Alright, I just got a Mazzer Super Jolly which made my shots improve drastically, now I am trying to improve my milk steaming. I usually do the following.

1.) Let Silvia get up to steam
2.) Purge condensation
3.) Sink tip just under the surface of the milk.
4.) Start steaming, tipping the pitcher back to let some air in.
5.) Sink tip after pitcher is warm
6.) Once It starts to get hot I turn off the steam switch then the wand. (PID reads out 240)
7.) Immediately purge/clean steam wand.
8.) Cool down Silvia
9.) Pull my shot

For some reason I can't keep the milk incorporated, it takes less than 30 second for me to cool down the Silvia then begin pulling my shot. Also note I can't seem to even get the milk to incorporate when I am steaming, It swirls but I still see some bubbles. I've heard the silvia is pretty difficult to steam with, but I'm thinking this is just me.

Don't know if it more difficult, but it certainly takes longer and require a bit of patience to find the right spot in the pitcher to get the milk rolling. It does get hard to steam large volumes of milk, so start small and find the right technique. If you are learning, start with whole milk until you figure it out, then change to a lower fat milk if desired. Try to add air early on, I like to see the volume expand by about 1/3 then I lower the wand. On the silvia, play around until you find the spot where the milk starts rolling (about halfway from the edge to the middle at about half depth is a good place to start). Then continue until you reach desired temperature.

Yeah I still find it difficult at times to steam with even after a year but then again I don't steam much. I have found it easier to submerge the tip about a half inch down, open the wand fully to start a good swirl motion right away then lift up slowly to start allowing air and avoid large bubbles then once I start to feel the heat in my hand I bury the wand.

This is my technique and everyone has to find their own. give it a try.

Not sure if your PID controls steam temp as well. the one I bought only did brew temp control so I would flip the steam switch with milk in hand and wait for it to get to 285-290 and then start steaming. I also would make the shot first and then steam so separation was not usually an issue.

I think continuing to swirl it may help as well.

I've thought about that, but I prefer steaming first just because the Silvia isn't exactly the quickest machine to heat up to steam. However, I will be moving to an HX/DB machine within the next year or two (I prefer milk drinks so I probably should have went with an Oscar when I had the chance, but I think it looks like a washing machine...)

My Silvia is non PID, and I too steam the milk first. I always try to keep the steam tip just below the surface for the duration, I don't plunge the wand deep ever at all. And for larger quantities of milk, to protect the boiler from running dry I'll flip the hot water switch briefly to draw more water into the boiler while steaming. But not so much to over cool the element and slow the process. After I'm done steaming the milk, I fill the boiler with fresh water again and this cools things down quickly enough to allow the brew thermostat to take over. If I plan it right the machine is ready to go by the time I grind and tamp. A quick temp surf flush and it is time for the shot while the milk sits on top of the machine staying warmed from the boiler below. Occasionally I may bump the heater if the cycle is not fast enough to heat by flipping the steam switch on again briefly to again heat up for brewing....works pretty well. I'm having fun with this little machine.
Good luck

I always pulled my shots first when I had a Silvia. My reasoning is this...a) the milk is the featured part of the drink, b) EVERYONE says to keep the milk moving until you're ready to use it. how can you do that if you're busy grinding, distributing and tamping?

It's all about technique. Thought it may seem more difficult to do it right with the Silvia, you actually have more time to interact with the milk than with a prosumer machine. Do you use a thermometer in your pitcher? You probably should, at least until you learn. It's very easy to ruin good microfoam by over heating it. If you really don't want to use a thermometer, your stretch, as mentioned earlier, should be very short and must stop before you feel the pitcher wall warm. It shouldn't feel cool anymore, but it shouldn't feel warm either. At this point, it'll be at skin temperature, which is slightly below the point where Schomer says to switch from stretch to roll. Keep in mind the pitcher wall temp lags behind the milk temp, so it's actually a good point to use as your reference. Focus on the vortex, s it's the hardest part and the most crucial. Once you can get a vortex on demand, you can adjust the amount of air you introduce as needed. Also, consider trying Scott Rao's recommended technique to practice with water and a tiny drop of dish soap.

emradguy wrote:Also, consider trying Scott Rao's recommended technique to practice with water and a tiny drop of dish soap.

I've tried this but always ended up getting large bubbles, I used Dawn dish soap and water from the tap. One time I got something sorta glossy like micro foam but haven't produced it since.

Have you tried starting with your tip further from the surface, then lowering the pitcher once the valve is open to bring the tip closer to the surface?

Is it possible for you to post a video somewhere, so we can give you tips specific to your technique?

Coffeespeaks
I hear you. Steaming with Silvia can be frustrating but, when it works, oh ya. Its a pretty bomb proof process now. My setup is the Ver 3 with the Aubern PID(with steam control). I get my shot out of the way then
1. Run hot water down the steam wand for 6 - 10 secs ( this preheats and I think opens a bit of room in boiler to help ensure excellent steam pressure)
2. Start the steam cycle
3. Drain the water from the tip at 221 F(105C)
4. Drain the last bit at 266F (130 C)
5. Start steaming- stretch phase at 275-279 F(135-137C) - even with PID kicking on the boiler as soon as it drops below 284 F(140 C) I prefer not to loose any momentum. Make sure you turn the steam on full throttle. Just watch you have it buried enough so the milk moves but is not wanting to escape the pitcher
6. Stretch the to milk 100 F - as noted expansion is about 1/3 and you got to find the sweet spot - for me this is about 1/2" out from the spout and down 1/4- 1/2"
7. At 100 drop the tip farther another 1/2") and get the milk rolling to texture and get rid of the larger bubbles
(if you did not get the milk to expand at this point.. well get rid of it and start again)
8. At 120 I shut off the steam. My thermometer will keep climbing to 140-150
9. Clean the wand, flush it to clean out the milk that has been pulled in
10. Move the pitcher on the counter to blend everything and pour

Some other tweaks I have done to increase my odds.
1. I replaced the stock 1.5mm single hole tip with a 4 hole 1.1 mm tip(I got this from Espressotec, probably others around, the key is smaller holes)
http://www.espressotec.com/index.php/pa ... uot-l.html
2. I replaced the ver 3 Steam knob with the ver 2. It is smaller dia and knobbed. A lot easier to turn on full throttle. Silvia has a small boiler so you have to hit hard to get that milk rolling
3. I use a Mota steaming pitcher (got mine from Chris' Coffee). Not cheap but Chris recommended it and I have been very happy with this. I have about 5 other pitchers
https://www.chriscoffee.com/Motta-Stain ... ttaspg.htm
4. I measure my milk. 6.5 oz
5. I have temp gage with about 1/2" dia face- hard to read but does not interfere with watching the steam wand

Steam time is about 6 -1 0 secs . its fast. Total cycle time for a cap is about 5 min

Hope that helps, Good luck. I developed my techniques while studying for a Six Sigma exam which is all about reducing variation.

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