Nice ArtWork - What cups are those by the way??

The cups shown are Illy (normal size cup) and vintage Fukagawa 700 series (very wide shallow cup). I'm not sure about the series on the illy.

Is the threading on the EP the same as on the pro? I have a pro and just cant get a hang of the steam want with the 3 hole tip just like many others. I live just outside Manhattan!

Yes - the threads are the same on the EP as the pro. The latest shots shown above are on a pro with a modified tip. Feel free to email me for a tip. If you are in Manhattan, then I'm pretty close by in Brooklyn Heights just across the East River. The high street stop on the A or the clark st stop on the 2 or 3.

I worked up a training video for these steam tips showing how to steam properly so you can do nice latte art... enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDK1XEF1iyE

Huge thanks to Brooklynshot!!! I just received one of his modified single-hole tips for my Pavoni and it made a huge improvement with creating microfoam....now I just need to work on my pour

Thanks Brooklynshot - I hope you enjoyed some of that Kansas City espresso!

(Great video by the way)

BC

Also got my single hole steam tip recently courtesy of a good old fashioned "steam tip for beans" barter exchange with Brooklynshot. And what a revelation. Microfoam consistency with the 3 holed tip was virtually impossible. I did all the things our forum colleagues suggested - ie, holding the steamwand in the centre, use only a small jug etc etc - but despite this, and not to mention the many litres of milk wasted, I think I may have fluked it only once. It was doing my head in and I gave up in the end, thinking that it was the LP that just didnt have enough steaming guts.

But the single holed tip works beautifully. Microfoam is now pretty much guaranteed and it is finally a pleasure to steam on the LP, as indeed it should be.

All thanks to you Brooklynshot. I hope the London based beans I sent you measured up to what you are used to. And yes, great videos too.

Thanks to Brooklynshot and others for the great idea.

How to make your own replacement Europiccola frothing tip for less than $5.00.

I found M6 stainless steel acorn cap nuts at ACE Hardware for about $.50. I picked up a 1/16" medium quality drill bit for $1.79. Wet-and-dry sandpaper is cheap. I wanted a threaded rod, but settled for a $.40 80mm M6 bolt. I cut off the head so I could put it in my electric drill, threads extended outward (a tinkerer's lathe). I used it to hold the acorn nut when I filed off the hexagonal shape to make a stream-lined and easier to clean tip.

To drill the 1/16' hole, I put the cap nut nut in my vise, used some cutting oil, (or 3-in-1 oil) and drilled slowly without much force to avoid burning or breaking the thin bit.

Wear safety glasses

*carefully clamp your electric drill in a vise with padding (so you don't squeeze the drill's housing and damage it) so that the drill angles upward
*screw on the acorn cap nut and turn on the drill

Wear safety glasses

*firmly hold a flat file against the hexagonal outside of the nut until the bullet shape is formed - this will take some care and patience
*lightly stretch a strip of wet and dry sandpaper in the fingers of both hands, and hold the strip between your fingers against the metal starting with 400 grit finishing at 800 grit. Keep your fingers away from the metal because it is hot.(You can polish as much as you want with finer papers or compounds.)

*finish off with stainless steel kitchen sink polish or Brasso on a cloth (again, take care not to burn your fingers)
*let the rod and polished bullet shape cool

Finally - so you don't damage the bullet when you remove it from the threaded rod:
*wrap a piece of thick leather or flexible dense plastic around the bullet
*make certain that the pad protects the bullet from the plier's teeth
*using the plier's jaws, gently unscrew the bullet from the threaded rod. It could be snug.
*ream the end if necessary with a hand-held drill bit
*clean any metal filings out with a Q tip; polish with Brasso and wash with hot water & detergent

Extremely easy to make. And you don't need any special equipment either: just an electric drill, a file, and a vice. Drill from the open end, not the dome, to avoid the drill skating off. A simple jig will hold the nut dome side down. If the hole isn't exactly centered, it doesn't matter as foaming works best when the nozzle is at an angle to the milk rather than vertical. All in all it took between 15 and 20 minutes, and was well worth the effort. It makes really nice froth.

Thanks to all the contributing posters.

Might be a good idea to check the inside of the nut for burrs from the drilling just to be safe.

Well, I have the drill bits and acorn nuts and rods and bolts and even the 15 or 20 minutes but it's just as soon get them from Brooklynshot or his authorized distributor.