on an Ascaso Espresso machine? Check out the Espresso Parts website and be sure to use my discount code “COMMONLY” at checkout to save 10% off a machine, and a lot more great coffee gear on their website.
Happy Brewing!
-Tyler
commonly coffee 