Big Milk Things

[annp]

Ok, first of all I do this all wrong - so please bear with my horrible mismanagement of the espresso process... I'll just confess my sins first and then get to the milk question.

I drink huge double triples in large cups.

I dose by weight and fill all my little triple baskets (3!) and line them up so I can just pop them in the portafilter, tamp and go.

I only buy one variety of coffee roasted weekly so I don't have to play with my grinder. If my roaster ever stops getting moonsooned malabar I'll probably cry.

I've got an Anita which I like a lot. Even with all of my coffee sins I think I make better espresso than most of the stuff I drink around town.

I mix 75% non fat with 25% organic whole milk. I stretch till 75 degrees. I plunge to 140 and keep the steam wand from being too near the bottom of the pitcher.

What I've noticed is that when I'm steaming smaller quantities of milk is that I get perfect microfoam pretty quickly and actually poured an apple on Saturday. When I steam more milk - valve full open, of course it takes longer because of the volume - but I don't get that perfect microfoam. Certainly yummy microfoam, but nothing to write home about.

Hmmm, is it a boiler capacity thing with Anita? Does she just run out of poop when I am steaming huge large amounts of milk?

I'm either going to have to change what is a normal coffee for me or get a machine that has more steam capacity : )

Ann

[Balthazar_B]

You don't say what volume of milk you use for "smaller" and "more". Knowing that would be helpful...

[annp]

Sorry gang - had a family emergency that caused me to travel and not get this information.

Besides the nature of my family emergency, I almost came to tears in a starbucks (after serious lack of sleep and emotional drama) when I realized that super auto meant not only the beans are ground, dosed and extracted entirely by the auto machine - but the milk was steamed that way too. There was no way I could say "Can I get that mostly non fat with a splash of whole?" They stick one of many pitchers under a pair of steam wands and walk away. When I asked, I was told "we don't do that."

I did find a friendly Peets that was willing to make my drinks how I like them, and then the treasure of Walsh's in San Mateo Cal, which was not only willing to prepare my milk the way I like, but talk about beans.

Gawd I've become a snob.

Anyway, here's some facts about milk. Funny how I can tell you to the tenth of a gram how I prepare my shots, but milk...

Ok, on the BIG end - it takes me about 45 seconds to stretch 18 oz of milk. I'm not sure how long I plunge for as I start getting my 4 oz cooling flush going at about 110 degrees, but I plunge to 140 degrees.

As I've not made a coffee since Saturday night just for me, I can't tell you how long in seconds it takes me to stretch and plunge milk for the SMALL end, but I steam about 8 oz of milk to six shots (two triples).

The whole steaming process goes much faster with the 8 oz, the milk holds its microfoam much nicer and I get closer to the correct texture for pouring art. It's also got that perfect sweet taste.

So I figure I've got one of 3 things going on.

1. Anita just does not have the umph to prepare 18 oz of milk.

2. Preparing greater volumes at slower times requires that I adjust my stretch to 75 degrees, plunge to 140, routine.

3. Milk is sitting too long before it meets coffee. As I'm pulling 3 triples, one after another at these sessions, my pitcher does sit around waiting on coffee. I AM trying to do this as expeditiously as possible - which is why I've got 3 triple baskets, dosed and loaded. I just bang out the portafilter, pop out the basket, pop in another loaded basket, tamp quickly and go.

The most ironic thing about this whole thing is I had my Saeco for 10 years, made dishwater foam, couldn't get my boyfriend to drink the swill I made and killed a blade grinder every 6 months.

Then I read HB and CG, got a Rocky, pre-ordered Anita, grew out of Rocky and got my San Marco grinder. Now I'm replacing the SM grinder with a Mazzer because I hate the doser (but love the grind adjustment!) and am wondering, seriously, should I replace Anita with La Marzocco GS3 so I can be a geek about temp stability (my big irritating unknown) and take care of steam capacity with one fell swoop - and just not buy any more coffee stuff?

