by Paul L on Fri Sep 09, 2005 4:04 pm
Like the child on Christmas Eve, the espressoholic arriving home with their latest acquisition, the sports fan whose team scores a goal, a try, a touchdown, a home run etc. I have finally produced something other than flat milk and a few bubbles. Sadly, feeling like a complete geek it's one of those moments. Close the eyes, take it in, re-live it, get excited, share it, consider one should be far too old for this, tell the World anyway. Yep, on the 6th day of trying I have enjoyed my fist real foam and therefore cappuccino on my Lever Fever journey.
First things first, I have to credit to one person in particular, a long-term LP user who I haven't seen post on here yet so it's not good form to name them. However, I am indebted to them with their email counselling just about every day as I work my way through flat coffee and flat milk.
I don't know about you guys and gals but I sometimes ponder on just how much I pick up thanks to the internet, the information exchange and intake and underneath it all, good folk who were happy to share. When a pastime flames, it ain't a lot of fun but in espressoland in 4 months I have not come across a better bunch of posters and help towards others as I have with the coffee forums. Like you all here, I like to pass it back too so I'm going to ramble on in the possibility it might help someone else.
In my case the problem was overcome tonight by changing one thing that perhaps one would not even think of and which I picked up as habit using only a Gaggia Cubika before now. It might surprise you.
For those with a short attention span - I steamed with the nozzle in the centre of the jug rather than near the side.
For those who like a story - pull up a sheep.
The Cubika was my first 'proper' machine back in April. It took me a week to get anything resembling froth and until a fortnight ago I learned to be extremely accurate in using the most of its limited steam power. My routine was: Bleed, wait a few seconds, plunge, come up quickly to place the single steam hole just below the surface, listen intently for the ch, ch sound I read about, remain completely zen still as the milk rises and gently lower the jug to keep that same position. Oh, and remain completely zen still as the milk rises if I did not already mention that, probably the single most important aspect.
Only I learned that all this was best done at the edge of the small 12oz jug I use to create some whirlpooling. I could stretch the 5oz I typically use to 12oz like this and usually did. I thought the end result was often a bit hot but it was generally good and when I tried plunging half-way I did not like the large bubbles that quickly started forming and spoiling my fine foam. Yes I had read some of the guides about stretching then heating but I did not explore further.
A couple of weeks ago when seeing an LP in action it was made to look easy and I watched with interest as the milk was partially stretched then plunged. The end result was creamy and did not fall apart as I had expected. As a typical male I went into the cave, as they say, and when returning home from the trip a couple of days later I sceptically tried stretching less and then plunging. I had about 9oz of fine foam and I plunged at that point. There were the damned spoilers, the damaging bubbles starting to form around the neck of the steam wand at the milk line to coin a phrase. Then, miraculously, the bubbles closed up again and I sharply shutdown the wand and withdrew it and allowed the usual settling, banging and swirling of the jug. And the result? Wow, not the thick foam and separated milk I had grown accustomed too but wonderful luxurious foam, not too thick but just great from the first sip to the last.
So, when I picked up my LP Europiccola my chest was proudly pushed out and my imaginary barista badge was shining brightly. It did not last long. Over the space of the past 6 days my shoulders have sloped, the chip fell off and a grey cloud has hung over me at every frothing attempt. I tried everything, lowering the wand, raising the wand, changing the angle, opening the throttle, backing off a bit and I started to buy more milk, tip away, cool the jug with cold water and try again immediately. By day 4 I was having about 3 attempts to each espresso sitting waiting, the 3rd being as flat as the 1st by which time I would pour it into the flat espresso anyway. When it got too much I would produce something wonderful with crema and velvet milk from the Cubika. Damn if the LP attempts did not taste better in some way though, there definitely seems to be something about the sweetness form the lever shot that others report on.
Tonight was the same - although on the espresso side I am slowly getting crema bit by bit. I have great expectation of course at the imminent arrival of the 51mm Reg Barber to replace the undersized plastic drastic I am currently using.
But then...
It went something like this:
" Here we go, let's froth. Patience, young man, patience, oh not again, flat as a pancake, I don't understand this. Ditch, rinse to cool, re-fill, let's go again. I am not giving up.
Stay still, be accurate, patience, oh not again. Hmm. Rinse to cool, re-fill, let's go again. I AM NOT GIVING UP!
Oh what the hell, I don't know why I bother trying to whirlpool, let's stick the nozzle under the milk right in the centre of the jug and see what happens. Oh my God, what's this, this is just like the Cubika only faster. Whoa, this is fast, quick old chap - plunge further, how long shall I stay here? Damn, I have no idea. If only I had held the jug rather than the handle as I was advised to do so I know the temp. Never mind, should I care? Not if this is as good as I think it is. Turn off and withdraw fast.
Now what have I got here? I don't believe it, I don't believe it. Thee real McCoy. Hmm, I never told anyone I frothed at the side of the jug, this all happened really fast, can it really have been the cause? Well, I don't understand it but there it was. Hmm. No-one else said where they froth, did they? I don't recall reading it anywhere. It must be one of those unspoken things, a bit like assuming you wear underwear on the inside - well unless your name's Sammy Piccolo or something." So I guess everyone froths in the middle only they take it for granted. Who knows, ah well I've found something that works."
Was it good, you bet, and it's time to go make another...
