With 2-hole tips, something to take into account is the axis of the tip holes. They are not always fore and aft. Try to position the pitcher so the pitcher diameter is perpendicular and parallel to the hole axis, then move the pitcher parallel to that axis to obtain the optimum action.

Last weekend I followed a latte art workshop at the SCAE Wonderful Coffee event. For the first time I had the opportunity to steam on a commercial, multi-group machine. What a treat! Not getting creamy foam was nearly impossible. The only difficulty was not getting the foam too dense to pour with. I found the steaming capability simply incomparable to that of my Andreja, even at higher p-stat settings. This doesn't mean that microfoam is an illusion on the Andreja but it clearly requires a different approach.

One of the other things I picked up is to start using the good ole thermometer again. The master latte artist still used it even with all of his experience. I thought my hands were quite accurate but, as it turned out, they needed some re-calibration. Using the thermometer gave me two extra seconds during stretching (a 40% time increase) and an additional two seconds during the swirl.

For those who were just as lost as I was with the Andreja here's my steaming recipe:

- Use a p-stat setting of at least 1.15 bar. I actually have it set at 1.25 bar
- Purge the wand for at least 10 seconds. This not only clears it of water but also heats up the wand to prevent too much condensation on the inside
- Start steaming when the pressure is still increasing, just before the boiler light turns of. This way the boiler will be on during the whole process, providing more power during the swirling phase.
- Use a thermometer
- Try to start up the swirl while stretching.
- Fill the pitcher with milk and put it in the freezer before you start preparing the espresso. Those few minutes in the freezer will provide for a bit more time when frothing

Below are some pictures of how I position of the wand, the holes and the pitcher. I hope this helps!

Elbasso wrote:- Purge the wand for at least 10 seconds. This not only clears it of water but also heats up the wand to prevent too much condensation on the inside

I take it your machine doesn't have a no-burn arm with the teflon tube in it?

FWIW - I just changed my steam tip to the 4-hole .9mm replacement tip that Chris' Coffee offers
for the La Spaziale Vivaldi. It seems much easier to control with 5 oz of milk, though I've not had
time to work with it very much.

Bob

Actually, I do have the no-burn wand. Still, there's a lot of water coming out the first seconds. I know from experience that if I only purge the wand for a few seconds, there will be a substantial amount of water in the wand pretty soon after. If I purge longer, it takes longer to get "watery". The only explanation I could think of was condensation. Someone also told me that the first build GS/3's suffered from condensation in the no-burn wand. No matter what it is, a longer purge gives me much better results. It also gives me some extra time to go to the freezer and get the pitcher before the boiler turns on again

It's funny, I just switched Anita back to the 2 hole stock tip from my Elektra 4 hole tip. It gave me so much more time I actually came up with my first recognizable art today. My wife has been buying whole milk lately so that I can practice my milk steaming skills. Hmmm, she seems to like the lattes that come out of this.

mark

Hi Guys -

Original poster back here. After a few more gallons of milk and watching RegulatorJohnson's Vetrano videos, my microfoam improved a little, but still far from where I would like. I was still longing for the microfoam from my Solis SL-70. So I did something about it. I ordered a replacement 2-hole no-burn tip from Chris, as a backup, and then proceeded to modify the tip that came with the machine. I closed of the two existing holes and drilled one center hole. The new hole has a surface area that is 0.75 times that of the two stock holes combined. This was my best attempt at slowing down the steaming process just a little. On my very first attempt with 8 oz. of milk in a 20 oz. pitcher I had great pourable microfoam again. 5 oz. of milk in a 12 oz. pitcher works well too, but it's a little violent, so I'll have to experiment to find a good position.

With only one hole, I find the vortex is much easier to predict and control, and it's difficult to say for certain if the new tip takes any longer to steam. It's pretty darn fast.

I plan to post a photo of the tip and video of the steam process when I get some time.

I performed the mod on a stock no-burn tip so I could maintain the no-burn properties. Apparently the Brewtus II uses the no-burn wand with a one-hole tip, so that might be an option too.

Elbasso wrote:...For the first time I had the opportunity to steam on a commercial, multi-group machine. What a treat! Not getting creamy foam was nearly impossible. The only difficulty was not getting the foam too dense to pour with...

This is interesting. Last week I was in my local shop (north Boulder Amante) and watched the barsita steam on a 3-group LM. With a large pitcher (probably one size larger than 20 oz.) he opened the valve, lowered the pitcher for one short burst of tccchhhh sound, and then angled the wand deep into the pitcher, set the pitcher on the drip tray and walked away to let it whirlpool (I guess). With such a short period of stretching I thought I would get nothing but warm milk, but I watched him pour two lattes from the pitcher (he poured half off), including mine, and it was great. Couldn't tell what kind of tip he was using, probably 4-hole, but he made it look easy.

ppopp wrote:he made it look easy.

It is easy. And because the 4 holes point in all directions, it doesn't seem to matter how you position the wand or the pitcher. The sheer power will do the rest. Just don't lift the tip out of the milk. Unless you wanna paint the room of course.....

I'm loving the new 4-hole tip for my no-burn Vetrano arm (had the machine a week now and am still trying to get perfect milk). I don't find the steaming takes much longer, but the texture is closer to what I'm used to. Only downside is that the four tiny holes shoot steam nearly horizontally, so blasting the drip tray isn't so easy anymore. I've taken to covering the tip with my bar towel after wiping off the arm and blasting (carefully) into the towel.

Yes, four hole tips, IMO, produce the best microfoam, but dont blast into the drip tray as nice. IMO, its a more then worthwhile "trade-off"


On my VII, I angle it over the drip grate, and cover the tip partially with a towel.. kinda like how they do in barista comps. After watching the Australian Competition on UStream, I started doing this, and it works well. Before, I was always making somewhat of a mess purging the wand.