The thing, both sad and scary, is that I'd do exactly that if it got me perfect coffee in the morning.

So what do you all think?

Ann

[hperry]

I haven't been able to get the milk "right" unless I pour right after steaming it. I've been told that the coffee shouldn't sit for the length of time needed to prepare the milk, but, overall the results are better. I like tight foam, not separated from the milk. When it stands long the foam tends to separate from the milk and is hard to manage. I prepare three drinks in the morning and pull the shot, then steam, for each one. The other advantage is using the smaller pitcher. My few experiences with the big pitcher lead me to avoid it in favor of individual pitchers for each drink.

[cannonfodder]

I start steaming my milk about half way through the shot on my HX. By the time I stop stretching and start swirling my shot has finished. That way I have minimal time between the shot and milk pour. I like to pour my milk just seconds after I finish steaming, one quick tap on the table top, a couple of swirls and go. I know I did it right when I get the rolling swirling effect of the milk in the glass (clear glass). I can actually watch the microfoam rolling in the cup as it slowly settles out to a cap. Just like watching the crema roll in a good shot.

[HB]

Anita just does not have the umph to prepare 18 oz of milk... should I replace Anita with La Marzocco GS3 so I can be a geek about temp stability (my big irritating unknown) and take care of steam capacity with one fell swoop - and just not buy any more coffee stuff?

The thing, both sad and scary, is that I'd do exactly that if it got me perfect coffee in the morning.

So what do you all think?

Chris offered some great advice on deciding if such an expenditure is justified (see the Conclusion and search on "So who, in my opinion, should consider buying a GS3 for their home?"). I steam milk per drink, two at the most, so I have no practical need for meta-pitcher steaming capacity, although I admit the Elektra A3's excess was fun.

I haven't been able to get the milk "right" unless I pour right after steaming it.

Oddly enough, when I was struggling with pouring even marginally acceptable latte art, Peter Guiliano suggested that I let the pitcher sit for awhile. Nowadays I thunk and swirl a bit for the best result and the milk remains a smooth microfoam for as long as I'm willing to keep it up. If I stop for too long, the milk separates and the dreaded "cottonball" forms on the next swirl; a few hard swish-swish side motions followed by a few more swirls will recover, but the result will be more top heavy.

[shadowfax]

Oddly enough, when I was struggling with pouring even marginally acceptable latte art, Peter Guiliano suggested that I let the pitcher sit for awhile. Nowadays I thunk and swirl a bit for the best result and the milk remains a smooth microfoam for as long as I'm willing to keep it up. If I stop for too long, the milk separates and the dreaded "cottonball" forms on the next swirl; a few hard swish-swish side motions followed by a few more swirls will recover, but the result will be more top heavy.

I've always thought that "getting" latte art for me happened when I learned first to tap and swirl the pitcher always and then how to use pitcher height to control whether and how much foam stays on top and how much, conversely, buries itself under the crema.

My latte art is hit or miss, but usually because I overstretch and can't control the volume of foam I end up with. I rarely have texture that's so bad I can't do latte art.. even the marginal stretchings can be repaired by some vigourous tap-swirls.

[annp]

I appreciate the insights...

I made a small drink and let the milk sit around for a while while I messed with some other stuff. It still poured nice after a bang and some swirling. Nicer than a greater amount that sat for the same time.

I'm beginning to think that when I texture a smaller volume of milk, the increased speed has something to do with the better quality of the texture of the milk.

Something about the proteins in the milk?

Ann

[shadowfax]

There's a sweet spot around 6-8 oz of milk for the little 1-1.5 L boiler machines, I understand. I think the idea is that you have better control of things with such volumes of milk. when you try to steam 15 oz of milk, it's kind of hard to tell what's going on, and even more to control it even if you know, with the power of that machine. but it doesn't hold true as you get even smaller volumes... try microfoaming 3 oz of milk without painting the walls or getting a horrible texture.

That's why I rarely make Cappuccinos unless I am doing two--or feeling like throwing 2 oz of milk in the sink.