Ascaso Steel DUO Espresso Machine

What is it?

This modern dual stainless steel lined thermoblock heats the unit up in 3 minutes, with the group head and portafilter temperature stabilized in 10 minutes.  Working on the Gaggia assembly line, Jesús Ascaso started his own business producing parts for espresso machines in Barcelona, Spain, in 1962. JL Ascaso, Jesús’ son, transformed the company into what it is today—a modern, technologically rich espresso machine company. The Steel DUO is compact and powerful, offering a PID that doubles as a shot timer and can change the temperature within 1-degree increments. The build quality and design are fantastic— a wood-handled portafilter and a newly added wood steam knob come stock. The only plastic pieces on the machine are the 2L  water tank and the convenient pull-out drip tray. The Steel DUO is stylish and packed with modern conveniences. 

Who is it for? 

The home barista who is looking to upgrade from a single-boiler machine and is ready to have on-demand steam pressure, and the home barista wanting to skip the upgrade process and get into an incredible machine right away. The Steel DUO is perfect for folks on the move; the Steel DUO dual thermoblock heats up in 3 minutes, with the grouphead and portafilter temperature stabilized in 10 minutes. It’s as easy as pie to steam and pull shots simultaneously, and the machine is stable enough to make back-to-back milk drinks easily. 

Why do we carry it?

The Ascaso Steel DUO competes directly with the Rancilio Pro X, Profitec Pro 300, and the Lelit Elizabeth for its price and features. The Ascaso Steel DUO is intuitive to use, offering toggle switches that can be programmed volumetrically for convenience. You can program the toggle switch to run a quick purge or be your automatic backflush option, or you can even program the toggle switch to stop your shot automatically at your desired liquid espresso yield. There’s a third toggle switch for a dedicated aerated water spout. The last is to turn on the steam circuit. You can program automatic pre-infusion from 0 to 5 seconds in the PID. The steam performance update with the V2 Steel DUO is a welcome upgrade. The increased current gives you more steam power, allowing for 30% faster steam time than the V1 Steel Duo. You can also set the temperature of the steam circuit independently or the brew circuit. Overall, the Ascaso Steel DUO backs up its good looks with even better performance.