Espresso Specialists, Inc. (ESI) of Seattle, WA is unveiling a new Autosteam™ feature on the Franke Ecolino espresso machine. This new feature automatically shuts off the flow of steam when the preset milk temperature is reached.

According to ESI vice president, Joe Monaghan, the new Autosteam™ feature represents years of hard work. "We spent a lot of time on this new steam wand," he says. "It's a whole new concept for the automatic espresso machine. We did some initial research on fully automatic espresso machine users and found that they wanted more choices in preparing steamed milk for their customer's beverages. So, instead of having the machine prepare the whole beverage, dispensing only one type of milk into the cup, the operator now has the freedom to customize the beverage by steaming milk to the customer's taste."

The new feature uses a stainless steel temperature sensor that is installed at, and slightly protrudes from, the tip of the steam wand. The programmable temperature setting allows the operator to steam milk between 145° and 160°F. This new feature, in addition with the fully automated brewing process and compact size (only 13" wide), makes the Ecolino perfect for anywhere espresso is brewed.

The Ecolino can deliver 60 or more shots of espresso in an hour, and steam Vz liter of milk (enough for two 12 oz. lattes) to 160° in 30 seconds. The compact size of the Ecolino is great not only for restaurants and offices, but also in espresso bars and especially in drive thru espresso stands, where space is at a premium.

Espresso Specialists Inc. offers a complete line of commercial espresso equipment. To find out more, contact Joe Monaghan at 800-367-0235, or esi@esi- online.com. You can visit ESI's web site at www.espressospecialists.com