We are never going to build a dual-boiler machine or include traditional boiler-based steam. Traditional boilers actually produce wet steam that quickly peters out. Because we operate our thermoblock system at 170°C and 5 bars of pressure, our dry steam far surpasses what is achievable with a standard boiler, which safety regulations legally restrict to a maximum of 2.8 bars. Providing the electrical wattage needed to run premium steam and espresso simultaneously would violate certification standards like Underwriters Laboratories (UL), which forbid putting two separate high-amperage power plugs on a single consumer device.
To make steam and brew happen simultaneously under single-plug power limitations, we would be forced to weaken the steam power while the espresso shot is running, only letting it ramp up after the extraction finishes. We refuse to compromise on a bad user experience like that. If a cafe environment requires simultaneous milk texturing and espresso extraction to save time, the practical and highly cost-effective solution on our platform is simply to purchase a second group head machine rather than making one oversized, compromised dual-boiler system.
There is a common industry myth that espresso instantly "dies" or turns bitter if it is left sitting for a few seconds. In reality, human taste receptors are suppressed by high temperatures, meaning you cannot fully perceive flavors until a liquid cools closer to 30°C. When an espresso seems to go bitter as it sits, it is simply because it was bitter to begin with, and your taste buds can finally perceive it as it cools down from its initial 60°C extraction. Prominent World Barista Champions have established that letting a shot cool, or even slightly diluting it, is essential to unlocking complex fruit and floral notes.
We design our products around a hierarchy of concerns that places drink quality first, reliability second, and speed dead last. Years ago, we met with one of the world's largest commercial espresso machine companies, and they openly stated their priorities were exactly inverted: speed first, reliability second, and drink quality last. We choose to be uncompromisingly sensor-based and high-tech. Adding an old-school boiler just to shave off a few seconds would expand the physical footprint of our machine and waste energy without providing any actual improvement to the best-in-class espresso we already deliver.